The repair shop

[Skippy]

I'm almost surprised this programme hasn't been mentioned on here before or if it has i can't find a thread. For those who haven't seen it it's a BBC programme where people bring objects that are broken or have seen better days to a group of expert restorers in a barn and leave with a nicely repair object. For those who have seen it i'd like to ask your opinions please.
I was largely put onto it by a friend who raves about the programme and could see himself doing some sort of custom repair work himself. He was telling me that on a couple of forums including a woodworking forum he uses opinion is distinctly divided. I have a history in restoration so should be naturally interested but i find the programme a little frustrating. I can't fault the work of the experts who all do a decent job. What i find frustrating is firstly a lack of depth in the programme , each episode could easily cover the restoration of just one object instead of the three that are crammed into each half hour. Problem there is that it would probably reduce audience figures by going into more detail which i can understand. The other "problem" i have is the objects that make it onto the programme. They are all pretty much heirlooms or objects of sentimental value not really everyday things. In some respects it mirrors my feelings when i worked in restoration where we would work on lord so and so country pile , redundant churches and house of "historical importance" but very rarely on the houses of joe public of the past. Nice places but not really my heritage. Repair of mundane objects might encourage people to repair stuff themselves although again a programme showing how to patch a hole in a pair of jeans probably wouldn't attract huge viewing figures. One other thing they omit from the programme is how long the restorations take or how much it would have cost. Perhaps that might be because that would put people off having things repaired , it's already common to hear " not worth repairing , cheaper to buy new" but i suppose if the programme encourages people to repair stuff then that's a small victory.
Anyhoo anyone else seen it , love it or loathe it?

[Green Aura]

I don't have a TV licence, skippy so until it appears on Netflix I won't be watching it. However, your concerns certainly resonate with past series of DIY/self-suficiency/craft etc etc programmes. I'm never sure who they're aimed at.
As you noted, if you're interested in restoration, or any of the other topics covered, you might want more information. If you're not are you going to bother. TBH, I'd be more interested in them showing how to repair/ re-use everyday items than some heirloom (unless it has some proper use).

It puts me in mind of a programme from many years ago when some nitwit cut a perfectly functional, if in need of some TLC, cast iron bath in half, to make a totally non-functional (think of the height of the claw feet on those things) and extremely uncomfortable looking armchair.

[Flo]

I'm sure that if they showed people how to repair perfectly mundane items there would be complaints about putting normal trades people out of work.

Age UK used to run a "Men in Sheds" scheme which allowed people to get together to do simple repairs on household items where someone knew how to to it or other craft type things. Seems that it is no longer supported at a national level so probably means it has died.

I suspect that how to do a lot of everyday repairs are now found on YouTube in detail with pictures so would not make good telly.

[ina]

Men's sheds seem to be alive and well in Scotland at least:
https://scottishmsa.org.uk/find-a-shed/

I talked to some men in Dundee last year - they were selling some of their crafty things, like wood turning. I told them I envied them - for us women there's only coffee mornings and knit and natter... So they told me I was welcome to visit!

[Skippy]

I saw a report about the men in shed things on the news some time ago although it was unfortunately because one ( somewhere in birmingham i think) was losing their premises and looked likely to close down.
My friend who is a big fan of the repair shop came round yesterday , mainly because he wanted to use my anvil , and he was saying that he'd had the book for christmas. He was a little disappointed with it as like the programme it was lacking in detail. He was hoping for information about the glues and finishes but that was sadly lacking. I suppose that goes back to flo's comment about protecting tradespeople.
I'm all for the notion of recycling , reusing and reducing but the bit i find frustrating is the emphasis on objects that are quite frankly just going to be repaired , restored and shoved in a cupboard and only see the light of day once in a blue moon. It's the time and effort ( and the money) spent for very little real value that could be better spent repairing something people will actually use.
As i said i worked in restoration and a lot of our work was english heritage , welsh heritage , national trust , redundant church commission and the like. They were all very good at spending or wasting money and the places were very often interesting and enjoyable to work on much more so than working on a housing site . The levels of workmanship were higher , the places more ornate , grandiose and larger and were generally in more open countryside but i always had the thought in the back of my mind that the places were only being restored because some very rich family had lived there at one point. They were restored to just sit there rather than being of actual use.

[Flo]

It's the time and effort ( and the money) spent for very little real value that could be better spent repairing something people will actually use.

I wonder if these programmes are designed to give people ideas above their station as used to be said. Like making people in two/three bed semis in the suburbs aspirations to be Downton Abbey.

[Weedo]

Mens and Womens sheds are going strong here; naturally I am not old enough to participate yet.

[ina]

I don't think there are age restrictions as such here - think I read somewhere that the guys had to be 18 because of some of the machinery they had in that particular shed. But I haven't seen women's sheds yet. Maybe a thing to plan for my retirement... (If ever.)

[Skippy]

It's the time and effort ( and the money) spent for very little real value that could be better spent repairing something people will actually use.

I wonder if these programmes are designed to give people ideas above their station as used to be said. Like making people in two/three bed semis in the suburbs aspirations to be Downton Abbey.

Could very well be something in that , the same way cookery programmes lean towards more exotic dishes with a multitude of different ingredients rather than something simple. On that theme i do vaguely remember Delia Smith doing a series on very simple cookery which if i'm remembering correctly included really basic stuff like boiling an egg. Presumably not a programme style that caught on .