The Repair Shop is set to welcome a host of celebrity guests for its Christmas special, including Dame Helen Mirren, Julia Donaldson, and Rob Brydon. The beloved BBC show will see the experts restore treasured items in time for the festive season.
Julia Donaldson, author of 'The Scarecrows Wedding', will bring a toy farmhouse given to her by her grandmother. The farm, which inspired the settings of some of her books, will be repaired by furniture restorer Will Kirk and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay. Donaldson plans to gift the restored farmhouse to Chestnut Tree House, a children's hospice she has long supported.
Dame Helen Mirren will arrive with a cello dating back to the Second World War, owned by Denville Hall, a care home for entertainment industry workers. The cello, left to the home by theatre director Martin Landau, was broken by the Nazis before he fled Germany on the Kindertransport. Ceramics expert Becky Houghton will work to restore it so residents can enjoy Christmas songs.
Other repairs include a life-size mechanical Rudolph belonging to Leicestershire Fire Service, a battered sledge from Northern Ireland, and a dilapidated carol book from Sheffield. The one-hour special airs on BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas.
