Our groundbreaking heirlooms

Jay Blades on what The Repair Shop triumphs can tell us about British history

- Caren Clark

The poignant family stories surrounding the treasured heirlooms lovingly restored in hit series The Repair Shop have caused many of us to shed a happy tear or two.

But if the fascinating objects always leave you wanting to learn more, a new 15-part spin-off, The Repair Shop: Fixing Britain, will be right up your street.

The daytime series, airing every weekday on BBC1, takes a look back at some of the items that have been repaired in the famous barn to see what they reveal about our social history. Each episode has a different theme and offers insight into everything from toys and espionage to immigration.