- 7 minutes ago
Christmas 2025
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00:00They can't wait, I bet.
00:02In the repair shop this Christmas,
00:04from a poorly reindeer...
00:06He looks like he's gonna be trouble, I can see it in his eye.
00:09...to a unique book of carols.
00:11This is disintegrating in our hands.
00:13...some challenging festive fixes.
00:16If I've got this even half a millimetre out, the player will feel it.
00:19Even a millimetre out?
00:20Oh, even quarter of a millimetre.
00:22Really?
00:23And there are stars shining brightly for good causes.
00:26Look at this.
00:27Dame Helen Mirren visits the barn.
00:30Oh my goodness!
00:32What an iconic place to find myself.
00:34And Rob Brydon forms a double act...
00:37...with beloved author Julia Donaldson.
00:40We would play exciting adventures where one of the zoo animals invaded the farm.
00:46And there's time for the swift half.
00:49Hello everyone, welcome to the hammer and spanner.
00:52Before unwrapping the gifts...
00:54I want to see the red nose.
00:56...that means so much.
00:58Can I peek up under the...
00:59Under the sky?
01:00No peeking!
01:01No peeking!
01:02One peeking!
01:03Whooo!
01:04Oh!
01:05Oh!
01:06Look!
01:07We've walked a long way, Julia, across fields.
01:08Oh no!
01:09Oh no!
01:10Oh no!
01:11Oh no!
01:12Oh no!
01:13Oh no!
01:14Oh no!
01:15Oh no!
01:16Oh no!
01:17Oh no!
01:18Oh no!
01:19Oh no!
01:20Oh no!
01:21Oh no!
01:22Oh no!
01:23Oh no!
01:24i thought was very impressive first to arrive at the barn gruffalo creator julia donaldson
01:30it's the 13th christmas her books have been turned into animations
01:35and rob bryden has been a key voice in every one look at this hello hello and welcome
01:42merry christmas merry christmas we've walked a long way have you
01:47do you know it's such an honor to have you both here we are huge fans of your books and me having
01:54two children we read all of them thanks so much now this looks well loved shall we say it was my
02:02granny's and so this was what my sister mary and i played with when we were little girls sometimes
02:10some of the farm animals would escape through a gap in the fields and i think we had some zoo animals
02:16too so sometimes we would play exciting adventures where one of the farm animals joined the zoo or one
02:22of the zoo animals invaded do you think that this helped to encourage you to write those fantastic
02:29books yeah i think it probably was at the root of some of my books books like what the lady bird had
02:34which is set on a farm and now this christmas is the scarecrow's wedding animation which
02:41rob has a real star role and that all takes place on a farm now i play uh reginald rake the rather
02:48caddish scarecrow that comes in total count well all right i was giving him the benefit of the doubt
02:56he's an absolute cad who comes in and threatens the happiness of betty and harry
03:01the finest marshmallows and make no mistake no one can toast them like reginald rake
03:11i mean the first one was the gruffalo and um yeah it has become a part of the christmas tradition
03:18yeah i've been in all of them rob's so loyal you know because even if he's just what's the smallest
03:23well the the cat in room on the broom all i did was go and yet i still imbue it with
03:31the professionalism and the discipline that i bring to all my roles well what do you love about
03:36julia's characters there's a clarity to them they connect with you straight away the pictures of
03:43course are oh wow yes of course and well axel scheffler who's done loads of julia's uh illustrations
03:50has such a distinctive style that pulls you into the story beautifully but it all comes down to
03:55the imagination and that sort of ties into this really you know having a little farm and your
04:01zoo animals and things like that how vibrant were the colors when you first received it when you were
04:06a child the roof was this kind of maroon because it wasn't like scarlet or anything i've had it on
04:12display and i did get the roof quite crudely oh i thought you just ripped that off it does come off
04:17well the door handles come off here it all needs some paint now julia if we can restore this for
04:24you what's the plan for it well i live quite near a children's hospice called chestnut tree house
04:31i've quite often visited and done little acted out the stories with the children especially with the
04:36brothers and sisters of some of the old children it's really nice for them to have something to play
04:41and so i'd like to donate the restored farmhouse and especially if there were some extra animals
04:47and fences as well i think we can manage that well you know what would be nice you could have a little
04:52gruffalo a snail a whale you could have a highway rat it might be a bit difficult there to make them
04:58the right scale i suppose there's nothing that these people not not him but there's nothing these
05:04people can't do it's been absolutely wonderful to meet you thanks very much bye bye bye bye bye
05:12right back out into the cold
05:16weren't they lovely and this is absolutely charming but it's looking rather tired isn't it these doorknobs
05:23probably not so safe for children to be playing with so i might work out somewhere opening up the
05:27doors and maybe some shutters on the window there i think i'm gonna do a little bit of tidying up and
05:33retouching perfect the barn's next visitor has already arrived taking a much needed break from his
05:43delivery duties wow look at that reindeer at christmas it is wow it's very realistic there's a fire service
05:52badge on the back here what is a reindeer doing with a fire service badge i don't know well i guess
05:57we'll find out bringing answers and a second helping of good cheer to the barn hello hello firefighters
06:06jerry ascombe and darren weston from leicestershire hi welcome and merry christmas
06:14please explain so this is rudolph of course yeah yeah rudolph belongs to leicester fire and rescue
06:21service and we're using every christmas to raise money for local children's charities
06:26we'll walk around with rudolph who's pulling santa on a sleigh supported by a fire engine or two
06:31typically and as we walk down the streets the residents come out and give us a loose change
06:36and donations and where does the money go that you raise so every year we raise about 10 000 pounds
06:41for um local children's charities typically 10 000 pounds 10 000 pounds yeah wow well incredible
