Dame Judi Dench enlists The Repair Shop to mend late husband’s pocketwatch
The veteran actress will unveil the fixed item during a special session at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Dame Judi Dench will have a sentimental pocketwatch belonging to her late husband mended as part of a special live session of The Repair Shop.
The BBC One show sees members of the public bringing in worn-out family heirlooms to be fixed by a team of experts led by furniture restorer and host Jay Blades.
As part of this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, show producers Ricochet will mark five years of the programme with a special appearance by Dame Judi, 87, alongside Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, 57.
Dame Judi will bring in a pocketwatch she gifted to her late husband, actor Michael Williams, in 1972 – one year after they married – but now no longer works.
The veteran actress would like it to be heard again as a reminder of the times they shared before his death in January 2001 aged 65, and horologist Steve Fletcher will be on hand to help.
Earlier this year, Dame Judi appeared in a sketch spoofing the show for Comic Relief.
She played a character struggling with her memory who wants her old doll from her childhood repaired to help bring back her memories from her youth, but sees it smashed by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
Revel Horwood’s item will be a life-like chimp from Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, Sunset Boulevard, given to him as an opening night present.
He will need the assistance of furniture restorer Will Kirk and the so-called The Teddy Bear Ladies, Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchell, who specialise in stuffed toys.
Both special guests will join Blades on stage in Edinburgh to reveal their fixes live.
The session will also be available via the festival’s YouTube channel.
Managing director of Ricochet Joanna Ball said: “The team, on and off screen, has done an extraordinary job and our heartfelt thanks to Dame Judi and to Craig for sharing their precious stories with us.
“As always we’re a little bit nervous sharing the finished fixes but we hope that they love the work our experts have delivered as much as we loved working on them.”
Creative director of the festival Stewart Clarke said: “This is the perfect opening entertainment piece and we would like to thank everyone involved for bringing a bit of The Repair Shop magic of the barn to the TV Festival, it’s going to be an absolute must-see.”
