The Repair Shop is renowned for its powerful, emotive moments, as owners bring in their most prized possessions to be pieced back together by the show’s experts. The latest series is no exception. We’re loving watching the restorers work their magic on objects that seemed beyond repair, bringing them back to life so they can be cherished once more.
As ever, the series has been full of challenges for the experts, from mending shattered doll’s legs to rescuing vintage film projectors. These items may not be worth a fortune, but to their owners they’re priceless. Ready to shed a few tears? Here are the most touching moments from series 14 so far.
1. A beekeeper’s portrait restored to its former glory – Episode 19
Ruth d'Andilly-Haigh from Nottinghamshire brought a weathered concrete block portrait of her beekeeper dad, David Julian Clune, to be restored by paintings conservator Lucia Scalisi.
After her dad’s sudden death three months earlier from bronchopneumonia, Ruth wanted something to remember him by, especially as she’d recently discovered that she was pregnant, and the portrait had become faded over time.
While bringing the portrait back to life proved to be a challenging project for Lucia, who is more used to restoring works on canvas, Ruth was moved to tears when the finished portrait was revealed: ‘It’s exactly how I remember it. Dare I say it, better! His moustache looks great.’
2. A refugee child’s doll – Episode 17, VE Day special
Teddy Bear Ladies Julie and Amanda were tasked with the repair of a very special doll: 86-year-old Haisi. Her owner, Ruth, was smuggled out of Austria as a toddler to escape from the Nazis, with the precious doll in her arms.
Haisi was in a poor condition, but the experts were determined to do their best for Ruth. They called in plastic restorer, Charlotte Abbott, to repair Haisi’s shattered leg and replace a missing leg. They even made a beautiful traditional Austrian dirndl to dress Haisi in.
‘Oh Haisi, you look wonderful! Oh my gosh,’ Ruth said when reunited with her childhood doll. ‘It brings back the whole of my childhood, really. She did get a lot of playing with.’
3. John Holloway’s clock – Episode 17, VE Day special
‘When I go to bed at night, I always say: Goodnight, Con. I love you,’ said 101-year-old Royal Navy veteran John Holloway, as he recalled his wife of 66 years. He described his late wife Connie as ‘the best wife and the best thing I ever had’.
John brought in one of the cockpit clocks that he was responsible for installing when he served on the HMS Formidable during World War Two. After the war, he gave Connie one of the clocks as a Christmas present in 1947, which she always kept on her bedside table.
Sadly, the clock was broken during a house move six years ago. He left the clock in the care of horologist Steve Fletcher, who brought it back to its former glory.
John was deeply moved and brushed tears from his eyes when his clock was revealed: ‘That’s going to remind me of Con all the time. She was a wonderful, wonderful woman.’
4. Ian’s boots – Episode 3
Ian brought in a very special pair of 19-year-old ‘soldier boots’ that he said had helped him through some hard times and he described them as his uniform. Ian was born profoundly deaf and, in his teens, he was diagnosed with a condition that left him with just 5 per cent of his vision.
He discovered that photography gave him the confidence to talk about his disability, and Ian has since carved out a business as a blind photographer. He’s worked with the renowned photographer Rankin and photographed the Paralympics – all while wearing his favourite boots.
Ian had worn his boots so much that there were holes in the soles. ‘I’m hoping they’ve been injected with some new life,’ he said, before the reveal. He was delighted to be reunited with them and couldn’t wait to try them on, as he’d missed them.
‘I could have thrown these boots away a long time ago,’ he continued, ‘but my heart kept saying “no”. I’m just really happy to have them back on my feet.’
5. Lottie’s family book – Episode 6
Sisters Lottie and Amy brought in a treasured childhood book that was given to Lottie by her parents in 1976, when she was three. It was written by their English teacher mum and illustrated by their dad, who was a fine artist. It records Lottie’s early life, including her first steps, and the arrival of her younger sister Amy.