06:48where did this all start so it started in 1949 they set up the rudolph fund and that reindeer ran right
06:55up until 1978 when it started falling to pieces and we got this one and the then committee approached this
07:02firm that did stuff for film sets and said could you build us an animated reindeer to replace the one
07:08we've got and they did so he moves he moves yeah he doesn't walk but no way nods his head does this
07:15blinks his eyes people were just amazed because back in the 70s that that was pretty spectacular
07:20now it's a big part of the christmas culture in leicester really but the real problem we've got is
07:25rudolph's looking really tired and old now his mouth is supposed to chew and a lot of them actions
07:31aren't working his nose lights up as well but it doesn't oh really it's got of course rudolph's got
07:36a red nose there so we need to do some some major surgery yeah but also his first quite matted and
07:43dull looking the fur on his ears is different to the fur on his head and we've got the leather work
07:48around his neck that would have been bright red and really shiny at one point ah right that's
07:52interesting god there is quite a list there's quite a lot to do it would be devastating to think it failed
07:57on your watch it would yeah it would i think that that would be my biggest fear is that he falls into
08:02such bad disrepair that he's no longer usable and then we one we lose tradition but more importantly
08:07all those children that benefited don't get that money coming in we can't let that happen not on your
08:11watch not on my quite literally well we'll do the best we can thanks for taking him on yeah see you soon
08:18he looks like he's going to be trouble i can see it in his eye look this is going to be a job
08:23i'm going to go and get some help david brenton oh here they are perfect
08:27wow can you give us a hand yeah brenton can you steer yeah i'll try aim for over there somewhere
08:32okay brilliant here we go i feel like rudolph's gonna go wherever he wants i think so
08:41will is setting to work on julia donaldson's farmhouse
08:46and the experts have a clear brief for the tiny characters who go with it but with rudolph there
08:52are lots of unknowns i'm kind of intrigued as to what we're going to find inside here
08:57what do you think burv all right it's full of mechanical wiggly bits oh there we go
09:04oh this is that's actually a legal right what does that do though hang on what this one back and
09:09forwards oh am i moving hey look i'm moving his head that turns his head there's some wires cut in here
09:17so that's not a good sign a lot of mechanical bits are just just worn out let's see if i can get
09:22into the head good luck thank you yeah i don't need you moving it around it's all very funny i've
09:31got a feeling i wouldn't be a very good apprentice for you steve you drive me mad yes i know well
09:38there's a lot of mechanisms in here as well there is a huge amount to get done but i'm confident
09:43between us we can all pull together okay we'll get it ready for christmas yeah absolutely brilliant
09:48right let me just see if i can get to these bolts then there we go that's it you got it steve yes i
09:56have will has made new doorknobs for the toy farmers oh look at that it looks like a little toad
10:06stool and he's been mulling over some replacement shutters i've got a couple of different designs i
10:12could go for one would be a kind of modern staggered slatter shutter but really i mean this is it's
10:20like a simple farmhouse for like a child it's not over complicated i'm quite sure i've seen some
10:25farmhouses some really old ones with this kind of design here i think that's kind of what i'm going to
10:30go for i just hope that i've got enough space in that very small window frame to make this look absolutely
10:35spot on design ideas are also key to making 3d versions of the characters who populate the farm
10:49i'm making a whale and rather than making it out of silver which would what i would normally do i'm
10:55going to try some polymer clay i'm challenging myself using a different material having looked at
11:02these lovely children's books i can't wait till my grandson is old enough for me to be able to read
11:08these stories to him arriving at the barn with memories of adventures in a winter wonderland
11:21ean and kate mackenzie and daughter april from carrick fergus in northern ireland hello hi there
11:28hello folks welcome look at this very nice wow oh this is incredible it is i've had it 60 years
11:39but it was 40 years old when i got it so the sleigh's almost 100 years old wow it's called a
11:45flexible flower this particular one was made in 1928 and only made this version for one year
11:52so it's quite a rare one where did you get it then 1963 i was nine ten it was a gift from my brother
11:59who got it from a family who no longer had a use for it i was the envy of all the friends and kids in
12:07the street i bet did you use it a lot then oh that year when you were nine ten years oh that was the
12:12year of the big freeze it snowed from just before christmas right through january february three months
12:19of snow three months and the drifts were like six feet wow i just spent every day on the sledge
12:26you must have some great memories of those times yeah the actual main damage at the front was myself
12:32and two friends on it and there was a big tuft of snow which i thought was just a bit of sage
12:38grass covered in snow and it turned out it was a large boulder oh no and the front of the sledge
12:46this has been straightened out but that was as you can see this is all bent here yeah we've had
12:50lots of accidents this one here i was a great repair as you can see a friend he was holding
12:56this and it snapped is that your handiwork is it you know it's very good done a long time ago
13:02kate what's your earliest memory of the sledge we had been going out together for a while and he said
13:07would you like to have a go on a sledge and i says oh yeah and then there was a hill that was
13:12nearly vertical i was so frightened and this is whilst you were still getting to know each other
13:17yes i love that how long have you both been together for 50 years how many children do you
13:22have nine they all had their turn on it i remember my second child was about three years of age she had
13:30a little santa suit on and pulling around the street all the local kids chasing after us there could be
13:35santa one of my earliest memories would probably be going to school on it and then more recent my own
