Catch up TV

Series 5 (Extended Versions): Episode 14

Jay Blades and the team bring four treasured family heirlooms, and the memories they hold, back to life.\n\nFirst into the barn today, a mid-century coffee table that has been part of owner Graham’s life for 60 years. The table belonged to his parents, taking pride of place in their living room, and is at the heart of many happy childhood memories with his late parents. But now the table is suffering from its years of use, and the many social occasions it has witnessed have left their marks. Wood restoration expert Will Kirk must use all his polishing know-how to bring this unique and exotic wooden object back to life.\n\nNext, a collaboration for horologist Steve Fletcher and resident bear repair pair Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell as a wind-up panda dating back to the 1960s arrives at the barn. This beloved panda was the first toy Gill remembers being given by her late father, who tragically died two weeks before her sixth birthday. After providing over 50 years of comfort and support to Gill, the panda’s joints are stiff and his fur threadbare, leaving the trio of experts with a tough task to restore him back to full health. \n\nJohn Mears is the next arrival, with a reel-to-reel tape recording machine he hopes radio and electronics expert Mark Stuckey will be able to cajole back into life. When John was growing up, this now-silent device was used to record his family’s musical get-togethers. John has wonderful memories of singing with his father at family parties, and he would love to hear those sounds again. However, with the machine now malfunctioning, there’s a real risk of it wiping the recordings completely - a risk John dare not take. The responsibility for reviving the machine and letting John hear his father’s voice once again now falls on Mark and his electronic talents.\n\nFinally, an ingenious kitchen contraption all the way from India arrives for the attention of metal worker Dominic Chinea. The device is a coconut scraper, used to create shredded coconut, and was the creation of brothers Dudley, Fred and Chris DuCasse’s father, who moved with his family to the UK from India in 1958. Dudley and his brothers remember using the device to help their mother make a Goan treat called kulkuls. With the promise of some kulkuls of his own, Dom tries to get the rusted utensil back into service so the brothers can preserve this childhood memento and recreate the famous and much-loved treat.

Source: BBC 2