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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The Repair Shop guest fights back tears recounting death of 'soulmate' dad - and reveals his heart-wrenching last three words
A guest on The Repair Shop fought back tears recounting the death of his 'soulmate' dad - and revealed his heart-wrenching last three words. The BBC show, presented by Will Kirk and Dominic Chinea, sees a team of skilled craftsmen repair broken items beloved by guests for their sentimental value. Last night's episode saw Will head to Oldham, Greater Manchester, to collect a vintage fruit machine from guest John Geraghty. He explained his father bought it as a birthday and housewarming gift for his mother nearly five decades ago. But his father sadly died not long after in a car crash - having headed out on a mere ten-minute trip, saying the heartbreaking three words: 'I'll be back'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. John recounted the awful day to Will, which started with his father receiving a phone call from a close friend, saying he had broken down: 'Me and my dad always wanted to help somebody out. 'We both jumped in the van, reversed off the drive and as we did, a friend of mine appeared. 'My dad said, "Why don't you jump out of the van? You stay here with Neil - I'll be ten minutes, I'll be back.' Getting out of the van was a split decision that saved John's life: 'A car came out of a junction without stopping. 'By the time the fire brigade got there, unfortunately it was too late.' Will was moved by the tragic story, saying: 'Must've been tough.' John gave a touching reply: 'Yeah because my dad was my soulmate. You know, I'm an only child and me and my dad did everything together. 'I think about it every year and on that day, June 28, and on his birthday. We were so close and it still hurts now.' The Repair Shop team had a mountain to climb when it came to fixing the item - it had a stuck mechanism and damaged paintwork, and John had never seen the lights work Asked to describe his father's character, he said fondly: 'He was the life and soul of the party.' The tragic story makes the fruit machine all the more special: 'It's the one big thing we've still got that I can walk past everyday and it reminds me of my dad and it reminds me of my mum. 'It'll be lovely to see it restored and working again.' The Repair Shop team had a mountain to climb when it came to fixing the item - it had a stuck mechanism and damaged paintwork, and John had never seen the lights work. But arcade expert Geoff Harvey rose to the challenge, fully restoring the fruit machine to its former glory over several days - to John's absolute delight. The emotional episode came after fans of The Repair Shop were left 'in tears' at another instalment of the show earlier this year - as a family were finally 'brought peace' after their item was fixed. It saw electrical expert Mark Stuckey get to work on restoring guests Zaff and Nasari's vintage projector, which belonged to their dad. The siblings' father brought the projector with him to Rochdale after being forced to flee Uganda in 1972. The emotional episode came after fans of The Repair Shop were left 'in tears' at another instalment of the show earlier this year (pictured) - as a family were finally 'brought peace' after their item was fixed The brother-sister duo were hoping to restore the projector, almost 50 years after it was last used, as they said it contained precious memories from their life in the African country. Zaff and Nasari became emotional as the newly-fixed projector was unveiled, both tearing up. 'Oh my God, wow,' said Zaff, as Nasari added: 'It looks brand-new.' The pair then got to view memories of their parents they had never seen before, which saw expert Mark ask: 'Was it as you hoped?' 'And more,' Nasari said, getting choked up. 'It brought me peace, seeing my mum and dad and how we were and my grandfather, how much time we spent together. Yeah, happy memories.' 'I bet you can't wait to get back home and get the family together,' Mark said, to which Zaff added: 'Absolutely. A big get-together, I think and have a viewing, basically.' Viewers of The Repair Shop were also left emotional at the segment, with one saying: 'Don't know why I'm tearing up.'