13:43children being on it they love it absolutely love it and getting pulled along by their granda
13:48and 14 grandchildren they all have to have this so when did you stop using it then yourself oh 20 years
13:56ago i was lying down on my belly i had a great time oh if you could have anything you want what would
14:05this look like the way it was today i got it all this paint paint it over you know make it good looking
14:12again i can understand i'll never be the way it was but be nice to see it gleaming again and looking
14:20how you remember yeah as a nine-year-old kid yeah we are going to have so much fun working on this
14:27thank you very much thank you thank you we'll see you soon bye-bye thank you bye-bye
14:34i absolutely love this it's amazing isn't it yeah he does want it looking a bit smarter than it
14:39currently does let me take this outside i'll get it stripped down and bring the wood back into you lovely okay
14:49the barn team has set to work with gustro while dom strengthens the battered chassis that supports him
15:09david's mechanical expertise is focused on how best to fix his inner workings i'm now having a look at
15:16rudolph's head and neck mechanism this is really what gives him his character you've got an electric
15:23motor and this drives a belt onto a big pulley the pulley then drives a shaft which has got cam wheels
15:31on so the cams they're basically like little hills and valleys on a disc and then you've got this lever
15:39so as you get a hill comes along that moves away and then when the valley comes along it moves back again
15:45and then this particular one this actually moves his head up and down these cams are made out of a
15:52type of plastic and it looks like they're warped basically where they run on this little lever
16:00they could slip down the side and then that lever could then get jammed that would then cause the
16:06motor to stall so i think basically what i've got to do take it all to pieces and then get all of that
16:14nice and sturdy straightened out so that we can guarantee that he's going to run for many many years to come
16:30i'm making a new bridle with reins for rudolph and chosen this really bright red color so that
16:38once he's all dressed up it's really going to stand out so i've got a fair amount of sewing to do
16:43here but once the bridle and the reins are completed i can turn my attention to the red collar here that
16:49needs some work as well
16:52next at the barn acting royalty academy award winner dame helen mill
17:07she has a little known story of resilience from wartime germany to put center stage
17:12oh my goodness this is beautiful oh my god it's exactly the same as it is on the tv
17:24what an iconic place to find myself welcome to the bar thank you it's sort of a lot of people's
17:30dream to be here so thank you so much for having me how lucky are we i know i know but how can we help
17:37well got a big challenge for you interesting well i work with a residential home called denville hall
17:44that specializes in people from the performing arts so musicians actors directors producers
17:53people in front of the camera people behind the camera so you can imagine the stories that get told
17:59and that is what i bring to you today is one of those incredible stories so one of the supporters
18:05of denville hall was a man called martin landau and he was a theater producer he worked in his whole
18:11life in the theater but martin had the most incredible story martin was on a kinder transport
18:17at the age of 14 children were put on these trains by their parents to escape the nazis and they came to
18:24england and obviously little kid you can't carry much with you no but the one thing he wanted to bring
18:30with him was his cello he brought it with him so he brought it must have been as big as he can you
18:36imagine this kid on this train yeah with a little bag and this huge cello says how much it means to
18:42him absolutely there's a movie in there i think i think you know the the image of that young boy and
18:48the moment of having to say goodbye to his parents at that point not knowing that he would never see them
18:54again but we know that he would never see them again but before he got on the train the nazis who
19:00were you know bullying everyone getting on the trains broke the cello cruelly deliberately
19:07monstrously just broken oh nonetheless he held on to his cello and loved it and he had it for the rest
19:13of his life and when uh martin died he left it to denville hall and that is what i would love you to
19:21restore so what's the plan if we're able to get it repaired well this beautiful instrument hasn't sung
19:27for 80 years wow so we're really hoping that this christmas it will be heard again it will be singing
19:33to the residents of denville hall there is no one that doesn't enjoy a good old sing-song or just
19:39quietly sitting in the corner listening to some beautiful music so where is it well it was a little
19:45too big for me to carry so if it's okay i'll have it delivered to you would that be okay that sounds
19:51perfect thank you so much we're all incredibly excited thank you you're welcome thank you thank
19:56you everyone bye bye oh it's snowing
20:05will is making quick work of reviving the wooden slats on the old sledge
20:20but dom is faced with a trickier task as he starts on the metalwork it's not good news unfortunately
20:27these two bars that run to the front of the rails they are both completely different shapes and they're
20:33supposed to be the same i've clamped the two runners together and even these are completely different
20:40shapes the ends are way off i think all these years of ian being such a daredevil have taken their toll on
20:47this sledge it's bent and twisted things i need to straighten everything out and get it back where it
20:52should be because i've got lots of holes which need to line up and at the moment this one lines up
20:58quite nicely but this side is just so far off so i've got some bending to do so i'm using the rail
21:08that i know is good and is the right shape to draw around on the bench as a reference
21:15as i try and bend the other rail to match that line so i need to clamp it in the vice heat it up
21:23and try and bend this front section back round until it lines up with that white line
21:41it's looking pretty good once i've got all these pieces straightened up i can start thinking about
21:54stripping this paint
22:02work on rudolph is also galloping along
