- 39 minutes ago
Christmas 2025
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00:00They can't wait, I bet.
00:02In the repair shop this Christmas,
00:04from a poorly reindeer...
00:06He looks like he's gonna be trouble, I can see it in his eye.
00:09...to a unique book of carols.
00:11This is disintegrating in our hands.
00:13...some challenging festive fixes.
00:16If I've got this even half a millimetre out, the player will feel it.
00:19Even a millimetre out?
00:20Oh, even quarter of a millimetre.
00:22Really?
00:23And there are stars shining brightly for good causes.
00:26Look at this.
00:27Dame Helen Mirren visits the barn.
00:30Oh my goodness!
00:32What an iconic place to find myself.
00:34And Rob Brydon forms a double act...
00:37...with beloved author Julia Donaldson.
00:40We would play exciting adventures where one of the zoo animals invaded the farm.
00:46And there's time for the swift half.
00:49Hello everyone, welcome to the hammer and spanner.
00:52Before unwrapping the gifts...
00:54I want to see the red nose.
00:56...that means so much.
00:58Can I peek up under the...
00:59Under the sky?
01:00No peeking!
01:01No peeking!
01:02Whoa!
01:03Whoa!
01:05We've walked a long way Julia.
01:06Across fields...
01:07No!
01:08...over hedges.
01:09The way you leapt that last hedge by the way...
01:11...I thought was very impressive.
01:13we've walked a long way julia across fields over hedges the way you left that last hedge by the
01:23way i thought was very impressive first to arrive at the barn gruffalo creator julia
01:29donaldson it's the 13th christmas her books have been turned into animations and rob bryden has
01:36been a key voice in everyone look at this hello hello and welcome merry christmas merry christmas
01:44we've walked a long way it's such an honor to have you both here we are huge fans of your books and me
01:54having two children we read all of them thanks so much now this looks well loved shall we say
02:01it was my granny's and so this was what my sister mary and i played with when we were little
02:08girls sometimes some of the farm animals would escape through a gap in the fields and i think
02:14we had some 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 the farm do you think that this
02:26helped to encourage you to write those fantastic books yeah i think it probably was at the root of
02:32some of my books books like what the lady bird had which is set on a farm and now this christmas is
02:39the scarecrow's 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 cad well all right i was
02:54giving him the benefit of the doubt he's an absolute cad who comes in and threatens the
02:59happiness of betty and harry 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
03:16tradition 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 julia's
03:37characters there's a clarity to them they connect with you straight away the pictures of course are
03:44oh wow yes of course well axel scheffler who's done loads of julia's uh illustrations has such a
03:50distinctive style that pulls you into the story beautifully but it all comes down to the imagination
03:56and that sort of ties into this really you know having a little farm and your zoo animals and things
04:02like that how vibrant were the colors when you first received it when you were a child the roof
04:07was this kind of maroon because it wasn't like scarlet or anything i've had it on display and i did get
04:13the roof quite crudely oh i thought you just ripped that off it does come off well the door handles come
04:19off here it all needs some paint now julia if we can restore this for you what's the plan for it
04:26well i live quite near a children's hospice called chestnut tree house i've quite often visited and
04:32acted out the stories with the children especially with the brothers and sisters of some of the old
04:38children it's really nice for them to have something to play with so i'd like to donate the restored
04:44farmhouse and especially if there were some extra animals and fences as well i think we can manage
04:49that well you know what would be nice you could have a little gruffalo a snail a whale you could have
04:54a highway rat it might be a bit difficult there to make them the right scale i suppose there's nothing
05:00that these people not him but there's nothing these people can't do it's been absolutely wonderful
05:08to meet you thanks very much bye bye bye bye right back out into the cold
05:13weren'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 doors
05:28and maybe some shutters on the window there i think i'm going to do a little bit of tidying up
05:33and retouching perfect
05:34the barn's next visitor has already arrived taking a much needed break from his delivery duties
05:44wow look at that reindeer at christmas it is wow it's very realistic there's a fire service badge
05:52on the back here what is a reindeer doing with a fire service badge i don't know well i guess we'll
05:57find 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
06:12very christmas hello hi please explain so this is rudolph of course yeah yeah rudolph belongs to
06:20leicestershire fire and rescue service and we use him 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 and where does the money go that you raise so every year we raise about 10 000
06:41pounds for um local children's charities typically 10 000 pounds 10 000 pounds yeah wow well that's
06:47incredible where did this all start so it started in 1949 they set up the rudolph fund and that reindeer
06:55ran right up until 1978 when it started falling to pieces and we got this one and the then committee
07:01approached this firm that did stuff for film sets and said could you build us an animated reindeer to
07:07replace the one we've got and they did so he moves he moves yeah he doesn't walk but no way nods his
07:14head does this blinks his eyes people were just amazed because back in the 70s that that was pretty
07:19spectacular now it's a big part of the christmas culture in leicester really but the real problem
07:24we've got is rudolph looking really tired and old now his mouth is supposed to chew and a lot of them
07:30actions aren't working his nose lights up as well but it doesn't oh really it's got of course rudolph's
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 interesting
07:52god there is quite a list there's quite a lot to do it would be devastating to think it failed on
07:58your watch it would yeah it would i think that that would be my biggest fear is that it 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 mine quite literally well we'll do the best we can thanks for taking him on yeah see you soon
