The SR 2024 episode 15
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00Welcome to the Vipershaw.
00:02I'm ready to see some magic.
00:03Where precious but faded keepsakes...
00:06It's in a bit of a sorry state.
00:08Deep breath.
00:09...are restored to their former glory.
00:11I don't think I'm even breathing at this point.
00:13Lovely.
00:14Sunset.
00:15A dream team of expert craftspeople...
00:18Stroll, stroll, stroll. Back, back, back.
00:21It's going to look absolutely stunning.
00:23...using traditional techniques passed down the generations.
00:27If someone's made it, then I can fix it.
00:30So much fun.
00:31Restore irreplaceable treasures...
00:37Take it away, Mark.
00:38...and unlock the stories that they hold.
00:41Oh, my God.
00:43It's like it's brand new.
00:45You're a wizard.
00:46Thank you so much.
00:58Got a busy day, Summer?
00:59I do. Do you?
01:00Always.
01:01Yeah.
01:02I'll make you a cup of tea, if you like.
01:04Oh, thank you.
01:15Morning, Dean.
01:16Morning.
01:17You all right?
01:18Yeah, good. You?
01:19Yeah, not bad.
01:21The day's first project is a dream assignment
01:25for cinephile Mark Stuckey.
01:27Mark.
01:28Oh, my word.
01:30Baby.
01:31I've got you a present.
01:32Look what it's done to me.
01:34I know what it is, but what's it doing here?
01:36We need you to fix it.
01:37I've been wanting to have something like this
01:39for a long, long time.
01:42This golden oldie from the pre-streaming days
01:46has come courtesy of Christian Skelton,
01:49who is hoping that it can be sparked back into action.
01:56And, Doug, what have you brought in today?
01:58LAUGHTER
02:00A very, very big and heavy 35mm cinema projector
02:05from the sort of mid-'70s to early-'80s,
02:08and this lamp house is slightly older.
02:10It's probably 50s.
02:12It's incredible.
02:13Yes, it must have been a real pain getting it on the bus,
02:16that's all I can say.
02:18How does it work?
02:19This top reel, you know, you'd load the film in there,
02:22you'd thread it through the runners into the projector,
02:25and then it goes down into the sound head down here,
02:28and basically it reads the soundtrack off of the film.
02:32Until probably 2011, there were guys in little projection rooms
02:37running projectors as long as they could,
02:39and these reels, this is, I think, it's around an 18-minute reel.
02:4418 minutes of film is not very long,
02:46so in the old days, they would have two projectors
02:49and they would physically run the first reel here,
02:52and then at a certain point,
02:54you'd get the little flashes on the film to give them notice,
02:58and they would literally fire up the next projector
03:01with the next 18 minutes.
03:03No way.
03:04And they would manually change it over,
03:06from one to the other, during the film,
03:08and try and get it so you didn't see it.
03:10They were underrated stars, really, behind the scene.
03:13And it was something that, with digital projection,
03:16just got lost like that.
03:18I love it, see? The old stuff's the best, isn't it?
03:21Exactly, yep.
03:22Where's it been?
03:23I'm involved in a charity, the Selsey Pavilion Trust,
03:26just south of Chichester.
03:28All volunteer-led to try and save this pretty much derelict 1930s film.
03:34And this was donated to us by a guy called Alan Taylor.
03:37He has personally run this machine
03:39at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
03:41He kindly donated it to really use
03:43when the building's kind of back in use.
03:45If we can get it up and running,
03:47we can get interest from younger groups
03:50that don't have any knowledge of how film used to be projected,
03:54and we really want to get local, sort of retired projectors
03:57to come and see it.
04:00Projects like that bring communities together.
04:02They do. We need more of that.
04:04That's a massively ambitious project.
04:06Where's that drive come from, to do that?
04:09When I was a kid, I used to go
04:11to a little independent cinema in Cranley.
04:14It was just magical.
04:15You walked in and they had the old-fashioned desk
04:17where you put the bits in and the tickets shoot out of it,
04:21and it was just...
04:22It was a bit of a...
04:24It was a bit of a...
04:26You put the bits in and the tickets shoot out of it,
04:28and it was just wonderful.
04:3035mm film, there's something about the colour,
04:33the scratches on the film, the noise, all that.
04:36I've fallen in love with it, really.
04:38A lot of people do. I can tell.
04:40It's a fantastic piece of cinema history, really.
04:43This is Christmas come early.
04:45Yeah. Yes. Perfect.
04:47Well, thank you so much. It's been a pleasure meeting you.
04:50Lovely to meet you. Thank you. See you later.
04:52Cheers. Take care. Bye-bye.
04:57When I went to the cinema as a kid, 90s, 2000s,
05:01it would have been one of these. Oh, absolutely.
05:03I had no idea.
05:17I've worked on numerous 35mm and 60mm projectors.
05:21They all have variations on how they are meant to do a task,
05:25so that will be the fun part.
05:27I can see there's certain bits missing straight away.
05:30If you want to have a bigger picture, you need a big lamp,
05:33and that's missing.
05:35The wiring to the motor, that's not connected.
05:38I've got to sort that out.
05:40And we have a high-voltage 25-, 30,000-volt power supply
05:43at the back here.
05:47Those wires have been removed for whatever purpose.
