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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!
01:02...
01:13We've walked a long way Julia across fields...
01:17Oh no...
01:18...over hedges...
01:19...the way you left but last hedge by the way.
01:23I thought was very impressive...
01:25very impressive first to arrive at the barn gruffalo creator julia donaldson it's the 13th
01:32christmas her books have been turned into animations and rob bryden has been a key voice in
01:38everyone look at this hello hello welcome merry christmas merry christmas we've walked a long way
01:46have you it's such an honor to have you both here we are huge fans of your books and me having two
01:55children 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
02:09sometimes some of the farm animals would escape through a gap in the fields and i think we had
02:15some zoo animals too so sometimes we would play exciting adventures where one of the
02:20farm animals joined the zoo or one of the zoo animals invaded do you think that this helped
02:27to encourage you to write those fantastic books yeah i think it probably was at the root of some
02:32of my books books like what the lady bird heard which is set on a farm and now this christmas is
02:39the scarecrows wedding animation which rob has a real star role and that all takes place on a farm
02:45now i play uh reginald rake the rather caddish scarecrow that comes in total count well all right
02:53i was giving him the benefit of the doubt he's an absolute cad who comes in and threatens the
02:59happiness of betty and harry mwah the finest marshmallows and make no mistake no one can toast them like
03:09reginald rake i mean the first one was the gruffalo and um yeah it has become a part of the christmas
03:17tradition yeah i've been in all of them rob so loyal you know because even if he's just what's the
03:22smallest well the the cat in room on the broom all i did was go and yet i still imbue it with
03:30the 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 well axel scheffler who's done loads of julia's uh illustrations has
03:50such a distinctive style that pulls you into the story beautifully but it all comes down to the
03:55imagination and that sort of ties into this really you know having a little farm and your zoo animals
04:02and things like that how vibrant were the colors when you first received it when you were a child
04:06the roof was this kind of maroon because it wasn't like scarlet or anything i've had it on display and
04:12i did get the roof quite crudely oh i thought you just ripped that off it does come off well the door
04:18handles come off here it all needs some paint now julia if we can restore this for you what's the plan
04:25for it well i live quite near a children's hospice called chestnut tree house i've quite often visited
04:32and done little acted out the stories with the children and especially with the brothers and
04:37sisters of some of the old children it's really nice for them to have something to play with so i'd
04:42like to donate the restored farmers and especially if there were some extra animals and fences as well
04:49i think we can manage that well you know what would be nice you could have a little gruffalo
04:53a 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 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 right
05:12back out into the cold weren't they lovely and this is absolutely charming but it's looking rather tired
05:22isn't it these doorknobs probably not so safe for children to be playing with so i might work out
05:26somewhere opening up the doors and maybe some shutters on the window there i think i'm gonna do
05:31a little bit of tidying up and retouching perfect the barn's next visitor has already arrived taking a
05:41much needed break from his delivery duties wow look at that reindeer at christmas it is wow it's very
05:50realistic there's a fire service badge on the back here what is a reindeer doing with a fire service badge
05:56i don't know well i guess we'll find out bringing answers and a second helping of good cheer to the
06:03barn hello hello firefighters jerry ascombe and darren weston from leicestershire hi welcome and merry
06:11christmas merry christmas hello hi please explain so this is rudolph of course yeah yeah rudolph belongs to
06:20leicestershire fire and rescue service and we're using every christmas to raise money for local
06:25children's charities we'll walk around with rudolph who's pulling santa on a sleigh supported by a fire
06:31engine or two typically and as we walk down the streets the residents come out and give us a loose
06:35change and donations where does the money go that you raise so every year we raise about ten thousand
06:41pounds for um local children's turrets is typically ten thousand pounds seven thousand pounds yeah wow
06:46well that's incredible where did this all start so it started in 1949 they set up the rudolph fund
06:54and that reindeer ran right up until 1978 when it started falling to pieces and we got this one and
07:00the then committee approached this firm that did stuff for film sets and said could you build us an
07:06animated reindeer to replace the one we've got and they did so he moves and he moves yeah he doesn't
