The Repair Shop

S07:E47 - Dad's Telescope, Aziz's Radio, Pookie the Elephant

Today in the Repair Shop, Jay Blades and the team bring three treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life. The first visitor to the barn is Ed Hammond with a damaged telescope to focus the attention of optics expert Richard Biggs. The telescope, complete with a worn leather case, belonged to Ed's father. He and Ed would spend hours looking at the moon and stars together, talking about astrology and adventure. Ed has wonderful childhood memories of climbing trees to find the best vantage points and going wandering with the trusty telescope. However, all those treetop escapades have left the telescope in a bad way – it's so dented that it won't extend or retract smoothly and is no longer fit for adventuring. Ed intends to use it with his children and hopes Richard and Susie can get it back in action.Carrying a precious but broken relic from his childhood, Aziz Shaikh is next to the barn. The 1950s radio is literally shattered into pieces after an unfortunate accident and Aziz is desperate for help. Aziz was fascinated by the radio from the moment he received it as a gift from his father back when he was a boy in Pakistan. He'd listen to children's programmes and cricket matches for hours each day.  It's not a job for the faint hearted but electronics experts Mark Stuckey and mechanical whizz Steve Fletcher roll up their sleeves and give it their best, with miraculous results.The final visitors are Peter Newband and his daughter Jackie, with Peter's childhood toy, for the attention of leather restoration specialist Susie Fletcher. Pookie the elephant was crafted from scratch by Peter's father, while he was recuperating in an Iraqi hospital during the Second World War and symbolises a father's love for his son. It's an impressive creation made of what was once brightly coloured leather, but Pookie is now a shadow of his former self and in dire need of Susie's undivided attention.