05:50Got to work out what they're for.
05:52Yeah.
05:54I've got to put my detective hat on now
05:56to understand how it all goes together.
06:10Yeah, Ro?
06:12Would you mind giving me a hand with this?
06:14I need somebody to hold this tool,
06:16to stop that from moving, his own screw-it.
06:20Is it working? It's working.
06:22Nice.
06:25Oh, there we go.
06:30Next, an unusual challenge for master of metal, Richard.
06:36Charlotte Wakeley's brought along a precious pair,
06:39much loved by someone very close, who died before their time.
06:45Hello. Hi there.
06:48What's inside the box?
06:50These are a pair of my mum's earrings,
06:52which I think are over 30 years old.
06:55Lovely.
06:56But they're really broken, but they're little lightning bolts.
07:00Look at that. They're great.
07:02My mum, Barbara, was a bit of a hoarder of jewellery.
07:05I remember when I was a kid,
07:06she'd always have three pairs of earrings in,
07:08each finger would be full of rings.
07:10It was like her signature, and these were just my favourite ones.
07:14They really, I think, really capture my mum's personality.
07:19I remember her wearing them when I was a really small kid,
07:22and I always thought they were really cool.
07:27They're really, like, dainty, quite feminine,
07:30but they're also, like, a bit rock and roll and a bit edgy.
07:33Just a bit, with the lightning bolt.
07:35I think that sort of captures her.
07:37Like, she was a bit of a badass,
07:39but also the most motherly, caring, kind, generous, lovely woman,
07:43but with a bit of an edge.
07:44She was really outgoing and really fun.
07:46She'd always be the first one on the dance floor at a wedding
07:49and the last one to leave.
07:51And then she was hit with an ovarian cancer diagnosis
07:55in September 2019, and then she died in the July.
07:59There were some days she was so with it,
08:02and it was just like her again,
08:04but then there was other days where she'd look straight through me
08:07and just wouldn't even know who I was.
08:09And then this is one of my favourite stories.
08:12The last day I saw her, I went in and I went,
08:15all right, Mum, and she went, yeah, yeah, I'm getting married today.
08:19And I thought, oh, here we go.
08:21I said, oh, my God, who are you getting married to?
08:24And I swear to God, she looked at me like I was a complete idiot
08:27and she went, er, your dad?
08:29My dad died in 2012 and I thought something had happened
08:33where she'd gone to the happiest place in her life.
08:36Yeah.
08:37Just before she died, and that was marrying my dad.
08:40Can you take comfort in that? Yeah, that makes me happy.
08:43Like, I think you've got to find the light and the darkness.
08:47You've just got to hold on to the happy bits.
08:49Yeah, definitely. Yeah.
08:51And I think when somebody dies,
08:53you can look at photos and bits and pieces in the house and stuff,
08:56but sometimes you'll come across an item and you're like,
08:59it sort of hits you in the gut and you're like,
09:02oh, that's them in that item, that is them.
09:05And this is her in a pair of earrings.
09:07So what exactly is wrong with the earrings, then?
09:09Erm, quite a lot.
09:11This bit is completely detached from this one,
09:14so you can't even wear it as an actual earring.
09:17So what is the black stuff, then? Is that like plastic?
09:19I don't know. No. I have no idea.
09:21Looks like some kind of resin or something.
09:23But it's mainly just really weathered and it's picked off in loads of places.
09:27Was it three-dimensional? Yeah. It was. Yeah, yeah, it was.
09:30It was just a little bit raised from the gold. Right.
09:33So ideally, what would you like Rich to do for you?
09:35Erm, just make them look a bit less tatty.
09:38And obviously this would be good if you could actually put it in your ear and wear it.
09:42Yes, I think so. It would be quite nice.
09:44Leave these with me, Charlotte. OK. I'll do the best I can for you.
09:47Thanks very much, Rich. Pleasure. Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.
09:55Do you ever work with black plastic? No, no, not usually.
09:58But I love trying new things.
10:01I'll let you get started.
10:06BUZZER
10:20They are a little bit worse for wear.
10:23And I really, really would love to get these right for her.
10:28We've got one piece here that is detached from the top.
10:31My other concerns are the black plastic
10:36that formed the inner recess of these earrings.
10:40It's completely peeling away.
10:43I need to test what metal these are
10:46because I'm going to have to tread a little carefully if they're not gold.
10:50If they are, I'm going to be able to handle them in a very different way
10:54to if they were a piece of costume jewellery and plated.
10:57I'm going to use my X-ray spectrometer.
11:01It's basically picking up all of the elements that are within the alloy
11:05and it's showing up a reading of 38% gold,
11:0910% silver, 44% copper,
11:12which means it's 9 carat gold.
11:15Now, that is a great relief to me.
11:18I'm going to start off by removing all of the plastic that's in there
11:23and give it a good polish.
11:28MUSIC CONTINUES
11:36At the other end of the scale,
11:38Matinee Marks removed the circuitry from the vintage film projector
11:42in his quest to get it firing again.
11:46At the moment, I'm working to get power to the motor.
11:49Without it, the fundamental part of the actual projector head itself
11:53would not work.
11:55I've got mains running up to this switch here on one side.
11:58When that switch is activated,
12:00it allows current to flow to the motor itself,
12:03which then should make it rotate.