22:05while david coaxes his warped plastic cans back to perfect flatness amanda is starting an upgrade
22:13to his tatty old ears so i've got two types of fur that i'm working with here this piece of fur has
22:20come off of rudolph but i've also got this lovely new fur which is also going to be a part of his ears
22:26it's all got to blend through and look seamless like he has always had it so the first thing i'm going
22:32to do is to decide which piece to use this one is original so there's a couple of little holes and
22:39things here so i don't really want to go for those i think it's going to come from over here
22:45so i'm going to start drawing my template onto the back
22:52i'm working on this part of the mechanism that does the chewing motion of the bottom jaw like
22:58that something like that anyway there's a little cam on this shaft which runs onto a micro switch
23:08and just turns it off and on and that's connected to a light and that makes rudolph's nose glow red
23:15in the dark so this hasn't been working not only were the the wires not connected to the motor but also
23:22so this shaft was bent so that when this turned around the jaw went up too high and would get
23:29locked so what i've done is i've straightened that up right i'm just going to pop the jaw on
23:36see if it all works
23:44i think that's a sort of chewy motion i'm just going to put on the new micro switch
23:49and uh make sure that the light's going to work when i was in the fire service we would have uh
23:57the children's christmas party and father christmas would come along but uh not on a sleigh he would
24:04come on a an old vintage fire engine right that's connected pop these connectors on and uh it should all work
24:19that's working so well that's brilliant
24:29will has turned his attention to the handrails of the old sledge one is made out of pine and one's made
24:36out of ash originally this would all have been ash he's done a pretty good job at replacing it but
24:41it kind of sticks out like a sore thumb now i thought it'd be really nice to replace that with ash because
24:46he really wants this to look much like it did when he first got it as a child i've sourced a new piece
24:52of ash here it's quite angular because it's just been cut the original has this slightly rounded off
24:58profile on the top and i think that kind of makes it a lot better to hold on to i'm going to use my
25:02hand plane to try to recreate this lovely curved edge onto that new section there
25:16i've got all of the meta work for the sledge stripped down straightened primed and ready for
25:23its first coat of this beautiful shiny red and i've managed to find the original color the very first
25:30layer of paint on this metal work which i've matched it's looking good
25:37renovation of julia donaldson's toy farmhouse has passed to kirsten i'm now just starting to
25:45fill any areas of loss i'm using a wood filler here in a way the way that this has been made it's quite
25:53rustic that's quite helpful because some of the areas that have been damaged and broken i can fill
26:00and i can leave the filler with quite a rough finish
26:04it's taken many talents rather than hay and carrots to revive rudolph but now he's almost
26:19ready for festive duties he's a bit of a lump he's a bit of a lump oh
26:26oh thank you guys thanks for the help he's made it through the blizzard he has and oh
26:37that's his new neck piece fantastic and
26:44brilliant is that how they work very very good you've been having too much fun in the bar
26:47i know i know how are you guys getting on actually quite well so we can leave you to
26:53it to put it together it sounds like it that's all yours thank you thank you bye
26:59okay shall we try and get him back on his face absolutely
27:03after 46 years of fundraising and bringing christmas magic to leicestershire
27:09rudolph's joints were aching and immobile his fur matted and his nose not even remotely shiny or red
27:18he's huge isn't he absolutely several generations from the county are relying on the barn team
27:24to recreate the magic and get rudolph slaying again for good causes goodness me the sounds of him
27:33hello darren hi you okay jerry hi who have you got with us today so these are some of the uh
27:40children that come from wishes for kids these are benefits from some of the charities that we link
27:45up with and uh we've brought them down to see rudolph today are you all excited to see what what we've
27:50been able to do really excited yeah we're really excited it was more exciting yeah so i saw him when
27:57he was brand new and if you've been able to get him anywhere close to what he looked like then i think
28:02that would be fantastic which i will say is quite a big ask i'm so hopeful that we can get him back and
28:08looking his best okay everyone are you ready to see rudolph we're ready we're ready we're really ready let's do it
28:21wow oh that's good oh that's amazing yeah that's good look at that that's taking me right back
28:37to 1979. i had no idea it was going to look so realistic again the fur looks great doesn't it
28:45please feel free come in and have a look can we have a yeah come around this side let's have a look
28:48oh they've done on the harness as well yeah i've never seen them bells shine like that
28:53so we've repaired the ears as well new ears yes look at those look at the ears really appreciate it
28:58nice to see it it looks amazing job amazing this really has been a huge team effort well do you know
29:05what in the fire surface we're really used to working as a team so to see that teamwork replicated
29:10with the the care they've put into rudolph is great and that will really resonate through the
29:14service i think well you haven't seen everything yet i want to see the red nose should we dim the lights
29:19so you can have a proper look oh yeah
29:20wow that's so cool oh wow oh yes
29:36this is just what he used to do i mean you take your wall to take it all in yeah
29:41we just want to say thank you it means a huge amount to us well it's yours to take away
29:44are we okay to drive it absolutely let's give it a go we should get the doors yeah okay
30:00well that's a first for us isn't it yeah i'm not sure the next time we're going to fix rudolph no no
30:19well done right who knows what's coming next
30:28rudolph's back in action but the christmas creations for julia are still a work in progress
30:36well i'm carving the gruffalo which is one of the most well-known characters from julia's books