The Sun
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
We may have to buy everything from trains to shoes from China, but there is something Brits will NEVER be beaten at
IT was a hot, lazy evening and I couldn't be bothered to beep my way through all the offerings on Netflix and Amazon so, instead, I settled down to watch The Repair Shop on BBC One. What an excellent programme this is. Because so far as I could tell, the producers hadn't wasted any of their time finding suitably diverse experts and guests. 4 There was no screaming campness and no bewildered Somalians wondering why anyone would want to restore a teddy bear. Instead, there were quite a few middle-aged women and some elderly gentlemen. Sir Starmer would undoubtedly call them 'far right', but they seemed to me to be nice people who just wanted to restore something that used to make them happy. And I was in awe of the people who made this possible. The young guy who could soften old leather to restore an old pair of children's shoes. And the girl who could invisibly mend a tiny strip of material. They were seriously skilful. And as I watched them with their little brushes and their glue and their special concentrating faces, I was suddenly filled with optimism about the future for Britain. At the moment, I need an off-road buggy for the farm. And we don't make such a thing in this country. So I'll probably end up with something from China because it's the sort of thing they are good at. Along with phones and training shoes and high-speed trains. I guess it's the same story with tech. We keep being told that British boffins are on the brink of greatness but if we want something that's up and running now, we have to import it from California. Because that's what they do. It'd be easy to despair about all of this, to look at the UK and think: 'What the bloody hell do we do here these days?' The Repair Shop star makes candid admission about personal struggle away from hit BBC shop Even the City, which used to bring in most of our cash, is a shadow of its former self. And that brings me back to The Repair Shop, which demonstrates exactly what we can do. Make do and mend stuff. Keep calm and carry on using it. 4 There will always be a demand for this. Someone who can mend your grandad's watch, or restore your MG. Someone who can bring that antique frock you bought in the market last weekend back to life. I'm looking out of the window now at Gerald, who's busy in the sunshine mending a dry-stone wall. There are 1.4billion people in China and not one of them could do that, any more than Gerald could build a 220mph train. In Britain, we are shed people. Sure, we have made a huge contribution to the world over the years with the explanation of gravity, and the jet engine and television and the internet and penicillin. But the people who came up with all this stuff did so in a shed. It's where we all belong, with a bradawl and some emery boards, bringing a Frenchman's clockwork train set back to life. Or repairing an Italian contessa's collection of vintage Prada outfits. Or polishing a German's antique diving bell. That's how we breathe new life into our future. By breathing new life into our past. Kneecap? They're a sorry excuse for a band I CAN'T say I'm familiar with the music of Irish band Kneecap. But it seems their lyrics and call to murder MPs have not gone down well. They've even been banned from a music festival at the Eden Project in Cornwall. And there's talk Glastonbury will be next to kick them out. I don't hold with this at all. They're a band and causing outrage is what bands used to do all the time. It's what they are supposed to do. Be angry. Make a noise. Say inappropriate things. I mean, have we forgotten the Sex Pistols? So I absolutely support Kneecap's right to say what they want. What I cannot support though is their grovelling apology. You're a band, for God's sake. You swash your buckle and you carry on regardless. I don't remember Crosby, Stills, Nash or Young apologising for all the horrible things they said about President Nixon. Nor should they have done. Trees dying to fail 4 OH dear. National Highways has been criticised because in 2023, 886,000 trees were planted alongside the busy A14 in Cambridgeshire. And more than half of them have died. Naturally, everyone has their reasons for this disaster. Some say it's global warming. Others reckon it must have something to do with Israel or Donald Trump. And, of course, there's a noisy lobby which says they were all killed by the exhaust fumes from passing cars. Not true, I'm afraid. Trees that live by busy roads do very well as a general rule because what mostly comes out of a car's exhaust is carbon dioxide and that's literally what they live on. The real reason why trees die, and they always do in my experience, is that they're like sheep. They enjoy dying. They like watching you spend a fortune on them and then coming out every day to water them. And then withering. And even if they don't die, they will be eaten by a squirrel or a deer. Or cut down by a couple of mindless thugs. I'd like, therefore, to blame National Highways for the loss. But it's really not their fault.