08:16he looks like he's gonna be trouble i can see it in his eye look this is gonna be a job i'm gonna go
08:23and get some help david brenton oh here they are perfect can you give us a hand yeah yeah brenton
08:29can you steer yeah i'll try aim for over there somewhere okay brilliant here we go i feel like
08:35rudolph's gonna go wherever he wants i think so
08:37will is setting to work on julia donaldson's farmhouse and the experts have a clear brief
08:48for the tiny characters who go with it but with rudolph there are lots of unknowns i'm kind of
08:55intrigued as to what we're going to find inside here what do you think burv or in it's full of
08:59mechanical wiggly bits oh there we go oh this is that's actually a legal isn't it what does that
09:07do though hang on what this one back and forwards oh am i moving hey look i'm moving his head that
09:13turns his head there's some wires cut in here so that's not a good sign a lot of mechanical bits are
09:19just just worn out let's see if i can get into the head good luck thank you
09:24yeah i don't need you moving around it's all very funny i've got a feeling i wouldn't be a very
09:32good apprentice for you steve you drive me mad yes i know well there's a lot of mechanisms in here as
09:40well there is a huge amount to get done but i'm confident between us we can all pull together okay
09:46we'll get it ready for christmas absolutely brilliant right let me just see if i can get to these bolts then
09:50there we go that's it have you got it steve yes i have
10:00will has made new doorknobs for the toy farmers oh look at that it looks like a little toad stool
10:07and he's been mudding 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 slatted shutter but really i mean this is
10:20it's like a simple farmhouse for like a child it's not over complicated i'm quite sure i've
10:25seen some farmhouses some really old ones with this kind of design here i think that's kind of
10:29what i'm going to go for i just hope that i've got enough space in that very small window frame
10:34to make this look absolutely spot-on
10:35design 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 some
10:56polymer clay i'm challenging myself using a different material having looked at these lovely children's
11:03books i can't wait till my grandson is old enough for me to be able to read these stories to him
11:16arriving at the barn with memories of adventures in a winter wonderland
11:21ean and kate mckenzie and daughter april from carrick fergus in northern ireland hello hi there
11:28hello folks welcome oh 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 this is almost 100 years old wow it's called a flexible
11:46flower this particular one was made in 1928 and only made this version for one year so it's quite
11:52a rare one where did you get it then 1963 i was nine ten it was a gift from my brother who got it from
12:00a family who no longer had a use for it i was the envy of all the friends and kids in the street i bet
12:08did you use it a lot then oh that year when you were nine ten years old that was a year of the big
12:12freeze it snowed from just before christmas right through january february three months of snow three
12:20months and the drifts were like six feet wow i just spent every day on the sledge you must have
12:27some great memories of those times 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 to
13:08have a go on a sledge and i says oh yeah and then there was a hill that was nearly vertical oh no
13:13i 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
13:36no 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
13:4914 grandchildren they all have to have this so when did you stop using it then yourself oh 20 years ago
13:56i 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 painted 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
14:19and how you remember yeah as a nine-year-old kid yeah we are going to have so much fun working on
14:26this thank 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 gustav 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
15:16at rudolph'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 they
16:00could slip down the side and then that lever could then get jammed that would then cause the motor to
16:07stall so i think basically what i've got to do take it all to pieces and then get all of that nice and
16:14sturdy 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
16:49need some work as well next 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 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
18:42absolutely there's a movie in there i think i think you know the the image of that young boy and the
18:48moment 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 broke him 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
19:50perfect thank you so much we're all incredibly excited thank you you're welcome thank you thank you
19:56everyone 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 until it lines
21:27up with that white line
21:40it's looking pretty good once i've got all these pieces straightened up
21:53i can start thinking about stripping this paint
22:02work on rudolph is also galloping along while david coaxes his warped plastic cans back to perfect
22:10flatness 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 start
22:46drawing 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 in
23:16the dark so this hasn't been working not only were the the wires not connected to the motor but also
23:23this shaft was bent so that when this turned around 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 make
23:51sure 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 an old
24:05vintage 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 will has turned his attention to the handrails of the old
24:32sledge one is made out of pine and one's made out of ash originally this would have all have been ash
24:39he's done a pretty good job at replacing it but it kind of sticks out like a sore thumb
24:43now i thought it'd be really nice to replace that with ash because he really wants this to look
24:48much like it did when he first got it as a child i've sourced a new piece of ash here it's quite angular
24:54because it's just been cut the original has this slightly rounded off profile on the top and i think
24:59that kind of makes it a lot better to hold on to i'm going to use my hand plane to try to recreate