30:42i think he looks quite charming
30:48and the vandalized cello which dame helen mirn hopes can be played again has been delivered it's a
30:55task for stringed instrument restorer becky horton this is such a gorgeous instrument i feel so sad that
31:02it's been brutalized in this fashion it just breaks my heart and the fact that martin kept it all these
31:10years it must have been so special to him because who keeps a cello that's in two parts like this
31:15already i can hear the sound post is loose there's cracks all over the place this is a particularly
31:23nasty one in the ribs the most obvious area of damage is the fact that the neck is out of the
31:28body of the instrument this is never good and it's in a real mess so i have to work out a way of putting
31:35everything back where it belongs fitting the neck back in and getting this cello playable again the first
31:41thing i'm going to have to do though is remove the front so i can see what's going on inside
31:47what i don't want to do is splinter out any more of this very dry old front
31:54usually you do not want to hear cracking noises but when it's glue
31:57it's a different sort of noise and that's what i'm after
32:03i can just feel this seam starting to give now so far so good
32:11it's a carol book that's been used by our family for over 40 years now wow yeah so this book was
32:38originally my granddad's he only lived a street away from where i grew up as well so um we were
32:44we were very close he passed this on for me when i was really learning how to play my first organ
32:52probably to accompany him singing but he loved it it's full of local christmas carols that we play in
33:01pubs in and around the north of sheffield all through the christmas period
33:05north sheffield has a 200 year old tradition of carols that are unique to the area being sung by
33:14locals in their pubs the gatherings are known as sings why are they sung in pubs that comes back from
33:21the victorian area where the carols were sent to be too extravagant to be sung in churches and people
33:28still wanted somewhere to sing so they brought their songs and their carols into the local pubs wow
33:33that's where it's evolved yes into a real tradition it's a feeling of community and family and
33:39belonging and i wouldn't be anywhere else on a sunday in december a lot of the christmas songs are
33:46probably recognized words but all the villagers will have adapted their own tunes to the songs and
33:53this book it's the book that i've used for every sing that i've played for for 28 years now i'm
34:00having to run in from one pub to the next and it's folded up in my back pocket and you can tell
34:08it's got knocked off the organ while i'm playing and yeah it's had a life of all of its own i thought
34:13this is disintegrating in our hands and is there any way that we can restore it to stop it getting
34:21any worse not to be a museum item and not to collect dust to be used this christmas and the next 20 30
34:2740 years as well i'll give it my best shot that would be brilliant thank you so much bye thank you
34:33well chris this is fantastic is it not it's amazing let me know when it's ready and i'll come along for
34:43a sing-along that's a date brenton that's amazing thank you you've got two snails there yeah i'm just
34:54working on the tail okay the tail of the whale to scale not quite i've got this little tiny snail and
35:03we've got the big one there so you can see what it's meant to look like absolutely love it you're
35:07so clever thank you andrew has really used this book almost to death it's at a point where the front
35:21covers are at a stage where they could totally collapse the amazing thing and hats off to andrew
35:29he's kept all the bits but it is in a bit of a sorry state pages need to be ironed it needs to be
35:37flattened and i've got to think of a cover for the outside but the first thing i need to do is remove the
35:44staples they sort of corrode and eventually that will eat through the paper
35:51now i can dismantle the book and iron these pages flat
36:05freaky do you recognize any of these there are a few but on the whole it's a mystery to me oh i know
36:12deck the halls how's that go oh oh yeah i've got such a lovely voice well well it's usually after
36:20a few mild wines that's when i really kind of get into the swing of things do you have a favorite carol
36:25i do will i don't know what it's called but it goes a bit like this and feel free to join in if you
36:30once
36:51now she has access to the interior of the cello becky can begin repairing the many cracks in its body
36:58I've heated up my bending iron
37:00and the water bubbling on the top tells me it's really hot.
37:04I'm going to use it to bend this little bit of wood
37:07that I'm going to use as a stud
37:09for this big area of cracking on the rib of the cello.
37:12I'm going to get it really wet
37:14and I'm going to steam bend this lovely thin bit of maple.
37:21I am feeling pretty anxious about this
37:23because it's so important this doesn't come undone again.
37:27So that's why everything has to be absolutely right.
37:31I'm going to start gluing now.
37:40I'm going to have to throw a whole load of clamps
37:42at this crack and this stud
37:44to make sure it all adheres perfectly
37:46because I need to make sure that all of this stud
37:49is properly stuck to the rib.
37:53It looks a bit random and haphazard
37:55but I hope I've got just enough pressure
37:57to hold that crack shut while it dries.
38:03Hopefully this should all line up.
38:05With the paintwork perfected and the runners rejuvenated,
38:09Dom and Will have joined forces...
38:11I love this teamwork.
38:12This is why it's handy to have an extra pair of hands.
38:15...to reassemble the old sledge.
38:17I think that's the main sort of chassis part of it on
38:22and all looking good.
38:23We can tackle the wood now.
38:25Yes.
38:26Screws down the middle.
38:28That's my favourite screwdriver.
38:31How long have you had my screwdriver for?
38:34Weeks.
38:35Have you?
38:35And you haven't even noticed.
38:36Well, I have.
38:37I've been blaming Steve.
38:38What have you got that for?
38:40It's just quite nice.
38:41It's quite a good one.
38:41It is nice.
38:42Look at it's mine.
38:45OK.
38:45Middle bit in.
38:46Looking really good.
38:47That adrenaline just steaming down a hill.
38:50I'm feeling it.
38:51Yeah, I'm there.
38:52I'm there.
38:53Right, what's left to do?
38:54We've really just got the steering.
38:56The steering.
38:56Oh, gosh, I forgot about the steering.
