Steve Fletcher issues stark warning to BBC The Repair Shop fans over home improvement struggles: ‘More damage than good!’
The Repair Shop expert Steve Fletcher issued a warning to fans who’ve reached out to him for advice about tackling their own restorations at home.
The horologist has built a name for himself as a trusty specialist in all things clocks and has starred in the tear-jerking BBC favourite since it hit screens in 2017.
Fletcher, 62, appeared at the end of the week on a television interview, where he dispensed his expertise to viewers who’d gotten in touch for his help.
Morning Live hosts Gethin Jones and Kimberly Walsh talked about people wanting to fix their own sentimental items, to which Fletcher advised: “I would say always have a go if you think you are competent enough to do it.”
However, he warned: “With regards to repairing clocks and watches, you need a lot of equipment and I would say, first of all, go to a charity shop and buy an old clock or watch and have a go first before tackling one of your family heirlooms.”
Walsh agreed: “Some of them are quite specialist, aren’t they?”
The presenter went on to read out a viewer question, stating: “We had a question from Tracy who says her father was a squadron leader and he was given a travel clock with signatures of all of his squadron.
“She says it is in poor condition, what can she do? Does she dare touch it? What do we think?”
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“This is quite a specialist job and really, unless she has got some proper training she could do more damage than good,” Fletcher warned swiftly.
Urging her not to attempt the fix, he continued: “Find someone that is really competent, but this is the sort of thing we are looking for on the show.
“At the moment, we’re looking forward, looking for people who have got something that needs repairing for a VE Day special.
“Anything to do with the Second World War that has got a great story behind it would be great.”
Fletcher is now a staple of the popular programme, but he admitted last year he almost didn’t take the restoration career path.
“I’m a third-generation clock-maker, I was brought up with clocks and watches all around,” he explained during a BBC interview.
“I didn’t initially want to, but I ended up thinking I want to be a clock maker, so I went to college to do it in Hackney for a couple of years, and it’s been my whole life since.”
Speaking about how he got involved in the show, Fletcher added: “The team were looking for a clock-maker and found a YouTube film that I made and then contacted me, within a few days I was down at the barn.”
He also revealed his most challenging fix, as he admitted: “One of my most challenging fixes was a clock that the then-Prince of Wales gave me to do.”
He continued: “It had been in the hands of so many clock makers and I had to work a way round of getting it going, which was really difficult and huge pressure.”
He also explained the skill he had honed that he finds “the most rewarding”.
“I love fault finding. I’ve been doing it for such a long time now, I find it easier than a lot of people,” he explained.
“But it is one of the most difficult things in our trade to do and there are still some times that I get caught out by faults I’ve never seen before.”
Fletcher’s sister Suzie Fletcher also features alongside him in the show as The Repair Shop’s resident leather expert.