07:11walk but no way nods his head does this blinks his eyes people were just amazed because back in the
07:1870s that that was pretty spectacular now it's a big part of the christmas culture in leicester really
07:23but the real problem we've got is rudolph's looking really tired and old now his mouth is supposed to
07:28chew and a lot of them actions aren't working his nose lights up as well but it doesn't oh really
07:35it's got of course rudolph's got a red nose so we need to do some some major surgery yeah but also
07:41his first quite matted and dull looking the fur on his ears is different to the fur on his head
07:47we've got the leather work around his neck that would have been bright red and really shiny at one
07:51point ah right that's interesting god there is quite a list there's quite a lot to do it would be
07:56devastating to think it failed on your watch it would yeah it would i think that that would be my biggest
08:00fear is that he falls into such bad disrepair that he's no longer usable and then when one
08:05we lose tradition but more importantly all those children that benefited don't get that money coming
08:09in we can't let that happen not on your watch not on mine quite literally well we'll do the best we
08:14can thanks for taking him on yeah see you soon he looks like he's going to be trouble i can see it in
08:20his eye look this is going to be a job i'm going to go and get some help david brenton oh here they
08:26are perfect can you give us a hand yeah yeah brenton can you steer yeah i'll try aim for over there
08:31somewhere okay brilliant here we go i feel like rudolph's gonna go wherever he wants i think so
08:37will will is setting to work on julia donaldson's farmhouse and the experts have a clear brief for
08:48the tiny characters who go with it but with rudolph there are lots of unknowns i'm kind of intrigued as
08:56to what we're going to find inside here what do you think burv or in it's full of mechanical wiggly bits
09:00oh there we go oh this is that's actually a lever right what does that do though hang on what this
09:08one back and forwards oh am i moving hey look i'm moving his head that turns his head there's some
09:15wires cut in here so that's not a good sign a lot of mechanical bits are just just worn out let's see
09:21if i can get into the head good luck thank you yeah i don't need you moving around it's all very funny
09:30i've got a feeling i wouldn't be a very good apprentice for you steve you drive me mad 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 absolutely brilliant right
09:48let me just see if i can get to these bolts then there we go that's it you got it steve yes i have
09:57will has made new doorknobs for the toy farmers oh look at that it looks like a little toad stool
10:07and he's been mulling over some replacement shutters i've got a couple of different designs i could go
10:12for one would be a kind of modern staggered slatted shutter but really i mean this is it's like a simple
10:21farmhouse for like a child it's not over complicated i'm quite sure i've seen some farmhouses some really old
10:26ones with this kind of design here i think that's kind of what i'm going to go for i just hope that
10:31i've got enough space in that very small window frame to make this look absolutely spot on
10:42design ideas are also key to making 3d versions of the characters who populate the farm i'm making
10:49a whale and rather than making out of silver which would what i would normally do i'm going to try
10:55some polymer clay i'm challenging myself using a different material having looked at these lovely
11:03children's books i can't wait till my grandson is old enough for me to be able to read these stories to him
11:09arriving 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 but it
11:39was 40 years old when i got it so the sleigh's almost 100 years old wow it's called a flexible flower
11:46this particular one was made in 1928 and only made this version for one year so it's quite an hour one
11:53where did you get it then 1963 i was nine ten it was a gift from my brother who got it from a family
12:01who no longer had a use for it i was the envy of all the friends and kids in the street i bet did you
12:08use it a lot then oh that year when you were nine ten years oh that was the year of the big freeze
12:13it snowed from just before christmas right through january february three months of snow three months
12:21and the drifts were like six feet wow i just spent every day on the sledge you must have some great
12:27memories of those times oh yeah the actual main damage at the front there was myself and two
12:33friends on it and there was a big tuft of snow which i thought was just a bit of sage grass covered
12:39in snow and it turned out it was a large boulder oh no and the front of the sledge this has been
12:46straightened out but that was you can see this is all bent here yeah we've had lots of accidents
12:50this one here i was a great repair as you can see a friend he was holding this and it snapped
12:57is that your handiwork that's my handiwork it's very good done a long time ago kate what's your