38:57Not yet, not yet.
38:58We're not quite there.
38:59And the all-important rope.
39:00And then we're done.
39:01It's ready to go back to Ian.
39:02The sledge was given to Ian just before the big freeze of 1963,
39:10but years of downhill adventuring had left it dangerously dilapidated.
39:17Right, pop that on there.
39:18Let's get it covered up.
39:20Ian and family, including granddaughters Leah and Bethany,
39:25have high hopes of snowy fun for many more years.
39:30Hi, everyone.
39:31Hello.
39:31Hello.
39:31Hey, folks, how you again?
39:32Welcome back.
39:33Hello.
39:34Hello.
39:35How have you all been feeling?
39:36Have you been excited about today?
39:37I have been very excited.
39:39Looking forward to all the monthly.
39:41It's been part of my life for so long.
39:43My kids, my grandkids, and I like to see it going on and on.
39:47I'm hoping that we can take you back to being that nine-year-old kid again.
39:50Are you ready to take a look?
39:51More than ready.
39:52How about you two?
39:53Are you excited?
39:54Okay, here we go.
39:56Ready.
39:57That's where I was.
40:11I have to try this.
40:15Oh, brilliant.
40:17I'm over the moon.
40:19Just wish I was a kiddie kid.
40:21Yeah.
40:23This is great.
40:25Got a job an icon.
40:28It's beautiful.
40:29I don't know what I was expecting, but it's beyond what I expected.
40:32I've never seen it like that.
40:33The writing and all, it's lovely.
40:35The fact that they just didn't do it clearly, you know, the racer, it's brilliant.
40:42I'm so pleased.
40:43It just looks beautiful.
40:44But there's no time like the present.
40:45Shall we take it outside?
40:46Take it outside.
40:52Are you getting on, Gus?
40:54You're not getting too jealous, are you, Ian?
40:57You're on the back, Ian.
40:58One, two, three.
41:01It works.
41:03That's really good.
41:06Marvelous.
41:07It looks right at home out here, doesn't it?
41:08It does.
41:09Yeah.
41:10Perfect.
41:10Twirl belongs.
41:26I'm making Betty the scarecrow, and she's coming along really well.
41:29But it's time now I started putting some little clothes on her.
41:35Reattaching the neck of the cello is a demanding process.
41:40Becky's drafting in Will to play more than just second fiddle.
41:44You're going to have the most important job of operating the clamp.
41:47So I'm going to take it all out, glue it, and then you're going to clamp it.
41:52But it might slide around.
41:54All sorts of horrible things can happen.
41:55So if I start being cross with you, just, sorry.
41:58I'll just take it.
41:59Okay, fine.
41:59All right.
42:00If I've got this even half a millimetre out, the player will feel it, and it will have
42:04a bearing on the sound.
42:05Even a millimetre?
42:06Oh, even half a millimetre.
42:08Even quarter of a millimetre.
42:09Really?
42:09Yeah, yeah.
42:10You grab the clamp and the cork.
42:11Are you ready to do this?
42:12Because this is a one hit only.
42:14We've got one chance to get this perfect.
42:16Okay.
42:16Up for it?
42:17Yeah.
42:17Right.
42:18Okay.
42:18We ready?
42:19We're ready.
42:21Time is absolutely of the essence because this glue is gelling all the time I'm using it,
42:26and I don't want to take any chances of this coming out ever again.
42:31I've never seen you work so quickly.
42:33Oh, you've not seen anything yet.
42:35Okay.
42:35Okay.
42:36All right.
42:36I'm going to...
42:37No, not yet.
42:38I've got to push this in.
42:40Nope.
42:40Nope.
42:41I'll tell you.
42:42Okay, clamp.
42:43Ready?
42:44Yep.
42:44Get that wedge the right way around.
42:49Yep.
42:49Tighten a bit?
42:50Yep.
42:51That's brilliant.
42:51That's a brilliant angle.
42:52There?
42:52Yep.
42:53Bit more, bit more, bit more.
42:54Stop.
42:56Right.
42:56Okay.
42:57We're not done yet.
42:58No?
42:59No.
42:59Right.
43:00No.
43:00I've got to check.
43:01Go on.
43:02Right.
43:02I just need you to move it a little bit.
43:04Unnip it.
43:04Okay.
43:07Okay.
43:07And down again.
43:09Tighten?
43:09Yep.
43:10Tighten.
43:12Okay.
43:13Let me just double check that.
43:14Oh, God, I'm shaking.
43:16You're doing really well.
43:17Oh!
43:18I'm checking the angle of the neck here.
43:20There's a certain measurement that I'm after, which is 80 mil.
43:22It's slightly higher.
43:25I just don't want to take any chances of this cello having any more problems,
43:29because it's been through enough.
43:31I would like that a bit lower, but I don't think...
43:33I don't think I want to move it.
43:35So to go lower, would this have to move back out?
43:37No, we can't take it out now.
43:39Can you?
43:40Or...
43:41What do you want?
43:41I don't want to take it out.
43:42Oh, God.
43:47Unnip it and just move it slightly towards me.
43:49You sure?
43:50Yeah, just slightly.
43:51Yep.
43:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
43:53There?
43:53Now, now nip it down.
43:56There?
43:56Yep.
43:57Yep.
43:58Yep.
43:58Okay.
43:59Tension.
44:03Yes.
44:04Yes, yes, yes.
44:05Yes?
44:05Yes, yes.
