The Repair Shop

S07:E35 - Fireman's Helmet, Futurama Guitar, Barney

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team revive three precious keepsakes, bringing joy to those who own them. The multi-talented Suzie Fletcher is pleased to meet Chris Roberts, hear his stories about he and his dear uncle's careers in the fire service and do her best to restore the fire helmet that his uncle Clive gave him as a boy. The moment five-year-old Chris tried on this helmet he pledged to follow in his uncle's footsteps and become a firefighter himself, which he did. Chris and his uncle were always very close and Clive's sudden death was a difficult time. Chris would love Suzie to repair the helmet in his memory but it's bashed, cracked and a tricky task to complete. Undaunted, Suzie rises to the challenge.Next into the barn is Jenny Darling, with her dad's very first electric guitar hoping luthier Julyan Wallis will take it on. The classic 60s Futurama guitar has been defunct for decades, but Jenny's dad Tony just couldn't let it go. He is a big guitar enthusiast, played in bands most of his life and has a soft spot for this instrument. Jenny gave her word she'd find someone to fix it but life got busy and the years rolled by and it didn't happen, until now. Julyan calls on both Dominic Chinea and Steve Fletcher to help him craft the multiple missing parts that are no longer manufactured.The final visitor is Aileen Neilson with a cuddly canine companion that helped her rehabilitate after a major operation over fifty years ago. Barney, the push along dog, got Aileen back on her feet when she was just two years old and recovering from a spinal operation. He was the property of the hospital but when the staff saw how fond Aileen was of him and how beneficial he was to her, they gifted him to her. He's continued to charm all the children in Aileen's extended family but could now do with some rehabilitation of his own. His internal frame is poking out of his body, he's threadbare in places and missing his tail and one eye. Soft toy restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch scoop him up to bring him back to his best once again.