13:03earliest memory of the sledge we had been going out together for a while and he said would you like
13:07to have a go on a sledge and i says oh yeah and then there was a hill that was nearly vertical
13:13oh no i was so frightened and this is whilst you were still getting to know each other yes
13:18i love that how long have you both been together for 50 years how many children do you have nine
13:23they all had their turn on it i remember my second child was about three years of age she had a little
13:30santa suit on and pulling around the street all the local kids chasing after us there could be santa
13:37one 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
13:48i'm 14 grandchildren they're 14 grandchildren they all have to have this so when did you stop using
13:54it then yourself oh 20 years ago i was lying down on my belly
14:00i had a great time oh if you could have anything you want what would this look like the way it was
14:07the day i got it all this paint paint it over you know make it good looking again i can understand
14:13i'll never be the way it was but be nice to see it gleaming again and looking how you remember yeah
14:21that nine-year-old kid yeah we are going to have so much fun working on this thank you very much
14:28thank you thank you we'll see you soon bye-bye thank you bye-bye i absolutely love this it's amazing
14:36isn't it yeah he does want it looking a bit smarter than it currently does let me take this outside
14:41i'll get it stripped down and bring the wood back into you lovely okay
14:44okay
14:57determined to get rudolph back to full fitness the barn team has set to work with gustro
15:03while dom strengthens the battered chassis that supports him
15:09david's mechanical expertise is focused on how best to fix his inner workings
15:14i'm now having a look at rudolph's head and neck mechanism this is really what gives him his
15:21character you've got an electric motor and this drives a belt onto a big pulley the pulley then
15:29drives a shaft which has got cam wheels on so the cams they're basically like little hills and valleys
15:36on a disc and then you've got this lever so as you get a hill comes along that moves away and then when
15:43the valley comes along it moves back again and then this particular one this actually moves his head
15:49up and down these cams are made out of a type of plastic and it looks like they're warped basically
15:57where they run on this little lever they could slip down the side and then that lever could then get
16:04jammed that would then cause the motor to stall so i think basically what i've got to do take it all to
16:11pieces and then get all of that nice and sturdy straightened out so that we can guarantee that he's
16:19going to run for many many years to come
16:30i'm making a new bridle with reins for rudolph and uh chosen this really bright red color so that once
16:38he's all dressed up it's really going to stand out so i've got a fair amount of sewing to do here but
16:44once the bridle and the reins are completed i can turn my attention to the red collar here that
16:49needs some work as well next at the barn acting royalty academy award winner dame helen mill
17:05she has a little known story of resilience from wartime germany to put center stage
17:15oh 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
17:36help well got a big challenge for you interesting well i work with a residential home called denville
17:44hall that 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 at the age of 14
18:19children were put on these trains by their parents to escape the nazis and they came to england
18:25and obviously little kid you can't carry much with you no but the one thing he wanted to bring with
18:31him was his cello he brought it with him so he brought must have been as big as he can you imagine
18:36this kid on this train yeah with a little bag and this huge cello says how much it means to him
18:42doesn't it absolutely there's a movie in there i think i think you know the the image of that young boy
18:48and the moment of having to say goodbye to his parents at that point not knowing that he would
18:53never see them again but we know that he would never see them again but before he got on the train
18:59the nazis who were you know bullying everyone getting on the trains broke the cello cruelly
19:06deliberately monstrously just broke him nonetheless he held on to his cello and loved it and he had it
19:13for the rest of his life and when martin died he left it to denville hall and that is what i would
19:20love you to restore so what's the plan if we're able to get it repaired well this beautiful instrument
19:26hasn't sung for 80 years wow so we're really hoping that this christmas it will be heard again it will
19:32be singing to the residents of denville hall there is no one that doesn't enjoy a good old sing-song or
19:39just quietly sitting in the corner listening to some beautiful music so where is it well it was a
19:45little too big for me to carry so if it's okay i'll have it delivered to you would that be okay that
19:50sounds perfect thank you so much we're all incredibly excited thank you you're welcome thank you thank you
19:56everyone bye bye bye oh it's snowing
