The Repair Shop

S04:E12 - Miners Lamp, Rug Covered Armchair, Antique Music Machine

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. Gramophone guru Tim Weeks takes on the repair of an antique wooden phonograph, brought into the Repair Shop by Nicola Dean, whose father was an avid collector of phonographs and gramophones. This particular model – an Edison Opera Phonograph – was his prized possession and the centre-piece of his collection. However, it suffered badly in a collision with a group of over-enthusiastic small children, and now not only does it not work, but the distinctive wooden horn has become separated from the main body of the item. Tim must call upon all his experience – as well as the wood restoration skills of fellow expert Will Kirk – to get this marvellous music machine singing once again.Upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary is faced with an unusual challenge when an armchair is brought in to the Repair Shop, complete with a colourful rug stitched into the fabric. Much loved by three generations, the chair survived its trip from pre-war Nazi Germany but has become battered and faded over time. It takes help of fine art conservator Lucia Scalisi to unravel the mystery of the colourful rug's provenance.And Steve Fletcher takes on the repair of a battered old miner's lamp, which once saved the life of its owner Hubert John when he was caught up in an underground roof fall at the Hook Colliery in Pembrokeshire. Hubert's granddaughter Rita is hopeful that Steve can get the lamp burning brightly once more, while preserving the bumps and scratches that saved Hubert's life.