The Repair Shop

S04:E25 - Carrom Board, Magic Duck, Scott Albums

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. Bookbinder Christopher Shaw is on hand to help out Jenny Lane, who arrives at the barn with a story of adventure and romance to tell. Jenny's grandfather was part of Captain Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole, and when he set out on the epic voyage his then sweetheart (soon to be his wife) kept two extraordinary picture albums, full of press-cuttings charting the progress of the expedition. As well as being a piece of history, the albums are a priceless personal memoir of a much-missed ancestor – but they are in poor shape, battered and falling apart at the seams. It will take all of Christopher's skills to render them safe and sturdy for future generations.Dominic Chinea undertakes the challenging repair of a Carom board that has kept three generations of one family entertained since it was first purchased back in 1960. This traditional Asian game formed the centre-piece of many a family gathering, but the years have rendered it unplayable, with crumbling wood, faded paintwork, and a playing surface that lost its glass-like sheen many years ago. Dom teams up with clockface restorer Cindy Welland, in the hope that between them they can get the board back up and running. And mechanical maestro Steve Fletcher has his hands full with Mathilda, a small wooden duck brought into the barn by Heather Farmer. Heather's Dad was a magician, and Mathilda's card trick was his party piece… but the trick no longer works, and sadly the magic duck is magic no more. Steve joins forces with toy repair experts Amanda and Julie, in an attempt to put things right.