12:06What I've got here is what we call a safety block
12:09and I have this go into a Variac
12:11where I can vary the power supply voltage
12:13and I can also monitor the current.
12:15There's always a worrying moment when you press a button
12:18and nothing happens, of course, and then you get egg on your face.
12:23Look at that. It is rotating.
12:26That's doing exactly what it should.
12:29Yeah, so that's one part of the puzzle now complete,
12:33but there's still many parts to get together
12:36before this will be whole again.
12:48I'm about to paint that part.
12:50It's going to look smart once it's together,
12:53but it's a slow process of priming and sanding and painting,
12:56encouraging it not to run.
13:08This is the spark generator which creates 40,000 volts necessary
13:12so the xenon lamp will be activated
13:15to throw a tremendous high level of light
13:18through the centre there to the film gate
13:21and then project the film.
13:23When I press this button, what you should expect to see
13:26is effectively like a lightning strike,
13:28a high 40,000 volt charge going across the electrodes.
13:31In a very much similar way, this is what's generated in your car.
13:35High voltage spark to ignite the fuel.
13:38So...
13:40The car's gone flat. Nothing's happening.
13:43So I need to find out why.
13:46Um...
13:48Now that... That's interesting.
13:51The switch here, which is this red wire,
13:54this goes... Has it got a link across it?
13:57Well, if you've got a link across it, the switch is permanently closed
14:00so it can't do the job.
14:02It's all hickety-pickety.
14:04That should go there.
14:07And the switch should be fired to the mains like that.
14:10Now that I think I've wired it the way it should present itself,
14:15hopefully something will react.
14:17So let's have a look and see what happens.
14:19And ready?
14:22Whey! Look at that. That's good. I like that.
14:25I'll do it again. That's even better.
14:28That means I can now get this put back together.
14:32Loads to do still. Loads to do.
14:45CLICK
14:51I don't know what that was that stuck to it,
14:54but it was almost like it was a rubber.
14:56A weird one. A weird one.
15:01It's going to get it right this time.
15:03Teddy and toy restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch
15:07are speculating about their next challenge.
15:09Is that fluffy? Definitely going to be a fluffy teddy bear.
15:13Well, I'll go doll then. OK.
15:15See who gets it right.
15:18The woman who can provide the answer is Pip Martin from Northamptonshire.
15:26Hello. Hello. Hi.
15:28How are you? I'm all right, thank you.
15:30Who have we got?
15:32I have got Annabelle.
15:38Shall I help you? Yes, please. Thank you.
15:40Look at her.
15:42Let's lay her down.
15:45Tell us about her.
15:47She belonged to my great-auntie.
15:49She was given to Auntie Eileen when she was very young.
15:52OK. And she stayed with her for pretty much most of her life.
15:56When Auntie Eileen was younger,
15:58she borrowed one of her friend's prams in the village
16:01so that she could push Annabelle round.
16:03What sort of era was she born?
16:051927. She died when I was about 13.
16:08Oh, OK. She's been gone quite a while.
16:11When Auntie Eileen died, I got Annabelle.
16:14She used to look after us in the summer holidays
16:17and she'd do anything that you wanted her to do.
16:20And she just had all the patience in the world.
16:23She was my great-auntie, but she was great in every sense.
16:26After the war, she became a Red Cross nurse
16:29and she used to take Annabelle to one of the orphanages in Herefordshire...
16:33OK. ..and let the children play with Annabelle.
16:36Did she have any children of her own?
16:38No, she didn't, but she did foster over 50 children.
16:41Did she? Yeah. That's amazing, isn't it?
16:44It's incredible. It is incredible.
16:46While fostering the children, Annabelle would sit in the bottom of the crib
16:49watching over the children.
16:51And were you allowed to play with her?
16:53Yes, very delicately, though.
16:55By that point, Annabelle had seen quite a lot of action.
16:58Yes, yeah. So she was special for you as well.
17:01Definitely. Annabelle is, to me, Auntie Eileen.
17:06At what point did she get damaged like this?
17:09We moved house and I thought I'd packaged Annabelle up really well.
17:13Obviously not, because her head fell off.
17:16And it's just heartbreaking.
17:19I felt like I'd really let Auntie Eileen down. Yeah.
17:23Can you give us some idea what you would like us to do?
17:27Well, obviously, I'd love the head to be back where it should be.
17:30OK.
17:32There's a bit of damage on the face.
17:34And, if possible, her hair.
17:36What was her hair like?
17:38She had a little pink bonnet on and it used to be little curls
17:41just sticking out the front.
17:43Was this the dress that you remember her in?
17:46She had very many outfits. This is just one.
17:49So you don't know what her original clothing would have looked like?
17:52No, I have no idea.
17:54Auntie Eileen used to make loads of outfits for Annabelle.
17:57Auntie Eileen loved pink, so everything's pink.
18:00Oh, well, she'd have got on with you, wouldn't she?
18:02You'd have been great buddies.
18:04Definitely.
18:06Pip, thank you so much for bringing her in.
18:10Take care. Bye-bye. Bye.
18:25Wow, there she is.
18:27In memory of Auntie Eileen,
18:29Annabelle has got to look beautiful again.
18:31Absolutely.
