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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!
01:02No peeking!
01:03Oh
01:17We've walked a long way Julia, across fields, over hedges.
01:21The way you left that last hedge by the way.
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 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 area
37:10of cracking on the rib of the cello i'm going to get it really wet and i'm going to steam bend this lovely
37:16thin 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
37:44sure it all adheres perfectly 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
37:56pressure 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 the steam work this is why it's handy have an extra pair of
38:14hands to reassemble the old sledge great i think that's the main sort of chassis part of it on
38:22and all looking good we could 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's 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-important
39:00rope and then we're done it's ready to go back to ian the sledge was given to ian just before the big
39:08freeze of 1963 but years of downhill adventuring had left it dangerously dilapidated
39:17right 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
39:31hi folks hi again welcome back hello hello how have you been feeling you've been excited about
39:36today i have been very i've been very excited looking forward to all the monthly it's been part
39:41of my life for so long my kids my grandkids and i like to see it going on and on i'm hoping that we
39:48can take you back to being that nine-year-old kid again are you ready to take a look more than ready
39:52how about you two are you excited okay here we go
40:10that's where i was
40:11it's beautiful i don't know what i was expecting but it's beyond what i've never seen it like that
40:33the writing and all all it's lovely the fact that just didn't do it clearly you know it's the eraser
40:40that's brilliant i'm so pleased just looks beautiful but there's no time like the present
40:45should we take it outside take it loads are you getting on gas you're not getting too jealous are
40:55you ian on the back here one two three it works that's really good marvelous it looks right at home
41:08out here doesn't it yeah perfect i'm making betty the scarecrow and she's coming on 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 becky's drafting in will to play more than
41:43just second fiddle you're going to have the most important job of operating the clamp so i'm going
41:49to take it all out glue it and then you're going to clamp it but it might slide around all sorts of
41:54horrible things can happen so if i start being cross with you just sorry i'll just take it okay
42:00all right if i've got this even half a millimeter out the player will feel it and it will have a
42:04bearing on the sound even a millimeter oh even half a millimeter even quarter of a millimeter yeah yeah
42:10you grab the clamp and the cork are you ready to do this because this is a one here only we've got one
42:14chance to get this perfect okay up for it yeah right okay we're ready we're ready
42:19time is absolutely of the essence because this glue is gelling all the time i'm using it
42:27and i don't want to take any chances of this coming out ever again i've never seen you work
42:32so quickly oh you've not seen anything yet okay okay all right i'm gonna no not yet
42:38i've got to push this in nope nope i'll tell you okay clamp ready yep
42:44get that wedge the right way around yep tighten a bit yep that's brilliant that's a brilliant angle
42:52there yeah a bit more bit more bit more stop right okay we're not done yet no right no i've
43:00got to check don't right i just need you to move it a little bit unnip it okay
43:04okay and down again tighten yep tighten okay let me just double check that oh god i'm shaking
43:18i'm checking the angle of the neck here there's a certain measurement that i'm after which is 80
43:22mil it's slightly higher i just don't want to take any chances of this cello having any more
43:28problems because it's been through enough i would like that a bit lower but i don't think i don't
43:34think i want to move it so to go low with this have to move back i no we can't take it out now can you
43:40oh what do you want
43:47unnip it and just move it slightly you sure yeah just slightly yeah yeah yeah now now nip it down
43:56there yeah yeah yeah okay tension
43:59yes yes yes yes yes yes i'm happy you okay i don't know well done thank you walk away let's walk
44:16away it's done literally literally just walk away
44:19the 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 the jigsaw
44:50puzzle together by remounting this it's going to stabilize it and at the same time add strength it's
44:58going to make it still very flexible just lining up the puzzle and it fits over very very nice and now
45:06i'm going to 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
45:31the tail from side to side it's going to open and shut the mouth lovely there we go now it's christmas
45:42okay maybe maybe i've overdone this a little bit
45:48with the more stressful part of the cello repair behind her becky's work is nearly done
45:54the 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 put
46:18the last two strings on and then i get to hear it this cello was brutally smashed as its 14 year old
46:27owner martin fled hitler's germany and it had remained unplayable ever since okay let's get it covered
46:40now 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 you
47:01to becky becky was it a challenge it was a challenge yes yes it has tested me the love that this
47:08instrument 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 the world you can really yes well
47:20are you ready to take a look i am i'm so excited i can't tell you i'm so excited to see it can i peek
47:27go on then becky okay yes are you ready hello martin sent his love
47:49becky that's fantastic many many many congratulations
47:57wondrous absolutely wondrous wow i wish i could play would you like to hear it play well of course
48:05i would is that possible it is we've got a special guest really yes very much so um we have rafael
48:12warfish in the barn rafael would you please come and join us thank you rafael how very very nice to
48:19meet you thank you so much for coming for us you'd be careful with that
48:34uh
48:41uh
48:45MUSIC PLAYS
49:03Bravo! Bravo, Becky!
