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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
(in alphabetical order)
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.
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.
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.
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.