20:14will 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
20:25it's not good news unfortunately these two bars that run to the front of the rails
20:30they are both completely different shapes and they're supposed to be the same
20:35i've clamped the two runners together and even these are completely different shapes the ends
20:41are way off i think all these years of ian being such a daredevil have taken their toll on this sledge
20:48it's bent and twisted things i need to straighten everything out and get it back where it should be
20:52because i've got lots of holes which need to line up and at the moment this one lines up quite nicely
21:00but this side is just so far off so i've got some bending to do
21:06so i'm using the rail that 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
21:19so i need to clamp it in the vice heat it up and try and bend this front section back round
21:26until it lines up with that white line
21:37it's looking pretty good once i've got all these pieces straightened
21:53up i can start thinking about stripping this paint
22:02work on rudolph is also galloping along while david coaxes his warped plastic
22:08cams back to perfect flatness amanda is starting an upgrade to his tatty old ears
22:15so i've got two types of fur that i'm working with here this piece of fur has come off of rudolph
22:21but i've also got this lovely new fur which is also going to be a part of his ears it's all got
22:27to blend through and look seamless like he has always had it so the first thing i'm going to do is to
22:33decide which piece to use this one is original so there's a couple of little holes and things here
22:39so i don't really want to go for those i think it's going to come from over here so i'm going to
22:45start 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 that
23:00something 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
23:22also this shaft was bent so that when this turned round the jaw went up too high and would get locked
23:29so what i've done is i've straightened that up right i'm just going to pop the jaw on see if it all
23:37works i think that's a sort of chewy motion i'm just going to put on the new micro switch and uh
23:51make sure that the light's going to work when i was in the fire service we would have uh the children's
23:58christmas party and father christmas would come along but uh not on a sleigh he would come on a
24:05an old vintage fire engine right that's connected pop these connectors on and uh it should all work
24:17that'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
24:36made out 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
24:46ash because he really wants this to look much like it did when he first got it as a child i've sourced
24:52a new piece of ash here it's quite angular because it's just been cut the original has this slightly
24:57rounded off profile on the top and i think that kind of makes it a lot better to hold on to i'm going
25:02to use my hand 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 fill
25:45any areas of loss i'm using a wood filler here in a way the way that this has been made it's quite rustic
25:54that's quite helpful because some of the areas that have been damaged and broken
25:59i can fill and i can leave the filler with quite a rough finish
26:12it's taken many talents rather than hay and carrots to revive rudolph but now he's almost ready
26:19for festive duties he's a bit of a lump he's a bit of a lump
26:25oh thanks for the help he's made it through the blizzard he has and oh
26:35oh that'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
26:48i know i know how are you guys getting on actually quite well so we can leave you to it to put it
26:54together it sounds like it that's all yours thank you thank you bye
26:59okay should 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 sides of them
27:33hello down hi okay jerry hi who have you got with us today so these are some of the uh
27:40children that um come from wishes for kids these uh are benefited from some of the charities that we
27:45link up with and uh we've brought them down to see rudolph today are you all excited to see what
27:50what we've been able to do really excited yeah we're really excited more excited yeah so i saw him
27:57when he was brand new and if you've been able to get him anywhere close to what he looked like then
28:02i think that would be fantastic which i will say is quite a big ask i'm so hopeful that we can get him
28:08back and looking his best okay everyone are you ready to see rudolph we're ready we're ready we're
28:13really ready let's do it oh that's good that's amazing yeah that's good look at that that's taking me
28:37right back to 1979. i had no idea it was going to look so realistic again the fur looks great doesn't
28:44it please 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 the ears really appreciate it nice to see it
28:59it looks amazing job amazing this really has been a huge team effort well do you know what in the
29:06fire surface we're really used to working as a team so to see that teamwork replicated with the
29:11the care they've put into rudolph it is great and that will really resonate through the service i think