18:33What are you thinking about her dress?
18:35I know she's got a lovely dress.
18:37And Auntie Eileen made this.
18:39But I think I would love to see her in something
18:42more in keeping with her age.
18:44So we're sort of restoring her back to how she was
18:47when Auntie Eileen first got her?
18:49Yeah. I'll make her a little bonnet as well.
18:52Perfect.
18:54And then, of course, she's got to have a beautiful new wig.
18:56Yeah.
18:58The first thing I've got to do is repair this neck.
19:01There are a few places where I'd like to touch up the paintwork.
19:05We have a plan.
19:07Good.
19:12Inside Annabelle's body is a piece of elastic in a loop,
19:17and it's to that that we hook the arms and the legs
19:21and eventually the head.
19:24I'm going to have to remove this original piece of elastic
19:28so that I can get this all-important piece of pottery
19:31out from here to help fix her neck.
19:40So that's the elastic snipped and the tension off.
19:54MUSIC
20:04With his head firmly on,
20:07Richard successfully removed 30 years of tarnish
20:11from the gold earrings.
20:14I've just given these a polish,
20:16and I'm really happy with how they've come out.
20:19I just hope I'm going to be able to make something in the middle
20:22to complement it.
20:24My initial thought is to use an epoxy resin.
20:27It always dries really lovely and shiny.
20:31I'd rather not just go straight in and try it out on these earrings
20:35now that they're all nice and clean.
20:37I've made a very rough sample to mimic the lightning bolt here.
20:42So now I'm just going to mix up some epoxy resin with a black pigment.
20:53MUSIC
20:56I'm just going to paint some of that into the sample,
20:59see how we get on.
21:10I had high hopes on this,
21:12but this is a little bit of a bittersweet moment for me
21:16because the resin has filled the void perfectly
21:19and the black looks good and the shimmer looks good,
21:22but I'm not able to get that elevation on it,
21:25that 3D lightning flash that Charlotte recalls.
21:29I'm going to have to think about something else
21:32to get that three-dimensional effect.
21:34So, thinking time.
21:37MUSIC
21:41MUSIC
21:48Leading man Mark has enlisted Dom
21:51to help load a test film onto a spool
21:54in order to put the projector through its paces.
21:58I'll just start this first of all like that.
22:02Back in the day, when cinemas rented a film, did they have to do this?
22:05Oh, yeah. Really?
22:07When you finish the film, you have to rewind it.
22:10You have to take it off the projector and do it this way.
22:13A full feature film's about 1.5, 2 miles in length.
22:16Wow. You clearly enjoy doing this.
22:18Oh, absolutely. Look at your face. Look at you smiling.
22:21Come on!
22:24Now we've rewound it and it's on the right reel. Correct.
22:27Is it ready to go on the projector? Indeed it is.
22:34Perfect.
22:36We're ready to thread the film in and give it a go.
22:41When you consider these skilled projectionists in their day
22:44could have done this with their eyes closed. Yeah.
22:47Cos they had to do it in fairly low-level light.
22:49Audience are all turning up, Mark. Halfway through their popcorn.
22:52That type of encouragement I could do without.
22:59Now I've threaded it the way I think it should be.
23:02Can we turn it on now? You're waiting for this, aren't you?
23:05Are you ready?
23:07Oh.
23:09Yeah, this is all spinning. There we go.
23:12That is so cool. This whole front end now.
23:14All these pulleys and levers and gears and drives. I do it exactly.
23:17Everything is doing what it should be doing. Exactly.
23:19Shall I get the popcorn ready? Can I have to wait a bit longer?
23:22We've got the xenon bulb to fit. Of course.
23:24Thanks then, Don.
23:36Julie has sealed the porous edges
23:39on the pottery fragments of Annabelle's neck,
23:42so they form a strong bond as she glues them.
23:45I'm going to go with the little pieces first
23:49and then feed in the bigger piece.
23:55I'm just putting a little bit of pressure on it
23:59to make sure that I've got the fit nice and tight.
24:03I'm confident now that this piece is actually holding
24:06and I'm going to pluck up the courage to let go of it.
24:09Yes! Lovely.
24:12That's the first steps to Annabelle getting her neck back.
24:19Annabelle's from around the 1930s
24:23and had to do a little bit of research
24:27to find out what sort of components she was using.
24:31I've gone for quite a simple design
24:34with a nice little fitted bodice and quite a full skirt
24:38in this lovely replica print.
24:41I've got some beautiful vintage lace here
24:44that I'm going to put on it as a trim.
24:47I'm marking out my pattern using these very loopy stitches.
24:51Once I cut through these loops,
24:54it will leave me a nice guide,
24:58as to the size of the neck for her.
25:01I'm going to remove my pattern.
25:04I can see now exactly where I've got to cut.
25:15There we have the back of the bodice.
25:21I'm really happy with that.
25:24I've now got to finish marking and cutting out all the other pieces.
25:28Once I've done that, I'll be able to start putting everything together.
25:42Inspiration strikes for Richard
25:45as he ponders a plan B
25:48on the lightning-bolt earrings, black infill.
25:52I've come up with my next plan.
25:55It's some black acrylic, which will give a 3D effect
25:59and hopefully a shine.
26:02I should be able to cut myself a piece of acrylic
26:06that's going to fit beautifully in that void.