44:05Better?
44:05Yes, I'm happy.
44:08You okay?
44:09I don't know.
44:10Well done.
44:14Walk away.
44:16Let's walk away.
44:17It's done.
44:17Literally.
44:18Literally just walk away.
44:22The pages of the carol book have been flattened,
44:26and Chrissie's next task is a spot of invisible mending.
44:30This cover is at the point of complete collapse.
44:34I'm going to remount these onto some blue paper,
44:38but obviously, because of all the years of Andrew handling it,
44:42it's got grubby.
44:43So I've made an initial attempt of grubbing it up,
44:47and because it's in pieces,
44:48it's a bit like fitting a jigsaw puzzle together.
44:51By remounting this, it's going to stabilise it,
44:55and at the same time add strength.
44:57It's going to make it still very flexible.
45:00Just lining up the puzzle, and it fits over.
45:05Very, very nice.
45:06And now I'm going to get it into the press,
45:08and then allow it to dry.
45:17Muscle must.
45:19Is this the toy you're making, Steve?
45:20It is.
45:21This is Tiddler.
45:22This is the character out of the book.
45:24I can see that.
45:25I'm making a mechanism that when I put the tail inside,
45:30and you move the tail from side to side,
45:32it's going to open and shut the mouth.
45:34Lovely.
45:39There we go.
45:40Now it's Christmas.
45:42OK, maybe I've overdone this a little bit.
45:44With the most stressful part of the cello repair behind her,
45:53Becky's work is nearly done.
45:54The neck is solid.
45:55The neck is solid, and the cello's actually sounding really resonant.
46:00I couldn't be happier.
46:01I've never been so nervous in my life with an instrument,
46:04because it was important to Martin,
46:06and it's going to be played in the retirement home.
46:09I think it's going to be beautiful for them,
46:11and I hope they love it as much as I do now,
46:14because I've fallen in love with this instrument.
46:16So all I need to do now is put the last two strings on,
46:19and then I get to hear it.
46:23This cello was brutally smashed,
46:26as its 14-year-old owner, Martin, fled Hitler's Germany,
46:30and it had remained unplayable ever since.
46:34OK, let's get it covered.
46:35Yeah.
46:39Now Dame Helen Mirren hopes it can be the centrepiece
46:43of Christmas celebrations at the retirement home
46:46to which Martin donated it.
46:52Hello.
46:53Hello.
46:53Hi.
46:54Welcome back.
46:57I presume this is the baby.
46:59It is indeed.
47:00Yes.
47:00Let me introduce you to Becky.
47:01Becky.
47:02Was it a challenge?
47:03It was a challenge, yes.
47:05Yes.
47:06It has tested me.
47:07The love that this instrument carried with it,
47:10I hope, communicated to you.
47:12Very much so.
47:12Because it carried the history of family, of love, of dreams.
47:16Definitely.
47:17Definitely.
47:17You can feel it in the world.
47:18You can, really.
47:19Yes.
47:20Well, are you ready to take a look?
47:21I am.
47:22I'm so excited.
47:23I can't tell you.
47:24I'm so excited to see it.
47:26Can I peek up under the skirt?
47:28No peeking.
47:29No peeking.
47:31Go on then, Becky.
47:32Okay.
47:33Yes.
47:33Are you ready?
47:34I am.
47:34I am.
47:34Hello.
47:46Martin sent his love.
47:51Becky, that's fantastic.
47:54Many, many, many congratulations.
47:57Wondrous.
47:58Absolutely wondrous.
48:00Wow.
48:02I wish I could play.
48:03Would you like to hear it play?
48:04Well, of course I would.
48:06Is that possible?
48:07It is.
48:07We've got a special guest.
48:08Really?
48:09Yes.
48:09Very much so.
48:11We have Raphael Warfish in the barn.
48:14Raphael, would you please come and join us?
48:17Raphael, how very, very nice to meet you.
48:20Great pleasure.
48:20Thank you so much for coming for us.
48:22You be careful with that.
49:03Bravo! Bravo, Becky!
49:09Well done, Becky. Thank you.
49:11How incredible to hear that.
49:13Yes. Thank you so much, Raphael. That was beautiful.
49:16Great pleasure. Becky, thank you. Bye-bye. Bye.
49:19Bye. Bye.
49:20Brilliant. Brilliant. Well done.
49:26I'm just so pleased. Yeah.
49:32New covers have made the carol book more durable,
49:42but Chrissie's repairs also need to look harmonious.
49:46The final thing I need to do to the covers are to just sort of blend in
49:51and just take the eye away from these creases.
49:54So I'm using a watercolour pencil, and it's a blue sort of turquoise-y.
49:58But coming around here to where Andrew's handled it,
50:02I'm going to have to mix in a bit of green.
50:03Kirsten has painted the exterior of the toy farmhouse,
50:10but for interior decor, she's turning to paper and paste.
50:15The only wallpapering I've done is in my own house,
50:18so that's quite a number of years ago.
50:21But I do think this will transform the inside of the farmhouse.
50:26If I can just get that in there.
50:29There, that's gone on really nicely.
50:32Now, I'm going to carry on putting the paper on the other walls,
50:36and then it's going to be ready to go back to Julia,
50:39and I hope that this will give the children at the hospice many hours of play.
50:45Julia's toy farm was faded and fragile,
50:52and its animals long since lost.
50:55Now she plans for a new generation of children at the hospice
50:59to be delighted and inspired by the farm,
51:03and a farmyard full of fantastical creatures.