25:04this lovely curved edge onto that new section there i've got all of the meta work for the sledge
25:19stripped down straightened primed and ready for its first coat of this beautiful shiny red and i've
25:27managed to find the original color the very first layer of paint on this meta work which i've matched
25:33it's looking good renovation of julia donaldson's toy farmhouse has passed to kirsten i'm now just
25:43starting to fill any areas of loss i'm using a wood filler here in a way the way that this has been made
25:52it's quite rustic that'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
26:29thanks for the help
26:32he's made it through the blizzard he has and oh
26:35that's his new neck piece oh fantastic and
26:44brilliant is that how they work very very good you've been having too much fun in the bar
26:47haven't you i know i know how are you guys getting on actually quite well so we can leave you to it
26:53put it together it sounds like it that's all yours thank you thank you bye
26:57okay should we try and get him back on his face absolutely after 46 years of fundraising and bringing
27:06christmas magic to leicestershire rudolph's joints were aching and immobile his fur matted and his nose
27:14not even remotely shiny or red he's huge isn't he absolutely several generations from the county are
27:22relying on the barn team to recreate the magic and get rudolph slaying again for good causes
27:30goodness me the size of them hello down hi you okay jerry hi who have you got with us today so
27:39these are some of the uh children that um come from wishes for kids these uh i've benefited from
27:44some of the charities that we link up with and uh we've brought them down to see rudolph today
27:48are you all excited to see what what we've been able to do really excited yeah we're really
27:53excited it was more exciting yeah so i saw him when he was brand new and if you've been able to get
28:00him anywhere close to what he looked like then i think that would be fantastic which i will say is
28:05quite a big ask i'm so hopeful that we can get him back and look in his best okay everyone are you
28:10ready to see rudolph we're ready we're ready we're really ready let's do it oh that's good that's
28:33amazing yeah that's good look at that that's taking me right back to 1979 i had no idea it was going to
28:40look so realistic again the fur looks great doesn't it please feel free come in and have
28:46a look can we have a yeah come around this side let's have a look oh they've done all the harness
28:49as well yeah i've never seen them bells shine like that so we've prepared the ears as well
28:55new ears yes look at the ears really appreciate it nice to see it it looks amazing job amazing
29:02this really has been a huge team effort well do you know what in the fire surface we're really used
29:07to working as a team so to see that teamwork replicated with the the care they've put into
29:12rudolph it is great and that will really resonate through the service i think well you haven't seen
29:15everything yet i want to see the red nose should we dim the lights so you can have a proper oh yeah
29:20wow that's so cool oh wow oh yes this is just what he used to do i mean you take your wall to take it
29:39all in yeah we 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
29:58well that's a first for us isn't it yeah i'm not sure the next time we're going to fix rudolph no
30:18no i don't right who knows what's coming next
30:30rudolph'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 julius burks
30:41i think he looks quite charming and the vandalized cello which dame helen mirn hopes can be played
30:52again has been delivered it's a task for stringed instrument restorer becky horton this is such a
31:00gorgeous instrument i feel so sad that it's been brutalized in this fashion it just breaks my heart
31:08and the fact that martin kept it all these years it must have been so special to him because who
31:13keeps a cello that's in two parts like this already i can hear the sound post is loose there's cracks all
31:21over the place this is a particularly nasty one in the ribs the most obvious area of damage is the fact
31:27that the neck is out of the body of the instrument this is never good and it's in a real mess so i have
31:33to work out a way of putting everything back where it belongs fitting the net back in and getting this
31:39cello playable again the first thing i'm going to have to do though is remove the front so i can see
31:44what's going 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
31:57it's a different sort of noise and that's what i'm after
32:03i 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 skills
32:20sweet merry christmas merry christmas christmas what have you brought that looks rather well
32:27loved certainly is that's well used it is it's a carol book that's been used by our family for
32:34over 40 years now wow yeah so this book was originally my granddad's he only lived a street
32:41away from where i grew up as well so um we were we were very close he passed this on for me when i was
32:47really learning how to play my first organ probably to accompany him singing but he loved it it's full
32:58of local christmas carols that we play in pubs in and around the north of sheffield all through the
33:04christmas period north sheffield has a 200 year old tradition of carols that are unique to the area
33:13being sung by locals in their pubs the gatherings are known as sings why are they sung in pubs that
33:20comes back from the victorian area where the carols were sent to be too extravagant to be sung in
33:26churches and people still wanted somewhere to sing so they brought their songs and their carols into
33:32the local pubs wow that's where it's evolved yes into a real tradition it's a feeling of community and
33:38family and belonging and i wouldn't be anywhere else on a sunday in december a lot of the christmas
33:44songs are probably recognized words but all the villagers will have adapted their own tunes to the
33:52songs and this book is the book that i've used for every sing that i've played for for 28 years now
34:00i'm having to run in from one pub to 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 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 40
34:28years as well i'll give it my best shot that would be brilliant thank you so much 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
34:42come along for a sing-along that's a date
34:49brenton that's amazing thank you you've got two snails there yeah i'm just working on the tail okay