29:14well you haven't seen everything yet i want to see the red nose should we dim the lights so you can
29:19have a proper look oh yeah
29:29whoa 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
29:45are we okay to drive it absolutely let's give it a go we should get the doors yeah okay
30:06well that's a first for us isn't it yeah i'm not sure the next time we're going to fix rudolph
30:17no no well done right who knows what's coming next
30:21rudolph's back in action but the christmas creations for julia are still a work in progress well i'm
30:37carving the gruffalo which is one of the most well-known characters from julius burks
30:41i think he looks quite charming
30:48and the vandalized cello which dame helen mirn hopes can be played again has been delivered
30:54it's a task for stringed instrument restorer becky horton this is such a gorgeous instrument i feel so
31:02sad that it's been brutalized in this fashion it just breaks my heart and the fact that martin kept
31:09it all these years it must have been so special to him because who keeps a cello that's in two parts
31:15like this already i can hear the sound post is loose there's cracks all over the place this is a
31:22particularly nasty one in the ribs the most obvious area of damage is the fact that the neck is out of
31:28the body of the instrument this is never good and it's in a real mess so i have to work out a way of
31:35putting everything back where it belongs fitting the net back in and getting this cello playable
31:40again the first thing i'm going to have to do though is remove the front so i can see what's
31:44going on inside what 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 it's a different sort of noise
31:59and that's what i'm after
32:00i can just feel this seems starting to give now so far so good
32:13hailing from sheffield andrew and his wife emily with a challenge for chris shaw's book binding
32:20skills merry christmas merry christmas what have you brought that looks rather well loved certainly is
32:29that's well used it is it's a carol book that's been used by our family for over 40 years now wow
32:37yeah so this book was originally my granddad's he only lived a street away from where i grew up as
32:43well so um we were we were very close he passed this on for me when i was really learning how to play my
32:50first organ probably to accompany him singing but he loved it it's full of local christmas carols that
33:00we play in pubs in and around the north of sheffield all through the christmas period
33:07north sheffield has a 200 year old tradition of carols that are unique to the area being sung by locals in
33:14their pubs the gatherings are known as sings why are they singing pubs that comes back from the
33:21victorian area where the carols were sent to be too extravagant to be sung in churches and people still
33:28wanted somewhere to sing so they brought their songs and their carols into the local pubs wow that's
33:33where it's evolved yes into a real tradition it's a feeling of community and family and belonging and i
33:41wouldn't be anywhere else on a sunday in december a lot of the christmas songs are probably recognized
33:47words but all the villagers will have adapted their own tunes to the songs and this book is the book
33:55that i've used for every sing that i've played for for 28 years now i'm having to run in from one pub
34:02to the next and it's folded up in my back pocket and you can tell
34:05it'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 stop it getting any
34:21worse not to be a museum item and not to collect dust to be used this christmas and the next 20 30 40
34:28years as well i'll give it my best shot that would be brilliant thank you so much bye-bye thank you
34:37well 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
35:02and we've got the big one there so you can see what it's meant to look like absolutely love it
35:07you're so clever thank you
35:09andrew has really used this book almost to death it's at a point where the front covers
35:22are at a stage where they could totally collapse the amazing thing and hats off to andrew he's kept
35:30all the bits but it is in a bit of a sorry state pages need to be ironed it needs to be flattened
35:39and 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 now i can dismantle the
35:53book and iron these pages flat
36:05trikey do you recognize any of these there are a few but on the whole it's a mystery to me
36:12oh i know deck the halls how's that go oh oh yeah i'm not going to start singing
36:18i've got such a lovely voice will well it's usually after a few mild wines that's when i really kind
36:22of get into the swing of things do you have a favorite carol i do will i don't know what it's
36:26called but it goes a bit like this and feel free to join in if you want oh
36:36now she has access to the interior of the cello becky can begin repairing the many cracks in its body
36:59i've heated up my bending iron and 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 that i'm going to use as a stud for this big
37:09area of cracking on the rib of the cello i'm going to get it really wet and i'm going to steam bend