49:08Well done, Becky. Thank you.
49:11How incredible to hear that. Yes.
49:14Thank you so much, Raphael. That was beautiful.
49:16Great pleasure. Becky, thank you.
49:18Bye-bye. Bye. Bye.
49:23Brilliant. Well done.
49:26I'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
49:49are to just sort of blend in
49:51and just take the eye away from these creases.
49:54So I'm using a watercolour pencil,
49:56and it's a blue sort of turquoise-y,
49:59but 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
50:43many hours of play.
50:48Julia's toy farm was faded and fragile,
50:52and its animals long since lost.
50:54Now 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.
51:15Well, I think it's really lovely
51:17that this is going to go to Chestnut Treehouse.
51:20Yes, it's such a wonderful place.
51:22Would you 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.
51:43I remember these little sitting-down calves.
51:48Who's outside in the garden?
51:51Oh, gosh.
51:53Oh, look.
51:53We've got the Gruffalo, of course.
51:56Made by Will.
51:57So clever.
51:58Oh, I think that's brilliant,
52:00because you've got two types of toy.
52:02You know, you've got the farm,
52:03but 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,
52:17the mouth opens and closes.
52:19Oh, can I have a go?
52:20Oh, that's wonderful.
52:22That's really good.
52:23Hello, Tiddler.
52:24Hello.
52:25Oh, 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
52:37from 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, you know,
52:47they could act that story out, couldn't they?
52:49Yeah, definitely.
52:50You have brought so much joy and imagination
52:52to so many children's lives,
52:54so it's quite nice for us
52:55to 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
53:11and 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.
53:58This carol book was given to Andrew by his grandfather
54:04but decades of use at Sheffield's Carol Sings
54:08had left it in tatters.
54:12Andrew and Emily are hoping the book can continue playing its part
54:16in keeping a remarkable tradition alive.
54:20Hello, 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
54:33there 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.
54:51Wow.
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.
55:16I can't believe it.
55:19I can't.
55:21And there was whole...
55:23I can't believe it, Chris.
55:25The joy of Christmas.
55:27I know.
55:27Yeah, it is.
55:28It'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.
55:52Paying in chocolate coins.
55:53Perfect.
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.
56:04Welcome to the Hammer and Spanner.
56:06Cheers.
56:08What can I get you?
56:09There you go.
56:10Oh, you pour a decent pint.
56:12The usual.
56:12Oh, yes.
56:13We sing as big bold out in days of old to celebrate Christmas and bring you good cheer.
56:27Glad tidings we bring of Messiah, our King.
56:34So we wish you a Merry Christmas.
56:36We wish you a Merry Christmas.
56:39We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
56:48We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
56:49Woo!
56:49Yay!
56:50Merry Christmas!
56:56Hello, everyone.
56:58Hello.
56:58Hello.
56:58I've got a surprise for you.
57:00It's beautiful.
57:12Philip PinkUncle is a Merry Christmas.
57:14Thanks, man.
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