The Repair Shop - The Repair Shop at Christmas - 7:30 pm Friday, December 26 on BBC One London HD

About this Broadcast

The Repair Shop at Christmas
Season 1, Episode 1

The craft experts spread a little Christmas joy, visited by special guests including Helen Mirren, who brings along a dilapidated cello belonging to a care home for people who have worked in the entertainment industry. Also popping in are children's author Julia Donaldson and Rob Brydon, who are seeking a repair to a toy farmhouse given to Julia by her granny. The experts also repair a life-size mechanical Rudolph belonging to Leicestershire Fire Service, a broken 80-year-old sledge for a Northern Ireland family and a tattered carol book that has played a central role as part of a local tradition in Sheffield

new HD subtitles 16x9 new audio-description

Antiques/Collectibles General Leisure Hobbies

Did You Know..

Helen Mirren (Contributor)

Born: July 26, 1945 in London

Best Known For: Playing the Queen.

Early-life: Born Ilyena Lydia Mironoff on July 26, 1945, in Chiswick, London. She has an older sister and a younger brother. Her father was a member of an aristocratic Russian military family forced to move to the UK by the 1917 Revolution. At six, Mirren decided she wanted to be an actress, but on leaving school went to teacher training college to keep her parents happy. She eventually ditched her studies in favour of the stage, and made an immediate impact playing Cleopatra in a 1965 production for the National Youth Theatre.

Career: Mirren was snapped-up by the Royal Shakespeare Company and tackled numerous classical parts. She's continued to appear on stage throughout her career, alongside TV and film roles. Her most famous TV role is Jane Tennison in police drama Prime Suspect. Her first movie was Herostratus in 1967. More famous parts came in Caligula, The Long Good Friday, Excalibur, The Mosquito Coast, Calendar Girls and Elizabeth I. In 2003 she was made a Dame and three years later won an Oscar for The Queen. She's also been nominated for The Madness of King George, Gosford Park and Hitchcock. Other big-screen outings include State of Play, The Last Station, The Tempest, Brighton Rock, Red and the remake of Arthur.

Quote: "Actors are rogues and vagabonds. Or they ought to be. I can't stand it when they behave like solicitors from Penge."

Trivia: Mirren claims to love camping, and even went on a trip with her ex-boyfriend, Liam Neeson, while they were still an item.

Rob Brydon (Contributor)

Born: May 03, 1965 in Swansea

Best Known For: His chat show and Gavin & Stacey.

Early-life: Born Robert Brydon Jones in Swansea, South Wales, on May 3, 1965. His early years were spent in Baglan near Port Talbot before he and his family moved to Porthcawl. He attended two secondary schools, one alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, the other with Ruth Jones. Under the guidance of his drama teacher at the local comprehensive school, his interest in acting grew, leading to him attending The Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. During the second year of his course, he quit to work for BBC Wales and enjoyed six years of presenting work on local TV and radio stations.

Career: While still presenting, Brydon ventured into comedy, and made ends meet by providing voices for adverts and animations. A small role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels inspired him to make a short film of his comic characters; series of Marion & Geoff, A Small Summer Party and The Keith Barret Show followed. Other credits include Director's Commentary, Human Remains, Supernova, A Cock and Bull Story, Little Britain, Annually Retentive and Gavin & Stacey. He's also hosted his own BBC chat show and has chaired the comedy panel show Would I Lie to You? since 2009. In 2010, he starred alongside Steve Coogan in the partially improvised BBC Two sitcom The Trip and has since appeared in its follow-up.

Quote: "I was always very good with girls, I could talk to them no problem at all. But I could never close the deal. You need Dutch courage to do that, to kiss them."

Trivia: He released an autobiography, Small Man in a Book, in 2011.

Julia Donaldson (Contributor)

Emma Walsh (Executive producer)

Hannah Lamb (Executive producer)

Sandy Watson (Executive producer)

George Vernon (Director)

Shane Normoyle (Series producer)