26:09I'm just going to use a piercing saw.
26:12I don't want this to snag
26:14and I certainly don't want it to cut any unnecessary grooves.
26:19This is actually more accurate work
26:23than I'd probably be using on gold or platinum,
26:27although I'm using exactly the same tools.
26:30With the acrylic, it would easily gouge or it can shatter.
26:34I want to try and minimise the amount of pressure I'm putting on it at all times.
26:40Nearly there.
26:44There we go.
26:47One black acrylic lightning-bolt.
26:50Now I'm just going to repeat that process and do the other side.
27:11I've got my two acrylic lightning-bolts, which I'm very happy with.
27:15The problem I've got here is that this beautiful gloss finish
27:20isn't now currently replicated on the sides
27:23because that's where I've cut and filed it.
27:26I'm going to use the tried and tested method,
27:29that is the sandpapering and the polishing.
27:32This is a 400 grit, so this is quite coarse.
27:36That has left me with a matte black surface.
27:41It's now time to use a little bit of polishing compound.
27:45That should start to polish up quite nicely.
27:56There we go.
27:59That is a beautiful, shiny black gloss finish.
28:02I'm going to repeat that process times 12,
28:05and then I'll be ready to stick them on.
28:12Work on the vintage cinema projector is almost in the can.
28:17Mark's mission now? Let there be light,
28:20as he fits the missing xenon lamp.
28:23Projectionists in the past would have worn something like this
28:26to ensure that if there had happened to be an implosion to the glass
28:30and it shattered everywhere,
28:32your face is protected from that flying glass.
28:35This is a 1.6 kilowatt,
28:38which will be adequate for general projection use.
28:41Right, now it's fitted into place and it's not going to slip.
28:45I can actually take this off.
28:47Let's close that.
28:49Turn the projector fans on.
28:52And I'm going to turn the power on here,
28:55fire up the high voltage and see if it works.
29:02It's working really well.
29:04I'm sure Christian will be really pleased
29:07because he's never seen this projector ever run,
29:10and the fact that this will all be taken back to Celsi,
29:13eventually incorporated into a cinema there,
29:16and allow the people of the area to actually witness
29:20and enjoy what 35mm film really is all about.
29:24There's nothing can beat it.
29:28The digital revolution more or less spelled the death of celluloid,
29:32consigning these cinema projectors to the scrap heap.
29:38Let's get this covered up.
29:40It looks so good.
29:43Hoping to resurrect this lost art
29:46and share his passion with the people of Celsi is Christian.
29:50Hello, Christian. Hiya.
29:52Nice to see you. Nice to see you.
29:54Pleasure. Have you been thinking about the projector?
29:57Yeah, it's... I forgot how big it was.
30:00What do you think it would mean to yourself and the rest of the trustees
30:03to get the projector back or at least know that it's working and ready to go in?
30:07It'd be absolutely brilliant. It's going to be exciting for me personally.
30:10I've become quite passionate about telling that story
30:14and the story of these projectionists.
30:16Are you looking forward to seeing it? Yes, definitely.
30:18Come on, Mark, let's do it.
30:26Oh, that is...
30:30Wow.
30:32That's absolutely fantastic.
30:37It's just brilliant. It's exactly what I wanted.
30:41It's still got the character as it would have looked.
30:46Oh, it's fantastic.
30:48And it's got the mirror.
30:50And the all-important bowl. Yes.
30:52Yes, yeah, the Zenon. No, it's absolutely brilliant. It's wonderful.
30:55And I tell you what, he's loved every minute of it.
30:57Oh, I have. He has. It's been great.
30:59It's probably the best thing I've actually worked on here.
31:02I'm glad that you're pleased with what it looks like.
31:04I'm sure you want to hear it running.
31:06Yeah, 100%. I'd hope she'd sort of offer that.
31:09That's the noise I've been looking forward to.
31:12I just can't wait to hear it.
31:23Right, everybody, the film's about to start.
31:25Woo!
31:26Popcorn, pick a mix. Really?
31:28Come on, George. Popcorn.
31:30Thank you very much. That's it. Thank you.
31:32Christian, popcorn? Oh, yes, please.
31:34Got to. Thank you very much.
31:36Take it away, Mark.
31:41Hey! Woo-hoo!
31:43Oh, here we go.
31:47Oh, wow.
31:49It was just absolutely magical.
31:51Brought back memories of when I was a kid.
31:53The noise of it just ticking over
31:55and the experience, the atmosphere it created.
31:58When we've got it back into the pavilion itself,
32:00we want to recreate something very, very similar.
32:03Even if it is, you know, on a sheet, off on the wall,
32:06it doesn't really matter. It's all about, you know, the experience.
32:24MUSIC PLAYS
32:31Next to Up The Temple, a musical project.
32:35How many instruments do you play?
32:37Well, badly or well?
32:39Either or.
32:41Well, none. Badly.
32:43Percussion.
32:45And French horn.
32:47Talented man, Pete. Talented man.
32:49Pete Wood's tuneful talents
32:51and Tony Jolly's visit.
32:53He's brought along a neglected gift in need of a musical miracle.
32:58What do we have here?
33:00This is my Indian dole drum.
33:03Dole drum? Yes.
