# The Repair Shop

The Repair Shop is a British daytime and primetime television show made by production company Ricochet that aired on BBC Two for series 1 to 3 and on BBC One for series 4 onwards, in which family heirlooms are restored for their owners by numerous experts with a broad range of specialisms. Furniture restorer Jay Blades acted as the foreman until 2024. Will Kirk and Dominic Chinea since 2024 act as co-foremen.

## Theme

Each episode follows professional craftspeople from around the country who restore family heirlooms that have sentimental value for their owners. The experts are found mostly through social media, and the heirlooms' owners are not charged for the restorations. Some items require the attention of two experts. For example, a clock in a wooden case. Steve Fletcher repairs the clock whilst Will Kirk restores the wooden case.

## Episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 15 | 15 | 27 March 2017 | 16 December 2017 |
| 2 | 15 | 15 | 12 March 2018 | 30 March 2018 |
| 3 | 15 | 15 | 13 August 2018 | 19 September 2018 |
| 4 | 30 | 30 | 1 April 2019 | 10 May 2019 |
| 5 | 40 | 40 | 18 November 2019 | 2 October 2020 |
| 6 | 14 | 14 | 7 October 2020 | 10 March 2021 |
| 7 | 40 | 40 | 15 March 2021 | 26 November 2021 |
| 8 | 14 | 14 | 21 April 2021 | 26 January 2022 |
| 9 | 40 | 40 | 29 December 2021 | 18 November 2022 |
| 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 May 2022 | 5 October 2022 |
| 11 | 40 | 40 | 2 January 2023 | 20 October 2023 |
| 12 | 14 | 14 | 22 March 2023 | 10 January 2024 |
| 13 | 25 | 25 | 10 April 2024 | TBC in 2025 |
| 14 | 14, 15 or 16 | 14, 15 or 16 | 8 January 2025 | TBC in 2025 |

### Christmas specials

Several Christmas-themed special episodes (with the exception of The Repair Shop at Christmas 2018) have been produced since the 2020s, they have been transmitted on Christmas Eve occurring every two years until 2023 and on Boxing Day occurring every two years until 2022. The earliest transmission date on record was five days before Christmas Eve 2017 and the latest transmission date on record was three days after Boxing Day 2019.
| Year | Transmission date |
| 2017 | 19 December 2017 |
| 2018 | Cancelled due to unfinished filming |
| 2019 | 29 December 2019 |
| 2020 | 26 December 2020 |
| 2021 | 24 December 2021 |
| 2022 | 26 December 2022 |
| 2023 | 24 December 2023 |
| 2024 | 24 December 2024 |

### Charity specials

The show has been included in Children in Need events, for example restoring a teddy in 2021, and a carved wooden chair in 2022. In 2022, the show's presenters were featured with French and Saunders and Judi Dench in a parody of the series for Comic Relief.

### The Repair Shop Favourite Fixes

Following Jay Blades' being charged with controlling and coercive behaviour, in September 2024, he stepped back from his television work. The Repair Shop introduced a spin-off series, showcasing the best and favourite repairs from previous episodes of regular series, introduced by Bill Paterson.
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | 30 October 2024 | 30 December 2024 |
| 2 | TBR | TBR | TBC in 2025 | TBC in 2025 |

### The Repair Shop On The Road

In 2025 following the success of The Repair Shop Favourite Fixes, another spin-off series of The Repair Shop was introduced and commissioned by Kirk and Chinea called The Repair Shop On The Road.
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 14 | 14 | 3 February 2025 | 20 February 2025 |
| 2 | TBR | TBR | TBC in 2026 | TBC in 2026 |

## Notable artists

Episode 5 of series 1 featured a painted ceramic jug made by Picasso contemporary Jean Lurçat.
Episode 12 of series 1 featured a painting by British landscape artist Frederick Appleyard. Brought in by Appleyard's descendant (his great-grand-nephew), the heavily damaged painting was restored by Lucia Scalisi.
In episode 16 of the same series, Scalisi restored an oil portrait by Cyril James Frost, at the request of its owner, the sitter's son.
In series 4, episode 22, a miniature by Sarah Biffin was restored, by Scalisi and paper conservator Louise Drover.

## Notable guests

In October 2022, King Charles III (still the Prince of Wales at the time of filming) starred in an episode in which a piece of pottery made for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and an 18th-century clock were restored by the show's experts. Jay Blades, Steve Fletcher, his son Fred, Kirsten Ramsay and Will Kirk were featured.