34:55tail of the whale to scale not quite i've got this little tiny snail and we've got the big one
35:03there so you can see what it's meant to look like absolutely love it you're so clever thank you
35:15andrew 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 staples
35:45they sort of corrode and eventually that will eat through the paper
35:51now i can dismantle the book and iron these pages flat
36:05crikey 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 deck i've got such a lovely voice will 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
36:24carol i do will i don't know what it's called but it goes a bit like this and feel free to join in if
36:30you want
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
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 this
37:15lovely thin bit of maple
37:17i 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
37:32i'm going to have to throw a whole load of clamps at this crack and this stud to make sure it all
37:45adheres perfectly because i need to make sure that all of this stud is properly stuck to the rib it looks
37:53a bit random and haphazard but i hope i've got just enough pressure to hold that crack shut while it dries
38:00hopefully 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 to 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 and all
38:23looking good we could tackle the wood now yes screws down the middle that's my favorite screwdriver
38:30how long have you had my screwdriver for weeks have you and you haven't even noticed well i have
38:36i've been blaming steve what have you got that for it's just quite nice it's quite it is nice because
38:42it's mine yeah okay middle bit in looking really good that adrenaline just steaming down the hill
38:50i'm feeling 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
38:59all-important 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
39:15all 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 hi folks hi again welcome
39:33back hello hello how have you been feeling you've been excited about today i have been very i've been very
39:39excited i'm looking forward to all the monthly it's been part of my life for so long
39:43my 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
39:53are you excited okay here we go
40:04that's where i was
40:14i have to try this oh brilliant i'm over the moon just when she was a kitty yeah yeah
40:21this is great better job an icon it's beautiful i don't know what i was expecting but it's beyond
40:31what i've never seen it like that the writing and all all it's lovely the fact that just didn't do it
40:37clearly you know it's the racer it's brilliant i'm so pleased just looks beautiful but there's
40:44no 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
40:59it works that's really good marvelous it looks right at home out here doesn't it yeah perfect
41:12i'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
41:39becky's drafting in will to play more than just second fiddle you're going to have the most
41:45important job of operating the clamp so i'm going to take it all out glue it and then you're going to
41:52clamp it but it might slide around all sorts of horrible things can happen so if i start being
41:57cross with you just sorry no just take it okay fine all right if i've got this even half a millimetre
42:02out the player will feel it and it will have a bearing on the sound even a millimetre oh even half a
42:07millimetre even quarter of a millimetre really yeah yeah you grab the clamp and the cork are you
42:12ready to do this because this is a one here only we've got one chance to get this perfect okay up for
42:17it yeah right okay we're ready we're ready time is absolutely of the essence because this glue is
42:24gelling all the time i'm using it and i don't want to take any chances of this coming out ever again
42:30i've never seen you work so quickly oh you've not seen anything yet okay okay all right i'm gonna
42:37no not yet i've got to push this in nope nope i'll tell you okay clamp ready yep
42:46get that wedge the right way around yep tighten a bit yep that's brilliant that's a brilliant angle
42:52there yeah bit more bit more bit more stop right okay we're not done yet no no right no i've got to
43:00check don't right i just need you to move it a little bit unnip it okay okay and down again tighten yep
43:10tighten okay let me just double check that oh god i'm shaking you're doing really well oh i'm checking
43:18the angle of the neck here there's a certain measurement that i'm after which is 80 mil it's
43:22slightly higher i just don't want to take any chances of this cello having any more problems
43:28because it's been through enough i would like that a bit lower but i don't think i don't think i want
43:34to move it so to go low would this have to be back out no we can't take it out now can you oh what do
43:41you want oh unnip it and just move it slightly you sure yeah just slightly yeah it's like yeah yeah
43:52yeah now now nip it down there 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
44:23the 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
44:44initial attempt of a grubbing it up and because it's in pieces it's a bit like fitting the 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 the
45:24book 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 is actually sounding really resonant i couldn't be happier
46:01i've never been so nervous in my life with an instrument because it was important to martin and
46:06it's going to be played in the retirement home i think it's going to be beautiful for them and i hope
46:12they love it as much as i do now because i've fallen in love with this instrument so all i need
46:17to do now is put 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 yeah
46:35now 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 to
47:01becky 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 you can really yes well are you ready
47:20to 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
47:52becky that's fantastic many many many congratulations wondrous absolutely wondrous
47:59wow i wish i could play would you like to hear it play well of course i would is that possible it
48:07is we've got a special guest really yes very much so um we have rafael warfish in the barn rafael
48:14would you please come and join us thank you rafael how very very nice to meet you thank you so much
48:21for coming for us you'd be careful with that
48:35thank you
48:49MUSIC PLAYS
49:03Bravo! Bravo, Becky!