51:07Hi, Julia.
51:08Hello. Oh, my goodness.
51:11This is the biggest Christmas present ever.
51:13Well, I think it's really lovely
51:17that this is going to go to Chestnut Treehouse.
51:20Yes, it's such a wonderful place.
51:22We'd like to take a look.
51:24I'd love to take a look, yeah.
51:31Oh, so beautiful.
51:36It looks just perfect, because it doesn't look over the top,
51:39it just looks like I remembered.
51:41Animals.
51:44I remember these little sitting-down calves.
51:48Who's outside in the garden?
51:51Oh, gosh.
51:53Oh, look, we've got the Gruffalo, of course.
51:56Made by Will.
51:57So clever.
51:58Oh, I think that's brilliant, because you've got two types of toy.
52:02You know, you've got the farm,
52:03but they could have adventures with all these characters outside their world.
52:08It really has been a team effort, hasn't it?
52:11So, Steve made Tiddler.
52:13Thank you, Steve.
52:14You're very welcome.
52:15Yes, Tiddler's gorgeous.
52:16I think when you move the tail, the mouth opens and closes.
52:19Oh, can I have a go?
52:21Oh, that's wonderful.
52:22That's really good.
52:23Hello, Tiddler.
52:24Oh, look, he's a baddie.
52:29That's Rob Brydon.
52:30It's Reginald Rape.
52:32Which is made by Kishtons.
52:33He sort of tries to lure Betty away from her true love, Mary.
52:39And they're going to get married, aren't you?
52:41Yes.
52:42Oh!
52:43Oh, lovely.
52:45I think children would enjoy, you know,
52:47they could act that story out, couldn't they?
52:49Yeah, definitely.
52:49Absolutely.
52:50You have brought so much joy and imagination to so many children's lives,
52:54so it's quite nice for us to give something back to you.
52:56Oh, thank you so much.
52:58And thank you all.
53:00You're so welcome.
53:02Bye.
53:03Bye.
53:06She is lovely, isn't she?
53:07This is the magic of children's farm animals and toys and things like that.
53:12Imagination.
53:12Yeah, exactly.
53:13You can go anywhere.
53:14Well done, everyone.
53:15Good job.
53:24Chrissie's skills have got the carol book almost back on song.
53:29So the moment's come of joining the pages to the cover.
53:34I'm using a linen thread and sewing it as opposed to stapling it.
53:37Because Andrew's going to use this an awful lot
53:40and I want to be able to provide the book
53:43with as much strength and longevity as possible.
53:47So the final knot that seals and joins the pages together
53:52ends my absolutely joyous repair of the joy of Christmas.
54:01This carol book was given to Andrew by his grandfather,
54:04but decades of use at Sheffield's Carol Sings had left it in tatters.
54:12Andrew and Emily are hoping the book can continue playing its part
54:16in keeping a remarkable tradition alive.
54:19Hello, hello.
54:21Hello there.
54:22Hi.
54:22Absolutely fantastic to see you.
54:24How are you both feeling?
54:26Really excited.
54:27Are you?
54:28Yeah.
54:28It's more than the book.
54:29It's the tradition and certainly now not having my grandad there in the pub with me,
54:36his book's always there.
54:37That's really lovely.
54:38Yeah.
54:38Well, are you ready to see what I've managed to do?
54:42Certainly are.
54:50Wow.
54:52Oh, look at the back.
55:05That's fantastic.
55:09Wow.
55:10That's a Christmas breath.
55:12Yeah.
55:12Thank you so much.
55:14That's brilliant.
55:15Look.
55:15I can't believe it.
55:19I can't.
55:21And there was whole...
55:23I can't believe it, Grace.
55:25The joy of Christmas.
55:27I know.
55:27It's fantastic.
55:29It's such a beautiful thing.
55:31It'll certainly feel special to stand it on the piano or the organ for the first time.
55:35It'll feel really nice.
55:37Andrew, how would you feel about doing a sing for us now?
55:41Yeah.
55:42Come on, everybody.
55:45Outside.
55:47Pond at your finest, please, landlord.
55:48Oh, coming right up, sir.
55:52Pain in chocolate coins.
55:53Perfect.
55:57Here they come.
55:58Wow.
55:59It's a pub.
56:00Look at me.
56:01Oh, look, there's a choir.
56:02Oh, is that a bar?
56:04Hello, everyone.
56:04Welcome to the Hammer and Spanner.
56:06Oh, cheers.
56:08What can I get you?
56:09There you go.
56:10Oh, you pour a decent pint.
56:12The usual, yeah.
56:13Oh, yes.
56:14We sing as big bold out in days of old
56:20To celebrate Christmas and bring you good cheer
56:27The tidings we bring of Messiah our King
56:33So we wish you a merry Christmas
56:36So we wish you a merry, wish you a merry Christmas
56:39We wish you a merry, wish you a merry Christmas
56:42And a happy new year
56:48Merry Christmas
56:51Merry Christmas
56:52Hello, everyone
56:57Hello
56:58I've got a surprise for you
57:00The night of our wedding
57:13Thank you so much, and we hope you liked it
57:16Really?
57:16Let's see if we are back
57:17Welcome to the Thé‹œê³
57:18We hope you could find the time
57:19How awesome
57:21Is that a regist was ready to love?
57:22I totally want to thank you
57:23I completely poster and everything
57:23Is that a dr
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