Who pays for repairs on The Repair Shop? Behind the scenes of the BBC One show

The Repair Shop is BBC One’s hit restoration show – but how does it actually work?

It’s the place where family heirlooms are restored to their former glory by a team of craftsmen and women

The Repair Shop is a workshop of dreams, presented by Jay Blades and staffed by a team of Britain’s most skilled restoration experts. In every episode, members of the public bring their much loved but broken family treasures for the team to breathe new life into them, while also revealing the personal stories behind the items.

The show first made its debut on UK TV on BBC Two in 2017 before moving to BBC One in the afternoons. It’s proved so popular, it now airs in BBC One prime time.

Where is The Repair Shop?

The Repair Shop is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Singleton, West Sussex.

You can find out more about the venue and visiting the museum in real life via it’s official website here.

However The Repair Shop is not actually part of the museum itself – so don’t turn up with your broken heirloom!

Who pays for the repairs?

In an interview with the Radio Times, Rob Butterfield of programme makers Ricochet spilled all about how the show works – and who pays.

He explained: “In the case of some items, there are only a handful of people in the country who have the skills to fix them, so we’re lucky to have so many of Britain’s top craftspeople involved. It can get busy at times, with as many as 12 experts working in the barn, plus the occasional appearance of a barn owl!

“We’ve found most people for the show through social media. And we don’t charge for repairs. If people wish to make a donation to charity we’re very happy with that, but it’s by no means necessary.”

If you have a prized antique, a loved one’s treasured possession or anything else that needs restoring, you can apply for The Repair Shop.

Simply fill out the casting form here.