Daily Record
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Crocketford SWI members enjoy a pottery master class at their latest meeting
Hannah and Doug Fitch demonstrated their fabulous skills making and decorating pots. Judi Shaw, president of Crocketford SWI, welcomed members and five guests to 'A Potter's Tale from Corsock to the V&A.' Hannah and Doug Fitch demonstrated their fabulous skills making and decorating pots. Doug spoke of his earlier experience and a visit to the V&A that inspired his creativity and love of medieval pottery. Hannah works in slipware and creates pottery that is both beautiful and functional. It was wonderful to see their work develop and be decorated. The atmosphere was so relaxed as they worked and stories of their international outlets, appearing on the Repair Shop on the road and working towards Spring Fling kept their audience entertained. The pair then judged the competitions for the evening. Flower of the month – 1 Belinda Rogers; 2 Judi Shaw; 3 Ann Botel; 4 Sylvia Baxter. Decorated hard boiled egg – 1 Belinda Rogers; 2 Annie Kelly. Rae Donaldson gave a vote of thanks to Hannah and Doug and the evening ended with light refreshments and monthly business. Members would highly recommend a visit to the Fitch and McAndrew workshop during Spring Fling.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Repair Shop helps siblings who had to flee Uganda under Idi Amin
The Repair Shop's latest episode was an emotional one, as the experts worked to rescue a brother and sister's unseen family movies. Siblings Zaff and Nasari took their late father's projector to the barn along with reels of home movies he had filmed when they were growing up in Uganda. The reels "never saw the light of day" after the family had to flee their home under Idi Amin's rule. Tearful, the siblings told how their parents had since died, and how they hoped to see them again on the home movies. Zaff and Nasari were on the BBC show on Wednesday, 2 April, where they told how their childhood had been "carefree" and that their dad made sure they "had everything". "It was very fun times but the trauma that came after with leaving Africa..." Zaff told expert Mark Stuckey. "Idi Amin announced that we had 90 days to leave the country and we weren't allowed to take anything with us." The pair - who were seven and nine at the time - were among thousands of Asians expelled from the country in the 70s. They travelled to Pakistan, then the UK, with Nasari saying they lived "hand to mouth". Their mother died in her 40s, then their dad died at 50. Nasari explained that the family had got their projector back after leaving Uganda but that their dad never took it out of the box again. "It's been locked away for the past 40 or 50 years," her brother said. "We have tried numerous times to try and get it working but unfortunately we had no luck at all." Read more: The Repair Shop Repair Shop experts mend rugby jersey after 'mortified' wife's bleach error The Repair Shop viewers 'sobbing' over moving tale of Lockerbie search and rescue dog Repair Shop experts mend Rolex owned by man killed in boating accident The Repair Shop experts face big challenge in BBC show 'first' "Just to see my mum and dad walking around - I'd love my kids to see my mum and dad," said Nasari. Stuckey got to work and managed to get the projector up and running, so invited the siblings back to watch their films. They admitted they were nervous, and both were tearful as footage of them as children started to play. Their relatives also appeared in the tapes, with both emotional as their mother was seen waving at the camera. Nasari said it had been her father filming, adding: "I can feel my dad touching it, I feel like he is here." Asked if it was what they had hoped, Nasari said: "It brought me peace, seeing my mum and dad and how we were and my grandfather and how much time we spent together. Happy memories." She went on: "After their passing away, it's been that long, you forget who they were and how they looked and the feeling came back again. It has made me feel at peace." The Repair Shop airs on BBC One on Wednesdays.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV's Repair Shop fixes ruined historic rugby shirt
Karen Richards could not believe it when she put her late father-in-law's precious international rugby jersey in the washing machine - and it came out damaged. Bryan Richards, who grew up in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, was the last Wales player to wear a number six shirt as a fly-half, which made it a piece of sporting history. After going through the wash the red from the shirt ran into the white collar, and things got worse when Karen tried to bleach it. She and husband Lloyd Richards, who live in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, tried in vain to find someone to fix it - until as a last resort they decided to call BBC One's The Repair Shop. "My heart sank, it was such a precious family heirloom and I had ruined it," mum-of-two Karen said. The devastated 51-year-old said she felt she had done a disservice to Bryan, who died aged 91 in December 2023. He wore the shirt against France at Cardiff Arms Park on 26 March 1960. Then they got The Repair Shop involved. "Within three or four weeks we were down there," said Lloyd, 56. Rebecca Bissonnet restored the shirt on the show by examining the red stitching, which would have matched the jersey. The textile conservator believed the stitching was polyester so unaffected by the bleaching. After removing the six, the collar and the three feathers she dyed the top its original red. 'I understand why Coote hid his sexuality' - Owens 'My alligator has escaped' among 999 ambulance calls Welsh tech billionaire son's film up for 10 Oscars A piece of grainy footage of Bryan playing was also restored on the programme. Bryan had told his son he would train by running up and down the slag heaps behind his house. As well as Wales, he played for Neath, the Barbarians and captained Swansea. But the pinnacle of his rugby career was playing for his country, mortgage adviser Lloyd said. The jersey now has pride of place in a clear acrylic box in Lloyd's home office. Karen said Bryan would have been "a bit bemused by it all". "He didn't really tell anyone about his experiences," she said. The couple were delighted to have the jersey looking as good as new. "Never for one minute did I think it was going to look as good as it does," Karen said. The Repair Shop is on on BBC One at 20:00 GMT on Wednesdays and on BBC iPlayer Cardiff tourism tax could help host events - leader Knighthood for Welsh rugby great Gerald Davies Call for danger warnings to rugby parents over dementia fears
