Jay Blades reveals The Repair Shop forced to stop filming after heartbreaking story left crew in tea
The cast and crew were 'totally messed up'
The Repair Shop star Jay Blades has revealed that the show was forced to stop filming during an episode that aired last year after the camera crew broke down in tears.
In a new interview, the restoration expert revealed that the cast and crew were "totally messed up" after one of the show's guests told a heartbreaking story relating to his treasured item.
The episode in question saw Heather McPherson and her 12-year-old grandson Jacob walk through the barn doors with a Victorian table in need of some TLC.
The table held happy memories of Jacob's father, who died when he was six years old. "Whenever I sit at the table it feels like my dad is with me and whenever I'm laughing, he's somewhere laughing with me and sharing the joy of being with my family," Jacob explained to Jay and woodwork expert Will Kirk during the episode.
Speaking about the emotional toll the guest's stories take on the experts, Jay told the Daily Mail's Weekend Magazine: "You've got some stories that are just heavy. There was one when we had to stop filming because everybody was crying.
"'Whenever I sit at the table it feels like my dad is with me,' said Jacob on camera, but during the recording he stopped and said, 'Jay, why is everybody crying?'"
Jay went on: "I hugged about six camera people because they were totally messed up," before going on to reveal one particular detail of Jacob's story that hit home: "When his dad passed away, people at school had picked on him, said horrible stuff about his dad. The way he spoke about it made you...
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"I don't know if you've had that feeling when you want to beat up the bully? That's what everybody felt."
Jay also revealed that the experts working on the show are able to speak to counsellors after hearing hard-hitting stories from guests who come into the barn.
"Luckily, we can speak to counsellors," the 53-year-old explained. "We're normal people, we can all be affected by hearing about deaths in a family because we have those as well.
"You're listening to this story and it gets to you. You do four of those in a day of recording? Oh, you're going to need to talk to someone."
It's not just the experts that are left reaching for the tissues thanks to the moving stories told on the show, viewers are often wiping away tears whilst tuning in and the latest episode was no different.
In a special instalment, the experts got to work on four treasured items that celebrate the contribution of the Windrush generation to the UK, including an 80-year-old British passport that was first issued in Jamaica and a suitcase that had travelled from the island of Nevis to the UK in 1956.
MORE: The Repair Shop's Will Kirk shares personal family connection for special episode
Praising the episode on Twitter, one person wrote: "I've always loved #TheRepairShop and find it very moving, the #Windrush episode particularly so. People's lives and memories tied up in often very ordinary things."
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