37:15this lovely thin bit of maple
37:21i am feeling pretty anxious about this because it's so important this doesn't come undone again
37:27so that's why everything has to be absolutely right i'm going to start gluing now
37:40i'm going to have to throw a whole load of clamps at this crack and this stud to make sure it all adheres
37:45perfectly because i need to make sure that all of this stud
37:49is properly stuck to the rib it looks a bit random and haphazard but i hope i've got just enough
37:57pressure to hold that crack shut while it dries
38:03hopefully this should all line up with the paintwork perfected and the runners rejuvenated
38:09dom and will have joined forces i love this teamwork this is why it's handy have an extra
38:14pair of hands to reassemble the old sledge great i think that's the main sort of chassis part of it
38:22on and all looking good we can tackle the wood now yes screws down the middle that's my favorite
38:29screwdriver how long have you had my screwdriver for weeks have you and you haven't even noticed well
38:36i have i've been blaming steve what have you got that for it's just quite nice it's quite good it is
38:41nice it is mine okay middle bit in looking really good adrenaline just steaming down the hill i'm
38:50feeling it yeah i'm there i'm there right what's left to do we've really just got the steering the
38:56steering oh gosh i forgot about the steering not yet not yet we're not quite there and the all
38:59important rope and then we're done it's ready to go back to ian the sledge was given to ian just
39:07before the big freeze of 1963 but years of downhill adventuring had left it dangerously dilapidated
39:17all right pop that on there let's get it covered up ian and family including granddaughters leah and
39:24bethany have high hopes of snowy fun for many more years hi everyone hello hello hi folks hang in
39:32welcome back hello hello how have you all been feeling you've been excited about today i have
39:37been very i've been very excited i'm looking forward to all the monthly it's been part of my life for so
39:42long my kids my grandkids and i like to see it going on and on i'm hoping that we can take you back to
39:48being that nine-year-old kid again are you ready to take a look more than ready how about you two are you
39:53excited okay here we go
40:10that's where i was
40:11i have to try this oh brilliant i'm over the moon just when she was a kid again yeah
40:23this is great better job and i don't know it's beautiful i don't know what i was expecting but
40:30it's beyond what i've never seen it like that the writing and all all it's lovely the fact that just
40:36didn't do it clearly you know it's the eraser it's brilliant i'm so pleased just looks beautiful
40:44but there's no time like the present should we take it outside take it outside
40:46you're getting on gas you're not getting too jealous are you ian you're on the back here one two three
41:02it works that's really good marvelous it looks right at home out here doesn't it yeah perfect
41:16i'm making betty the scarecrow and she's coming on really well but it's time now i started putting
41:31some little clothes on her reattaching the neck of the cello is a demanding process becky's drafting in
41:41will to play more than just second fiddle you're going to have the most important job
41:46of operating the clamp so i'm going to take it all out glue it and then you're going to clamp it
41:52but it might slide around all sorts of horrible things can happen so if i start being cross with
41:57you just sorry no just take it okay all right if i've got this even half a millimeter out the player
42:02will feel it and it will have a bearing on the sound even a millimeter oh even half a millimeter
42:08even quarter of a millimeter yeah yeah you grab the clamp and the cork are you ready to do this because
42:12this is a one here only we've got one chance to get this perfect okay up for it yeah right okay we're
42:18ready we're ready time is absolutely of the essence because this glue is gelling all the time i'm using
42:26it and i don't want to take any chances of this coming out ever again i've never seen you work so
42:32quickly oh you've not seen anything yet okay okay all right i'm gonna no not yet i've got to push this
42:39in nope nope i'll tell you okay clamp ready yep get that wedge the right way around yep tighten a bit
42:50yep that's brilliant that's a brilliant angle there yeah a bit more bit more bit more stop right
42:56okay we're not done yet no right no i've got to check don't right i just need you to move it a little
43:03bit unnip it okay okay and down again tighten yep tighten okay let me just double check that oh god i'm
43:15shaking you're doing really well oh i'm checking the angle of the neck here there's a certain
43:20measurement that i'm after which is 80 mil it's slightly higher i just don't want to take any
43:26chances of this cello having any more problems because it's been through enough i would like that
43:31a bit lower but i don't think i don't think i want to move it so to go low would this have to
43:36move back no we can't take it out now can you oh what do you want oh