The well-loved book had become tatty, so they wanted it to be restored. Since their dad passed away, the book has become even more meaningful to them. ‘It just feels really important to preserve it,’ Lottie said.
The sisters were blown away by the mended book. ‘How have you done that? How have you made it so perfect?’ Lottie asked. ‘I think this is probably one of the kindest things someone has ever done [for me]. Thank you so much.’
6. Peter’s Cornish drum – Episode 5
Cornishman Richard Poole arrived in the barn with a worn-out drum, which had once belonged to his father, Peter. Incredibly, Peter played the drum as part of Padstow’s May Day celebrations for over 50 years – until he passed away last year. May Day has special significance for Richard: ‘For people from Padstow, it’s more important than Christmas and birthdays and anniversaries all rolled into one.’
Richard and his sisters were raised by his dad, and his childhood wasn’t always easy, but his dad did his best to provide for them. ‘He was a very resilient, very proud man,’ Richard recalled.
He describes the drum being played as sounding like a heartbeat: ‘And for me, it’s my dad’s heartbeat.’
Richard returned with his son, Tommy, to test out the mended drum. Richard took a sharp breath when he saw the drum: ‘Wow, that’s phenomenal. That’s taken the wind out of my sails.’ He added: ‘When I hear the first beat of that drum again, it’s like Dad’s back in the room.’
7. Bert and Winifred’s treasured locket – Episode 18
Fliss from Ashton-Under-Lyme came to The Repair Shop with a broken locket that once belonged to her beloved grandparents, Bert and Winifred. Winifred carried a portrait of Bert in the locket throughout the war, and he kept a picture of her with him at all times.
The locket was in poor condition and even included dents where Fliss’s uncle had chewed it as a baby, but Fliss wanted to see it restored so she could wear it in memory of both her grandparents.
‘Oh my god, it’s so shiny!’ Fliss said, when she saw the mended locket, she was overwhelmed to see her grandparents' photos side by side at last. She said she was going to wear it every day and couldn’t wait to put it on.
8. Khaled’s projector from Uganda – Episode 12
Brother and sister Zaff and Nasari brought in a projector that the family took with them when they were forced to flee Idi Amin’s dictatorship in Uganda in 1972. Once in the UK, they settled in Rochdale and rebuilt their lives. The siblings wanted to restore their father’s projector, because it would allow them to see footage of their childhood in Uganda, which they’d never seen before.
Their father, Khaled Ansari, loved to film his family, but after moving to the UK, he never took out his projector again. Mark Stuckey took a great deal of time and care to ensure the projector ran smoothly without flickering.
When Zaff and Nasari arrived, they were treated to a very special film of their childhood, which showed them playing as children, a glimpse of their grandfather and the factory their family once owned.
‘I just feel my dad touching it, I feel like he’s here, putting it on,’ said Nasari. ‘It brought me peace, seeing my mum and dad and how we were, and my grandfather, and how much time we spent together. Happy memories!’
9. Lilian’s diary from the occupation of Guernsey – Episode 20
Lilian Maud Le Page kept a diary throughout the Nazi occupation of Guernsey. The diary is a record of the hardships that people in the Channel Islands faced, and includes Lilian’s hunger, frustration and fears throughout her ordeal. It also recounts the experience of two fishermen who escaped the Nazis by sneaking fuel into their boat after curfew and sailing across the Channel, eventually making it to England.
Roger and Thomas, her descendants, wanted the diary to be repaired so it can be read again, and they recognised its value as a historical document. The book was missing a spine and the pages were very loose, but it needed to be dismantled before its repair.
Bookbinder Chris Shaw carefully pieced it back together and made a replacement spine from scratch. He even touched up the book binding with watercolour paints to hide some of the damage, and finished it with a protective layer of wax.
Roger was deeply moved when he saw his grandmother’s diary and couldn’t believe how fantastic it looked. ‘It’s just making me think of my gran,’ Roger said tearfully. ‘It’s taken me back years.’
