Helen Mirren And Julia Donaldson Shine In Repair Shop Christmas Special

As the holiday season rolled in, BBC One’s beloved restoration show, The Repair Shop, opened its doors once again for a festive special that warmed hearts across the United Kingdom. Airing on Boxing Day, December 26, 2025, at 7:30pm, the one-hour episode offered a blend of nostalgia, celebrity sparkle, and moving stories—firmly cementing the programme’s place as a staple in the broadcaster’s Christmas calendar, according to coverage by Edinburgh News and the Evening Standard.

This year’s Christmas special was nothing short of star-studded. Among the guests were Hollywood legend Dame Helen Mirren, celebrated children’s author Julia Donaldson, and comic actor Rob Brydon. Each brought with them not just cherished objects in need of expert care, but also stories that reached deep into the past and tugged at the heartstrings of viewers and participants alike.

Dame Helen Mirren’s arrival at the barn was marked by a mission of both memory and hope. She brought with her a badly broken cello, silent for over 80 years. The instrument, as reported by Edinburgh News, originally belonged to theatre director Martin Landau, who, at age 14, fled Nazi-occupied Europe via the Kindertransport. The cello was one of the few possessions he managed to take with him, though its neck had been deliberately snapped by Nazi guards just before he boarded the train. Despite this, Landau kept the cello safe for the rest of his life, eventually gifting it to Denville Hall, a care home for retired members of the entertainment industry—a place both he and Dame Helen supported.

Entrusting the cello to luthier Becky Houghton, Dame Helen hoped it could be restored to its former glory and, perhaps, played again for the residents of Denville Hall. The task was daunting: reuniting the snapped neck, repairing the bodywork, and coaxing music from an instrument that had been silent for generations. The emotional weight of the restoration was not lost on anyone present, and the sense of anticipation was palpable as the cello’s fate hung in the balance.

Meanwhile, Julia Donaldson—whose books have enchanted millions of children—arrived with a different kind of treasure: a toy farmhouse that once belonged to her grandmother. The farmhouse, battered by time but rich with memories, had fueled the imaginations of Julia and her sister throughout their childhood and even inspired some of her best-loved stories. According to Edinburgh News, Julia’s plan was to restore the farmhouse and donate it to a local children’s hospice, a place where she had often performed her tales. Furniture restorer Will Kirk and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay took on the challenge, delicately piecing the structure back together.

Adding an extra layer of magic to the project, Rob Brydon—who voices Reginald Rake in the seasonal adaptation of Donaldson’s The Scarecrows’ Wedding—suggested the team create toy characters based on Julia’s books for the children to enjoy. The barn’s experts soon found themselves crafting miniature snails, whales, tiddlers, scarecrows, and even a Gruffalo, bringing the world of Julia Donaldson’s stories to vibrant, tangible life for the hospice’s young residents.

The episode didn’t stop there. A life-sized mechanical Rudolph, belonging to the Leicestershire fire service, also made its way into the barn. The reindeer, a familiar sight at festive charity events for decades, was in a sorry state: tangled fur, immobile ears, unblinking eyes, and a nose that no longer glowed. The restoration required a team effort from mechanic magicians Steve and David, bear ladies Julie and Amanda, master saddler Suzie, and metalworker Dom. Their work ensured that Rudolph would once again delight crowds and help raise thousands for local charities.

Perhaps the most poignant story of the night came from Ian McKenzie, who arrived with his wife Kate and daughter April, bearing a battered sleigh called a Flexible Flyer. As reported by Everything Gossip, the sleigh was nearly a century old—manufactured in 1928 and used by Ian and his family for decades. “It’s called a Flexible Flyer; this particular one was made in 1928 and only made this version for one year, so it’s quite a rare one,” Ian explained to expert Dominic Chinea.

The sleigh, which had been passed down through generations and survived the infamous Big Freeze, had seen its fair share of accidents. In fact, nine children and fourteen grandchildren had all enjoyed rides on it, leaving it bent, twisted, and in desperate need of repair. Dom quickly realized the extent of the challenge: “It’s not good news, unfortunately. These two bars that run to the front of the rails, they are both completely different shapes. They’re supposed to be the same. I’ve clamped the two runners together, and even these are completely different shapes. The ends are way off. I think all these years of Ian being such a daredevil have taken their toll on this sledge. It’s bent and twisted things, I need to straighten everything out and get it back where it should be, because I’ve got lots of holes which need to line up.”

Despite the hurdles, Dom and Will Kirk managed to restore the sleigh. The reveal was emotional—on seeing his childhood treasure returned to its original state, Ian was moved to tears, exclaiming, “That’s the way it was! I have to try it. Oh, brilliant, I’m over the moon. I just wish I was a kid again! This is great, better job than I done.”

Other highlights included bookbinder Chris Shaw’s restoration of a torn and tattered carol book, which had been central to a cherished yuletide tradition in Sheffield, and the transformation of the toy farmhouse into a source of joy for a new generation.

The special was repeated on December 28 at 1:25pm and made available on BBC iPlayer, ensuring that audiences who missed the initial broadcast could still enjoy the heartwarming tales and expert craftsmanship. As part of the BBC’s festive TV line-up, The Repair Shop Christmas special stood out not just for its celebrity guests, but for its celebration of memory, community, and the enduring power of restoration.

In a season filled with glitz and drama elsewhere on television, The Repair Shop reminded viewers that sometimes, the most meaningful gifts are those that bring the past back to life and pass it forward—one careful repair at a time.