Enter a workshop filled with expert craftspeople, bringing loved pieces of family history and the memories they hold back to life. A heartwarming antidote to throwaway culture.

At Christmas 2023



It’s Christmas at The Repair Shop, and the team face four festive fixes.

Arriving first is Steve from Chesterfield, whose has brought a very deceptive Christmas treat. The unassuming Christmas cake is not actually a baked dessert, but a mechanical marvel created by Steven’s uncle Fred in the 1940s. Fred, who had an engineering background, loved to entertain, and this cake was an annual highlight for the whole family. Steve recalls the gadget as being like nothing he’d ever seen before or since, but it’s been a long time since the mechanism has entertained a Christmas party. Steve is hoping that the barn’s mechanical maestro, Steve Fletcher, can rescue the wreckage, but to do so, he's is going to need a helping hand from electronics whizz Mark Stuckey and ceramic expert Kirsten Ramsay.

Also on Mark Stuckey’s job list is the restoration of a record player that holds important memories for Jo Thomas from Wales. Jo hopes that Mark can put a halt to further deterioration of this sentimental piece of equipment that was gifted to her by her late son, Ben, who tragically passed away in 2006 aged just 11. Ben was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, shortly after his 10th birthday, but his illness never dampened his zest for life. As his last Christmas neared, Ben, who shared a love of music with his mum, went shopping and bought her this record player using his own money. The player has been out of service for a number of years now, and Jo longs to hear it again. With arthritis making it difficult for Jo to bend down, she’d like the unit to be placed on legs so that she can operate it more easily.

Next to arrive are mother and daughter Sheila and Denise from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who have brought a pair of unique paper models of Santa Claus dating back over 100 years. The Santas have been owned by three generations of Sheila’s family, and hold fond memories for Sheila and Denise. But these treasured family heirlooms are now beginning to show their age. Paper restorer Angelina Bakalarou is determined to return them back to their once jolly appearance.

The final restoration falls to little drummer boy Pete Woods, who’s faced with repairing a steel-pan drum brought in by Mark from Brighton. Presenting the drum, Mark explains that his father, Ralph Cherrie, a celebrated steel pan player, picked it up in 1976 when the family made a big Christmas trip to Trinidad, his country of birth. Mark has vivid memories of this special trip with his dad, and it was also the start of his own journey as a musician.

Pete has the challenging task of getting this drum back in top working order. To complete his mission, Pete enlists the help of metalwork expert Dominic Chinea to restore the exterior of the drum, and leatherwork supremo Suzie Fletcher to create a new strap so that Mark can wear the drum around his neck.

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Thank you,
skorpion.