Catch up TV

Series 6: Episode 8

First to test the Repair Shop’s technical prowess, Julianna Smith from Milton Keynes. She is hoping Mark Stuckey’s mastery of electronics can bring a radio system, handmade by her late father, back to life. Julianna remembers the radiogram filling the house with rock and roll music as a child. Her dear father, Patrick, was a clever chap and this creation, built from scratch, was his pride and joy. With no instruction manual for this unique item, Mark takes a slow and steady approach. Each component is assessed for signs of deterioration and replaced or tweaked. Dom creates a custom battery holder to power the tuner, and Will gives the wooden cabinet that houses the radio, amp and speaker a good clean and buff up. Julianna returns to hear her father's marvellous machine, and the memories come flooding back.\n\nMetalwork expert Dominic Chinea is keen to get his hands on his next project, when Jacqui Clark arrives with an item that used to turn heads on the high streets of Kent over 100 years ago, a mini banana barrow! Jacqui’s grandfather was the first to sell bananas wholesale in the UK and was known as The Banana King, a title then passed to her father. The barrow was made to promote these curious fruits and has been treasured by the family for decades. However, it is now rather dilapidated, and when Jacqui’s father passed away, she made a pledge to have the barrow repaired. Dom calls on the expertise of master wheelwright Greg Rowland to craft new wooden wheels using ancient techniques. Dom gives the barrow a new paint job, and with a lick of oil in the all right places gets it rolling again. \n\nAndrew Gorrie from Lancashire is hoping leatherwork expert Suzie Fletcher can save a fragile memento with an extraordinary history. The wallet was used by Andrew’s airman father to paddle a life raft to safety when he was shot down in the North Atlantic during the Second World War. It is cherished by Andrew as one of the few remaining things he has of his much-loved father, but the wallet is crumbling and in desperate need of rescue. Suzie carefully unpicks the tiny stitches and dismantles it before cleaning, strengthening and then painstakingly restitching it back together by hand.\n\nA miniature symbol of a big family tradition is delivered by John McColl from Glasgow, for silversmith Brenton West. The brass replica fire engine was presented to John’s great grandfather for his contribution to the Glasgow Fire Brigade in 1907. Three generations of the McColl family have served as firemen in the city, and John feels it is his duty to have the model restored in their memory. Brenton sets to work repairing the tiny moving parts and crafting any missing details, working tirelessly until it is ready for service again.

Source: BBC 2