The Repair Shop

Listed as Series 15 Episode 1 on BBC site
(was previously listed on BBC site as Series 15 Episode 4)

First into the barn is John from Holywell, with a unique family heirloom – a detailed working model of a Welsh coal mine, built by his grandfather over 100 years ago. The model normally takes centre stage in the mining museum John runs, but the intricate mechanism that powered its moving parts was lost during a failed repair, and John's pride and joy is currently out of service. Horologist Steve Fletcher faces the head-scratching challenge of recreating the entire mechanism, while art conservator Lucia Scalisi restores its painted surfaces, ensuring this miniature marvel honours John's family history and the memory of generations of miners.

Next, Sarah and her daughter Laura arrive from Belfast, bringing along a tattered Victorian writing box steeped in family history. Originally gifted to Sarah's grandmother Dolly by her fiance, it was later used by Sarah's mum Kay Kennedy, an inspirational reporter and one of Northern Ireland's first female newspaper editors. Woodworker Will Kirk and bookbinder Chris Shaw join forces to restore the box's battered veneer and torn leather, preserving its legacy for future generations, including Laura, who was inspired by Kay's feats to become a writer and journalist herself.

From Barrow-in-Furness, Jacquie arrives with Rosebud – a 75-year-old doll that once belonged to her late mother Myra and became Myra's treasured companion at a difficult time. After losing her father at the age of seven and her mother just two years later, Myra was adopted and given Rosebud by her new parents. Decades of loving and affection have left Rosebud with her head hanging loose, hair matted and missing, and lacking both her legs. Toy restorer Charlotte Abbott sets out to rebuild the missing limbs, secure the head and recreate Rosebud's wig, returning this cherished doll to the family in one piece.

Finally, Tillie Newnham from Rugby presents an extraordinary piece of British engineering history: an original 1930s design for the Humber Bridge, drawn by Sir Ralph Freeman and later passed to her grandfather, Bernard Wex, who oversaw the bridge's eventual construction. Paper conservator Angelina Bakalarou tackles decades of damage, from creepy crawly insect droppings to tears and tape stains, to ensure this rare drawing can be cherished by Tillie's family for years to come.

Lucia revives a family portrait of a heroic sea captain, Brenton repairs a precious boxing trophy, and the team restore a Jamaican trunk that carried a musician's dreams.

Listed as Series 15 Episode 5 on BBC site

First to arrive in the barn is Peter from Blackpool, carrying a shattered violin that once belonged to his late wife's grandfather Sigmund. A gifted Jewish musician from Vienna, Sigmund – along with his violin – was imprisoned in Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Second World War. The camp played an important role in Nazi propaganda and was used to paint a false picture of conditions for international visitors, including the Red Cross. As part of that subterfuge, Sigmund was ordered to form an orchestra that would play to visiting dignitaries on such occasions. Now dried, cracked and broken from years hanging above a fireplace, it poses a mammoth challenge for violin restorer Becky Houghton, who painstakingly dismantles it, repairing its fractured body, filling cracks and preserving every mark left by Sigmund's hands. 

From Aberdeenshire, Katy Fennema and her mother Alison arrive with a weather-beaten enamel sign from the family's long-gone Highlands garage. The business, founded in 1901 in Braemar's snowbound Castleton district, served motorists for decades and provided a living for generations of Alison's family. Bent double, rusted and shorn of some of its lettering, the sign symbolises a proud lineage of hard work and hospitality – but right now, it's looking far from proud. A new face in the barn steps up to take on the job: Glaswegian printmaker and gilder Alasdair Mackay. With a bit of welding help from Dom Chinea, Al straightens the buckled metal, fills its deep scars and repaints its lettering with precision, all while preserving the precious patina. 

Next, Charlie Smith from North Yorkshire brings a delicate ceramic birdcage that belonged to his late mother, Jennifer. Bought in a Riyadh department store during the family's years in Saudi Arabia, it once filled their living room with light and warmth, but when Jennifer became ill, it was left shattered after an unfortunate accident, and an attempted repair has left it in pieces. Conservator Kirsten Ramsay takes on the formidable task of dismantling the failed glue joints, steam-cleaning every fragment, and reassembling hundreds of shards back into the delicate cage that Jennifer once knew and loved. 

Finally, Ross Malyon from the Isle of Bute arrives with a black leather jacket, hand painted in the 1980s by his late girlfriend Meriel, who transformed its back into a vivid Batman mural. The jacket accompanied Ross around the world during his years as a roadie to some of the UK's biggest bands, but decades living the rock'n'roll lifestyle have left the jacket faded and falling apart. Fixing it requires the joint efforts of shoemaker Dean Westmoreland, who tackles the worn leather, failing zip and torn lining, and paintings conservator Lucia Scalisi, who carefully revives the artwork's cracked colours.