43:47unnip it and just move it slightly you sure me yeah just slightly yeah it's like yeah yeah yeah
43:53now now nip it down there yeah yeah yeah okay tension
43:59yes yes yes yes yes i'm happy you okay i don't know well done thank you walk away
44:16let's walk away it's done literally literally just walk away
44:23the pages of the carol book have been flattened and chrissy's next task is a spot of invisible
44:29mending this cover is at the point of complete collapse i'm going to remount these onto some blue
44:37paper but obviously because of all the years of andrew handling it it's got grubby so i've made an
44:45initial attempt of a grubbing it up and because it's in pieces it's a bit like fitting a jigsaw puzzle
44:51together by remounting this it's going to stabilize it and at the same time add strength it's going to make
44:58it still very flexible just lining up the puzzle and it fits over very very nice and now i'm going
45:06to get it into the press i'm going to allow it to dry
45:17muscles is this the toy you're making steve it is this is tiddler this is the the character out of
45:24the book i can see that i'm making a mechanism that uh when i put the tail inside and you move the tail
45:31from side to side it's going to open and shut the mouth lovely
45:39there we go now it's christmas okay maybe maybe i've overdone this a little bit
45:44with the most stressful part of the cello repair behind her becky's work is nearly done
45:55the neck is solid and the cello's actually sounding really resonant i couldn't be happier i've never
46:02been so nervous in my life with an instrument because it was important to martin and it's going
46:07to be played in the retirement home i think it's going to be beautiful for them and i hope they love
46:12it as much as i do now because i've fallen in love with this instrument so all i need to do now is
46:18put the last two strings on and then i get to hear it
46:23this cello was brutally smashed as its 14 year old owner martin fled hitler's germany
46:30and it had remained unplayable ever since okay let's get it covered
46:35yeah now dame helen mirren hopes it can be the centerpiece of christmas celebrations
46:45at the retirement home to which martin donated it
46:52hello hello welcome back thank you i presume this is the baby it is indeed yes let me introduce
47:00you to becky becky was it a challenge it was a challenge yes yes it has tested me the love that
47:07this instrument carried with it i hope communicated to you very much because it carried the history of
47:14family of love of dreams definitely definitely you can feel it in you can really yes well are you ready
47:21to take a look i am i'm so excited i can't tell you i'm so excited to see it can i peek up under the
47:28under the sky no peeking no peeking go on then becky okay yes are you ready i am
47:34hello martin sent his love becky that's fantastic many many many congratulations wondrous absolutely
47:59wondrous wow i wish i could play would you like to hear it play well of course i would is that
48:06possible it is we've got a special guest really yes very much so um we have rafael warfish in the barn
48:14rafael would you please come and join us thank you rafael how very very nice to meet you thank you so
48:21much for coming for us you be careful with that yes
48:35thank you
48:49MUSIC PLAYS
49:03Bravo! Bravo, Becky!
49:07Well done, Becky. Thank you.
49:11How incredible to hear that. Yes.
49:14Thank you so much, Raphael. That was beautiful. Great pleasure.
49:17Becky, thank you. Bye-bye.
49:18Bye-bye. Bye. Bye.
49:25Brilliant. Well done. I'm just so pleased. Yeah.
49:39New covers have made the carol book more durable,
49:42but Chrissie's repairs also need to look harmonious.
49:47The 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 turquoisey,
49:58but coming around here to where Andrew's handled it,
50:01I'm going to have to mix in a bit of green.
50:06Kirsten 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.
50:17The only wallpapering I've done is in my own house,
50:18so that's quite a number of years ago.
50:20But 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.
50:31Now, I'm going to carry on putting the paper on the other walls
50:35and 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
50:43many hours of play.
50:45Julia's toy farm was faded and fragile and 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
51:02and a farmyard full of fantastical creatures.
51:06Hi, Julia.
51:08Hello. Oh, my goodness.
51:10This is the biggest Christmas present ever.
51:13Well, I think it's really lovely that this is going to go
51:18to Chestnut Treehouse.
51:20Yes, it's such a wonderful place.
51:22We'd like to take a look.
51:23I'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.
51:43Animals.
51:44I remember these little sitting down calves.
51:47Who's outside in the garden?
51:50Oh, gosh.
51:52Oh, 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, but they could have adventures
52:04with 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?
52:20Yeah.
52:21Oh, that's wonderful.
52:22That's really good.
52:23Hello, Tiddler.
52:24Hello.
52:25Oh, look, he's a baddie.
52:28Right, that's Rob Brydon.
52:30It's Reginald Rape.
52:31Which is made by Kishtons.
52:33Yep.