49:09Well 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. Bye.
49:19Bye. Bye.
49:23Brilliant. Brilliant. 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, and 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.
50:45Julia's toy farm was faded and fragile,
50:52and its animals long since lost.
50:55Now she plans for a new generation of children at the hospice
50:59to be delighted and inspired by the farm,
51:03and a farmyard full of fantastical creatures.
51:07Hi, Julia.
51:08Hello. Oh, my goodness.
51:11This is the biggest Christmas present ever.
51:13Well, I think it's really lovely
51:17that this is going to go to Chestnut Treehouse.
51:20Yes, it's such a wonderful place.
51:22We'd like to take a look.
51:24I'd love to take a look, yeah.
51:31Oh, so beautiful.
51:36It looks just perfect, because it doesn't look over the top,
51:39it just looks like I remembered.
51:41Animals.
51:44I remember these little sitting-down calves.
51:48Who's outside in the garden?
51:51Oh, gosh.
51:53Oh, look, we've got the Gruffalo, of course.
51:56Made by Will.
51:57So clever.
51:58Oh, I think that's brilliant, because you've got two types of toy.
52:02You know, you've got the farm,
52:03but they could have adventures with all these characters
52:06outside their worlds.
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?
52:21Oh, that's wonderful.
52:22That's really good.
52:23Hello, Tiddler.
52:25Hello.
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 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, 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 to give something back to you.
52:57Thank you so much.
52:58And thank you all.
53:00You're so welcome.
53:02Bye.
53:03She is lovely, isn't she?
53:08This is the magic of children's farm animals and toys
53:12and 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
53:27almost back on song.
53:29So the moment's come of joining the pages,
53:32to the cover.
53:33I'm using a linen thread and sewing it
53:36as opposed to a staple in it
53:37because Andrew's going to use this an awful lot
53:40and I want to be able to provide the book with as much strength
53:44and longevity as possible.
53:46So 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 had left it in tatters.
54:12Andrew and Emily are hoping the book can continue playing its part
54:16in keeping a remarkable tradition alive.
54:20Hello, 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,
54:32not having my grandad there in the pub with me,
54:36his 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.
55:04Look at the band.
55:05That's fantastic.
55:06Look at the band.
55:09Wow.
55:10That's a Christmas breath.
55:12Yeah.
55:12Thank you so much.
55:14That's brilliant.
55:15Look.
55:17I 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.
55:27It's fantastic.
55:28It is.
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.
55:45Outside.
55:47Point at your finest, please, landlord.
55:48Oh, coming right up, sir.
55:52Pain in chocolate coins.
55:53Perfect.
55:54Here they come.
55:58Wow.
55:59It's a pub.
56:00Look at this.
56:01Oh, look.
56:01There'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.
56:12Unusual.
56:12Oh, yes.
56:14We sing as big bold
56:17out in days of old
56:20to celebrate Christmas
56:24and bring you good cheer.
56:27Glad tidings we bring
56:30of Messiah, our King.
56:34So we wish you a Merry Christmas.
56:36So we wish you a Merry Christmas.
56:39We wish you a Merry Christmas
56:42and a Happy New Year.
56:48Hello, everyone.
56:58Hello.
56:58I've got a surprise for you.
57:18We wish you a Merry Christmas.
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