BBC’s The Repair Shop once again tugged at the heartstrings of fans as a guest reminisced about her late father.
The much-loved restoration show returned on Wednesday night (March 12) with a host of guests eager to see their cherished items brought back to life by the skilled experts in the renowned Repair Shop barn.
Fiona, the last guest in the barn, was hoping to restore her father’s Chelsea boots. She revealed that these 1960s boots were not just any footwear; they were special step-dancing shoes used for traditional freestyle tap dancing.
In honour of her father and her passion for dance, Fiona also uses the boots for dancing. Shoe repairman Dean Westmoreland noted that one of the main issues with the boots was a “cracked insole”.
He commented: “It’s a wonder Fiona could even walk in these, let alone dance in them! The insole is the foundation of a welted shoe, it holds all the leather together, everything is sown through onto that end.”
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Fiona longed to dance in her father’s boots (Image: BBC)
He added, “So when that is damaged, it becomes quite difficult to repair. But I do have a few ideas on how to make that strong again,” reports .
Despite Dean’s initial doubts, Fiona was left amazed when she returned later in the programme to see the work done on the boots. With the boots looking as good as new, Fiona quickly slipped them on and gave the experts a demonstration of her tap dancing skills.
Emotions ran high on Antiques Roadshow as a woman sought to preserve her late father’s cherished boots, admitting to viewers, “It means a lot to me to have my dad’s boots repaired because I miss him terribly.
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The Chelsea boots were used for dancing (Image: BBC)
“He’s always been in my heart, in my head and now on my feet! I will pass down those boots and hopefully they will be used for years to come.”
The revival of various beloved items on the show prompted viewers to express their sentiments on social media.
On social platform X, one posted: “Watching #TheRepairShop brings it home that we’re such a throwaway society. Skills like shoemaking and furniture restoration only happen on quality older items. Perhaps we need to take a step back and buy for keeps and not landfill.”
Echoing a similar sentiment, another added their praise: “Take a bow everyone, good job on everything.
The Repair Shop airs Wednesdays at 8pm on One