52:34He 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, lovely.
52:45I think children would enjoy...
52:47You know, they could act that story out, couldn't they?
52:49Yeah, definitely.
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.
52:57Thank you so much.
52:58And thank you all.
53:00You're so welcome.
53:02Bye.
53:03Bye.
53:06She is lovely, isn't she?
53:08This is the magic of children's farm animals and toys and things like that.
53:12Imagination.
53:13Yeah, exactly.
53:14You can go anywhere.
53:15Well done, everyone.
53:16Good 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,
53:38because Andrew's going to use this an awful lot.
53:40And I want to be able to provide the book with as much strength and longevity as possible.
53:47So the final knot that seals and joins the pages together ends my absolutely joyous repair of the joy of Christmas.
53:58This carol book was given to Andrew by his grandfather, but decades of use at Sheffield's Carol Sings had left it in tatters.
54:10Andrew and Emily are hoping the book can continue playing its part in keeping a remarkable tradition alive.
54:20Hello, hello.
54:21Hello there.
54:22Hi.
54:23Absolutely fantastic to see you.
54:24How are you both feeling?
54:26Really excited.
54:27Are you?
54:28Yeah.
54:29It's more than the book.
54:30It's the tradition.
54:31And certainly now, not having my grandad there in the pub with me, his book's always there.
54:37That's really lovely.
54:38Yeah.
54:39Well, are you ready to see what I've managed to do?
54:42Certainly are.
54:43Yeah.
54:44You're ready to see what I've managed to do so.
54:47Yeah.
54:48Look at the back.
54:49Wow.
54:50Look at the back.
54:51Wow.
54:52Look at the back.
54:53Wow.
54:54Look at the back.
54:57Look at the back.
54:58Look at the back.
55:02Wow.
55:03That's a Christmas breath.
55:04Yeah.
55:05Thank you so much.
55:06Wow.
55:07That's a Christmas breath.
55:08Yeah.
55:09Wow, that's a Christmas breath.
55:12Thank you so much.
55:14That's brilliant.
55:15Look, I can't believe it.
55:20I can't.
55:21And there was whole...
55:23I can't believe it, Chris.
55:25The joy of Christmas.
55:27I know, it's fantastic.
55:29It's such a beautiful thing.
55:31It'll certainly feel special to stand it on the piano
55:34or 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.
55:43Come on, everybody. Outside.
55:47Point at your finest, please, landlord.
55:48Coming right up, sir.
55:52Pain in chocolate coins. Perfect.
55:57Here they come.
55:58Wow.
55:59It's a pub.
56:00Look at this.
56:01Oh, look, there's a crier.
56:02Oh, is that a bar?
56:04Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Hammer and Spanner.
56:06What can I get you?
56:09There you go.
56:10Oh, you pour a decent pint.
56:12The usual.
56:12Oh, yes.
56:14We sing as big bold
56:17as in days of old.
56:20To celebrate Christmas
56:24and bring you good cheer.
56:27Glad tidings we bring
56:30of Messiah, our King.
56:33So we wish you a merry Christmas
56:37We wish you a merry Christmas
56:39We wish you a merry Christmas
56:42And a happy new year
56:48Merry Christmas
56:50Merry Christmas
56:51Hello, everyone.
56:58Hello.
56:58I've got a surprise for you.
57:00We wish you a merry Christmas
57:02We wish you a merry Christmas
57:02We wish you a merry Christmas
57:03We wish you a merry Christmas
57:04We wish you a merry Christmas
57:05We wish you a merry Christmas
57:06We wish you a merry Christmas
57:07We wish you a merry Christmas
57:08We wish you a merry Christmas
57:09We wish you a merry Christmas
57:10We wish you a merry Christmas
57:11We wish you a merry Christmas
57:12We wish you a merry Christmas
57:13We wish you a merry Christmas
57:14We wish you a merry Christmas
57:15We wish you a merry Christmas
57:16We wish you a merry Christmas
57:17We wish you a merry Christmas
57:18We wish you a merry Christmas
57:19We wish you a merry Christmas
57:20We wish you a merry Christmas
57:21We wish you a merry Christmas
57:22We wish you a merry Christmas
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