Beloved children's author Julia Donaldson has made a festive return to The Repair Shop, entrusting the expert team with a deeply personal restoration project. The 77-year-old writer, whose book The Scarecrows' Wedding was adapted for BBC1 on Christmas Day, featured in the show's Boxing Day special with a mission to revive her fragile childhood toy farm.
A Sentimental Journey to the Barn
Donaldson brought the dilapidated wooden farm set, originally belonging to her grandmother, into the famous barn. She explained how she and her sister Mary played with it as little girls, often creating adventures where farm and zoo animals intermingled. "It is faded now and needs some paint," she admitted, highlighting its poor condition.
The author revealed the toy's profound influence on her work. "I think it probably was at the root of some of my books," she said, citing The Scarecrows' Wedding—which aired on BBC1 on Christmas Day—and the What the Ladybird Heard series as stories partly inspired by those early games.
The Experts' Honoured Task
Woodwork expert Will Kirk, a father of two, was particularly moved to work on the item. He told Donaldson, "It is such an honour to have you here. We are huge fans of your books... You have brought so much joy and imagination to so many children’s lives." Kirk reads her stories, including Zog and Stick Man, to his own young children.
Joined by actor Rob Brydon—who has voiced many of her characters in BBC animations—the team brainstormed the restoration. With the original sheep, cows, and horses long lost, Brydon suggested a creative twist: adding miniature figures of Donaldson's famous creations like the Gruffalo, the Snail, the Whale, and the Highway Rat.
A Gift for a Worthy Cause
Donaldson's goal was not to keep the restored farm for herself. She plans to donate it to Chestnut Tree House children's hospice in Sussex, a place she has often visited to act out stories with children and their siblings. "It’d be really nice for them to have something to play with," she stated.
The team, including ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay, set to work. Furniture restorer Will Kirk repaired the building, while Ramsay retouched the paintwork. The collective effort culminated in a giant Christmas-present-wrapped box that left Donaldson gasping, "This is the biggest Christmas present ever."
The festive episode, which aired on BBC One on Boxing Day at 7.30pm and is available on iPlayer, also featured Dame Helen Mirren seeking help with a World War Two-era cello, and restorations of a mechanical Rudolph reindeer and a vintage carol book.