33:05So, it's a two-sided drum.
33:07It's a broken two-sided drum, I can see that.
33:09A broken two-sided drum.
33:11One side made out of leather.
33:13OK. And that would give you a bass sound.
33:15And the other's a plastic, which would give you a high-pitched sound.
33:18Oh, so I thought it was more like a bongo kind of drum,
33:21but actually it goes sideways.
33:23It's sideways, you have it on a strap, hold it,
33:25the drum will be here, two sticks.
33:27If you see him playing them, yeah?
33:29Very loud. Everybody wants to dance.
33:31Yes.
33:33How long have you had it for?
33:35My father bought me this when I was probably 14 or 15 years old.
33:41It was just, like, the best thing to have.
33:43My dad's a singer.
33:4570s and 80s, really popular.
33:47Bangla band.
33:49And as a child, lived in a terraced house.
33:52Dad used to practise in the front room with the whole seven-piece band.
33:55Really? Yeah.
33:57I used to sit in the room with them, play,
33:59and I joined a lot of the popular Bangla bands.
34:02And, yeah, it's been part of my journey.
34:04Sounds like it's in the bloods.
34:06I mean, as a child, playing with the whole family.
34:08Yeah, yeah.
34:10After drumming, kind of went into DJing,
34:13and then I think some of the instruments kind of went to the back a bit.
34:16How long has it been since you played on this drum?
34:19Eight, nine years.
34:21Easily.
34:23I neglected her.
34:25I let her get into a bad state.
34:27And to be honest with you, I want to show this to my children,
34:29say, you know what, part of our history, this is.
34:32So what's wrong with the drum?
34:34Everything.
34:36The two damaged skins, the wood that's chipped and cracked and painted.
34:41It used to be plain wood.
34:43And then my cousin, he's painted it.
34:46So you say it was a natural wood?
34:48Yeah. Was it a dark one or a light one?
34:50It's a mix. We call it a dhali wood, a light and a brown tan.
34:54Yeah.
34:55We're taught that your instrument is sacred to you
34:59and you have to treat it with respect.
35:01So I have to give it that respect back.
35:04I can't wait to hear it working.
35:06I think everyone in the barn can't wait to hear it working.
35:09We could have a bit of entertainment.
35:11Yeah.
35:12Thank you so much. Thanks, Tony.
35:14Cheers, Tony. Cheers, bye-bye.
35:30Tony's drum is in a bit of a state, really,
35:34to what it would have been when he first had it from his dad.
35:37And it obviously means quite a lot to him.
35:39So we've got to get it back to as near original as possible.
35:45I've noticed that there's about three of these hooks missing.
35:49We've got a couple of cracks to deal with
35:52and I've got to find just the right type of head.
35:56That's a base head.
35:58But the main thing is the look of it.
36:01We've got to remove the paint.
36:04I'm going to use this paint stripper for getting the paint off.
36:09It will make the paint pickle up.
36:12It won't damage the wood.
36:15And then we'll just scrape it off
36:17to show that nice grain that Tony remembers.
36:34That looks as if it's bowled up really nice now.
36:38So will it all come off in one?
36:54I'm really pleased the way it's coming off
36:56because I can see this lovely grain.
36:59So I'm going to strip the rest of the drum
37:01and then I can redress the two cracks I've got.
37:11While Amanda ensures that Annabelle the doll will be pretty and pink,
37:16Julie is making good headway with her repairs.
37:20Now all the broken pieces of Annabelle's neck are in place.
37:25There are some areas where pieces are missing.
37:29I'm going to set about and fill with a fine surface filler,
37:34which ultimately, once I've painted over it, will hide the repair.
37:39I would like for Pip not to be reminded that there was a crack there
37:45because she feels it was her own fault that that happened.
37:49There are some other areas that I will do the same.
37:52There are some other areas that I will do the same with.
37:56And then once it's all dry, I'll be able to sand it back
38:00and start applying the touch-up with paint.
38:23Having stripped the doll drum back to its original wood,
38:27Pete can tackle the first major repair.
38:31This drum, it was just taken from one big log.
38:36It's matured, this log, and it's got these two cracks.
38:42So rather than try and force them back, I'm just going to fill it.
38:48So rather than try and force them back, I'm just going to fill it
38:52with a bit of veneer and some glue.
38:59I'm just putting this saw down so I've got enough room
39:03just to pass the veneer down the gap,
39:07borrow it off a wheel.
39:10It's about the same thickness, that blade, as that veneer,
39:14so it's perfect for it.
39:17I know that's what he uses it for, so I better hurry up
39:22and get it back before he spots it's missing.
39:41That's the first crack done.
39:43Just want to let it dry a little bit now,
39:46and then I can start treating the wood and getting that looking
39:49really nice for toning.
40:16While the shell is drying, the glue, I decided to get on with the rods.
40:21They fit through the lugs on the shell, and they pull the ring down
40:25to tighten the head.
40:28It needs ten in total.
40:31There was only seven to start with, so what I'm going to do is
40:34I'm actually going to make some of these.
40:37They were made by hand, so I'm going to try and keep them
40:41as true as possible.
40:44So now all I've got to do, I've got to heat this up to red hot
40:48and just forge the hook on.
40:58I'm going to first of all just round the end up a bit,
41:02make it into a bit of a cone.