## Filming

The Repair Shop is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex. The Court Barn is the principal setting, though some repairs are carried out in the Victorian smithy and nearby wagon shed.

## Experts
### Regular

* Jay Blades, furniture restorer and foreman (2017–2024)
* Dominic Chinea, metal worker, signs restorer and foreman
* Steven Fletcher, clock restorer mechanical and toy restoration
* Suzie Fletcher, leather worker, saddle maker
* Will Kirk, carpenter, cabinet-maker, furniture restorer and foreman
* Sonnaz Nooranvary, upholstery restorer
* Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell, soft toy and doll restorers, known as the "Bear Ladies"
* Kirsten Ramsay, Sussex-based ceramics conservator
* Lucia Scalisi, painting conservator
* Brenton West, silversmith and antique photography specialist

### Guest and semi-regular experts

(in alphabetical order)
* Angelina Bakalarou, paper and paintings conservator
* Stuart Black, firefighting historian
* George Blackman, antique typewriter restorer
* Matthew Boultwood, blacksmith
* David Burville, organ restorer, toy repairer
* Sara Dennis, embroidery specialist
* John Dilworth, violin restorer
* Louise Drover, paper conservator
* Neil Fairley, vintage electronics repairer
* Catherine Guilder, butter churn restorer
* Tim Gunn, bicycle restorer
* Geoff Harvey, pinball and arcade machine restorer
* Sarah Hatton, willow artist
* Stephen Kember, music box specialist
* David Kennett, luthier, guitar restorer
* Kouresh Kouchakpour, luthier
* Blue MacMurchie and John MacMurchie, bagpipes restorers, known as the "MacMurchie Bagpipe Brothers"
* Graham Mancha, furniture restorer
* Matthew Nickels, stained-glass worker
* Guillaume Pons, ceramics restorer
* Pierro Pozella, camera restorer
* Laurence Richardson, jukebox restorer
* Richard Rigby, antique projector specialist
* Nigel Robinson, electronics engineer
* Greg Rowland, wheelwright
* Joujou Saad and Walid Saad, antique typewriter restorers, known as "Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters"
* Christopher Shaw, book-binder
* Alastair Simms, master cooper
* Kaviraj Singh, sitar restorer
* Rachael South, London-based furniture caner
* Mark Stuckey, electronics, radio and electrical restorer
* Richard Talman, master goldsmith
* Roger Thomas, accordion specialist
* Jayesh Vaghela, hatter
* Tim Weeks, gramophone specialist
* Julyan Wallis, luthier
* Dean Westmoreland, cobbler, shoe repairer
* Hannah Weston Smith, traditional upholsterer
* Pete Woods, percussion and musical instrument repairer

## Merchandise
### Home media

DVD releases of the series are released by Dazzler Media under license from Warner Bros.
On 25 June 2018, a DVD release of The Complete Series 1 and 2017 Christmas Special was released on a two-disc DVD set. A DVD release of Series Two was released on 7 October 2019. A DVD of Series 3 was released in March 2020, Series 4 was released as a two-disc set in March 2021, and Series 5 was released as a two-disc set in November 2021.

### Books

On 25 July 2019, a do-it-yourself hardback book was released, entitled The Repair Shop: A Make Do and Mend Handbook, published by BBC Books.
The Repair Shop: Tales from the Workshop of Dreams was published by BBC Books on 5 November 2020.

## Reception

In 2019, The Repair Shop received a nomination for a Rose d'Or in the Reality and Factual Entertainment category. After moving to prime time for Series 6 in March 2020, it was watched by 6.7 million people.
In 2023, the show won a National Television Award in the daytime programme category.

## International versions

An Australian version of the show, The Repair Shop Australia, debuted on Lifestyle on 3 May 2022. It is hosted by Dean Ipaviz, a builder and carpenter, and features six repairers.
A Dutch version of the show, The Repair Shop, debuted on RTL 4 on September 2, 2019. It was hosted by Humberto Tan, a radio and TV presenter, sports journalist and writer, and lasted one season.
A Dutch version of the show in Belgium, De Repair Shop, debuted on Eén on September 4, 2022. It is hosted by Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis, a newscaster and TV Presenter, and had its second season in 2023.