WHY DO YOU LOVE WORKING ON THE REPAIR SHOP?
I'VE worked in quite a few workshops over the years, building props, set design – and honestly I can say there is no other workshop like it that I've ever been to, anywhere.
It is a unique place where we get to work side by side with the most talented people around. We're in that barn, and it's a very, very inspiring space. Everyone loves what they do.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ITEM THAT YOU'VE WORKED ON?
The pedal car in this series is my all-time favourite item. Honestly, that was a dream.
I am a bit of a car nut, I do like my classic cars, and I think that's as close as we'd get to actually restoring a classic car at the barn.
It was for such a worthy family, they were so over the moon. To see it on the race track, on the finish line, the two kids dressed up in their boiler suits, the chequered flag – it was just a goosebump moment. A really, really, really special thing.
Every single part was repaired, new, re-chromed, repainted – it was just beautiful in the end. I'm really quite proud of it.
WHAT'S THAT MOMENT LIKE WHEN YOU UNVEIL THE RESTORED OBJECT TO THE OWNER?
It's terrifying! We all tread very carefully with the repairs, we try to keep those memories in it. It's the attention to detail, the little things, it's about keeping the integrity.
Every single nut and bolt that I take off, there's a decision: whether we keep it, we clean it, replace it, put it back on. There are an awful lot of decisions to make, and that's the pressure of the show.
Once you've got all that done, standing there at the build table, you just hope they like it.
WHAT'S IT LIKE WORKING WITH SUCH A TALENTED TEAM?
I love watching them all. Chris Shaw could be trying to delaminate a piece of paper, literally peeling a piece of paper in half, and then Kirsten's over there gluing back together some ridiculous pot that's smashed into a million pieces. It's quite a weird situation.
We do all take the work home – not the physical object, but the decisions and the thought process. It's constantly in your brain, thinking in the evenings: "What do I do with this? What about that? Shall I do this? What do you think?" We bounce ideas off each other, which is really nice.
ARE WE MOVING AWAY FROM THROWAWAY CULTURE TOWARDS MORE REPAIRING?
Yes. We used to always say that we're in a bit of a throwaway culture, but I think lockdown helped a lot. People are a lot more aware and conscious of trying not to throw stuff away, and repairing things. Not everyone is able to, but everyone is a lot more aware.
We need that younger generation coming in, realising that these crafts are still relevant. There is still a need for old crafts in the modern world today – I feel strongly about that. I mean, I wasn't very good at school, and I would have loved to have gone on an apprenticeship and done something like that.
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE NEW SERIES?
Every year it gets better and better. A couple of the items that I've worked on are the best things that I've ever repaired down there, so it's going to be the best series yet, for sure.
:: The Repair Shop returns to BBC One on Wednesday May 11