41:07Then once flattened, it'll come out the right shape
41:10for bending with the hook.
41:13Well, that's one done.
41:16I'm quite happy with that.
41:18It's looking pretty well near the original.
41:36A more delicate touch is called for as Richard nears the end of his repair.
41:42The earrings are comprised of the top part,
41:46which is the decorative pattern,
41:50and the post that goes through the ear.
41:53The bottom part is the lightning bolt itself.
41:56And then I have got two very small jump rings,
42:01and it's the jump rings that join together the two pieces.
42:06Once these both are joined up, I'm just going to give them
42:09a little tack on my laser welder,
42:11and that'll ensure that they never come apart again.
42:31So there we have two sealed jump rings.
42:36Now is the final part,
42:39which is to glue the pieces of black acrylic into the lightning part.
42:46I'm using clear-drying instant-grab glue,
42:50but we need to use minute amounts.
43:00There we go.
43:02So that's the first one done.
43:04Now the second one, and they're going to be ready to give back to Charlotte.
43:07I'm really, really excited about seeing her reaction when she sees these.
43:13These earrings were a favourite pair of Charlotte's much-missed mum,
43:18and now restored, can be an enduring reminder of her fun-loving persona.
43:25Look at those. They look almost brand new.
43:28Good job. Right, let's get them covered up.
43:35Hi there. Hello. Nice to see you.
43:38Charlotte, nice to see you too. Hi!
43:41You look really nervous. I am nervous.
43:43I just don't know what to expect.
43:45It's one of those items that as soon as I found them,
43:48as soon as I saw them, I was like,
43:50oh, this is Mum, this is her.
43:53Yeah.
43:57OK, Rich. OK.
43:59Ready.
44:02Oh!
44:04Oh, my God!
44:08That's not the same pair, is it?
44:14Oh, my God.
44:17Oh, they're so good. Thank you.
44:20Thank you, Rich.
44:24God, I can't believe it.
44:28God, I can't believe you've done it.
44:32I just picture her wearing them.
44:35I'd look at her, I'd go, oh, those are cool.
44:38She looks cool, you know.
44:40They certainly are pretty cool.
44:42I think they're cool.
44:44God, I just didn't think they'd look like this.
44:46That's amazing. That's genuinely amazing.
44:49It's been wonderful to work on something different.
44:52Yeah, I'm pleased. Thank you so much.
44:55Thanks a lot. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye, Charlotte.
45:01It was a bit overwhelming
45:03because it's one of those personal belongings of my mum's
45:06and all of the love and the memories and the happy times
45:09and her wearing them just all sort of hit me.
45:13It's nice to be able to bring something of hers back to life.
45:26MUSIC PLAYS
45:44The grain's come out really nice.
45:47I'm now going to cut this old head off
45:50because it had holes in it,
45:53and also a new vellum.
45:59I'm not exactly finding what I was expecting.
46:05Normally I would expect to find just one hoop in there
46:10and I've got two.
46:14And the vellum's actually trapped between the two.
46:19It's going to be quite interesting.
46:21I've got to sort out now in my head how to get that on there.
46:28I've now just got to put this vellum into the water.
46:35It's just making it pliable and I can put it round the hoop.
46:40And then when it dries out, it keeps the shape.
46:44As you can see, the head is nice and soft and pliable now.
46:50So now we're going to have a little go at this lapping.
46:54I've never done one like this before.
46:57Not with this second hoop jammed in there.
47:01So I've got to go a bit careful.
47:04This is a bit of a wish me luck.
47:07And let's give it a go.
47:15Got it.
47:17I think.
47:20I think I know how they've done it.
47:23The way you've got the two hoops and the head,
47:27I think they've done it.
47:31The way you've got the two hoops and the head jammed in there,
47:35by the time it's dry, there is no way this is going to come out.
47:42So it's a very strong method of lapping.
47:46Right.
47:48Put that in there.
47:50Lift that up.
47:53Push it in.
47:55Hey!
48:01So that's on there now.
48:04That's lovely.
48:06I've just got to get the holes in there,
48:09and then I can get it roped up and leave it to dry.
48:20The Bear Lady's joint efforts on the doll are about to pay off.
48:25She's all done.
48:27Wow, it's beautiful.
48:30Ta-da!
48:32Look at her little face.
48:35I need to string her back together again.
48:38I'm going to feed the loop through her neck first of all,
48:43and then onto that we're going to put her legs and her arms.
48:49I'll pick it up from there, OK?
48:52And I can hook onto there, the first leg.
48:58I'm going to do exactly the same but with her arms.
49:01OK.
49:05That went a bit tight.
49:06It's fiddly, isn't it?
49:07Oh, it is. There you go. I've left you a bit of slack on that one.
49:11There you go. I'll pull it up.
49:14OK, right. I don't think I'm even breathing at this point!
49:22Let's just check.
49:25Teamwork.
49:27You can get her wig on, then we'll get her dressed and ready to go back to Pip.
49:32Yeah.
49:46Annabelle is Pip's treasured connection to her great-aunt Eileen,
49:51but an accident had left the doll broken and Pip feeling guilty.
49:57Are you ready for her to be covered up?
49:59Oh, yes.
50:01Here we go.
50:04Pip's hoping Annabelle has been restored
50:07in tribute to the woman whose life's work was helping children.
50:11Hi. Hello, Pip. Welcome back.
50:15How are you feeling, Pip?
50:17Very excited, yeah.
50:19Good.
50:20We went on holiday with my family last week,
50:22and we were all talking about Auntie Eileen,
50:24about, you know, what she's going to look like, really.
50:26Sparked a lot of conversation about Auntie Eileen.
50:28Good, good.
50:29Which is nice.
50:30Are you ready to see her?
50:32Yes, I am.
50:33Are you sure?
50:34OK.
50:35Go on, then.
50:41Oh, my word!
50:44Oh, my word.
50:47That's amazing.
50:49Oh, she's beautiful.
50:52She's got hair like she used to.
50:54It's just...
50:56And you made a dress.
50:59She's proper cleaned up.
51:01All the pieces, except the very dusty little pieces...
51:04Yeah.
51:05..I managed to piece back together.
51:07Yes, you've done... You've both done an amazing job.
51:10Thank you so much.
51:11You're very welcome.
51:13I just want a hug.
51:15Yeah.
51:16Oh, Annabelle.
51:18Hello, you.
51:20Oh, my word.
51:22It's like Auntie Eileen back again.
51:24I can imagine Auntie Eileen as a child,
51:27playing with her as she is now.
51:29Once you get her home, what are you planning to do with her?
51:32Well, I think she's going to go on tour to my family next week.
51:35Oh, wow.
51:36On tour? That sounds quite grand, doesn't it?
51:38Yeah, it does, definitely.
51:40It would be nice for her to see all the children
51:43that Auntie Eileen didn't get to meet.
51:46Yeah.
51:47She would have loved them all so very much.
51:49Yes.
51:50She's all yours.
51:51Thank you very much.
51:53Come on, you.
51:54Bye, Annabelle.
51:56Say goodbye.
51:57Bye.
51:58Bye.
51:59Bye.
52:05I would never have imagined that she could look like this again.
52:09I'm just so impressed. It's just amazing.
52:12She can be watching over us like she did watch over all the children
52:16in the past and be part of our lives again,
52:19as Auntie Eileen was so much of a part of ours.
52:40With work on the traditional Indian drum in its final stages,
52:45for Pete, it's now a matter of fine-tuning.
52:52I've cauterised the holes to make them.
52:56It's sealed it, so the next thing I've got to do
53:00is just get the rope on there and crank it down.
53:04So, one, two...
53:08..through we go.
53:13When you're tuning it up and pulling the ring up,
53:16you can get more tension out of it.
53:23That's it. That's quite level now.
53:26We've just got to make sure that it's nicely in tune for Tony.
53:32Put the treble head on and we'll be away.
53:39I think Tony's going to be amazed when he sees it.
53:42He hasn't seen it like this for a long, long time.
53:48A gift from father to son.
53:51This drum was once the beating heart
53:53of a Bhangra-loving teenager's world.
53:58Today, Tony has returned with his two sons,
54:02ready for his drum to take its rightful place
54:05at the centre of his musical home.
54:08Hi, Tony. Hi, Tony.
54:10Hiya. Hello.
54:11Who do we have here?
54:13These are my boys. This is Govi and this is Pete.
54:17These are my boys. This is Govi and this is AJ.
54:21Nice to meet you all. They're my fellow drummers.
54:24Do they belong to you, those two dolls over there? Yeah.
54:27I'll be tuning it up with a full performance, mate.
54:30Well, depending on what's underneath this bit of fabric, Pete.
54:33Yeah, that's what worries me.
54:38You ready? Come on, Pete.
54:48That looks sick.
54:50Oh!
54:55What?!
54:57This ain't my drum.
55:00Oh, my God.
55:06Oh, wow. Wow.
55:08I'm happy. She's alive.
55:10She's alive and well.
55:12And it's... It's beautiful.
55:15Literally, you've made this doll look so beautiful.
55:19You've got the natural colours out.
55:21And even there was cracks and I can't even, like, see the cracks.
55:25Like, wow, I did not expect this.
55:28I did not expect this at all.
55:31And I'm so grateful. Really am. Really am.
55:34That's quite a vibe. Really am.
55:36Thank you so much. Glad you're up.
55:38Thank you. Thank you.
55:40Yeah, I just can't wait to play now.
55:43LAUGHTER
55:44I've got my sticks ready to give this a good blast.
55:47Now, people usually just walk out,
55:49but would you do us the honour of literally playing out?
55:52Shall we hit the door? Hit the door.
55:54Yeah. All right, come on, then. Yeah.
56:01A-one, two, three and...
56:03DRUMMING
56:12DRUMMING
56:33Well done, Pete.
56:37I feel happy because now it's all been repaired
56:40and looks like a brand-new drum.
56:43Happy and excited for seeing the new drum
56:47and showing it to my dad's dad.
56:51The first thing I'm going to do,
56:53I will take this drum and show my dad.
56:56He'll be so happy.
56:58It's not just about an individual drum.
57:01It's family. It's everything to us.
57:04If you have a treasured possession that's seen better days
57:08and you think the team can help,
57:10please get in touch at bbc.co.uk.
57:14And join us in the repair shop.
57:33THEME MUSIC