- Culture
- TV & Radio
The instrument belongs to Denville Hall, a north London care home for entertainment industry professionals, which Dame Helen supports
Jenny GarnsworthyFriday 21 November 2025 00:01 GMT
CloseHelen Mirren thinks we should ban Shakespeare for teens
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Beloved BBC series The Repair Shop is set to welcome a trio of celebrated figures this Christmas, with Dame Helen Mirren, Julia Donaldson, and Rob Brydon visiting the experts.
Each will bring a special treasure in need of restoration, hoping for a festive fix.
Among the items is a poignant cello, brought by Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen.
Dating back to the Second World War, the instrument belongs to Denville Hall, a north London care home for entertainment industry professionals, which Dame Helen supports.
Expert Becky Houghton will undertake its much-needed repair.
The cello was originally bequeathed to Denville Hall by theatre director Martin Landau.
Originally from Germany, Landau fled the country on the Kinder transport, but his cello was broken by the Nazis before he was able to get on the train.
It has not been played for more than 80 years and Dame Helen would like to see it restored so that it can be used at the care home alongside the piano to perform Christmas songs and entertain the elderly residents.
open image in galleryJulia Donaldson and Rob Brydon will also appear in the episode (BBC/PA Wire)Dame Helen said: “Denville Hall is a very special place and we’ve long talked about repairing Martin’s cello.
“As you can imagine to be able to restore the voice of his prized possession and hear it play once more will be the greatest Christmas gift for the community at Denville Hall.”
The BBC1 show will also see the team repair a much-loved life-size mechanical Rudolph reindeer, which belongs to Leicestershire Fire service and has previously brought decades of festive cheer but is currently in a sorry state.
Special guest Donaldson, who wrote the book The Scarecrows’ Wedding, which has been made into a film to be shown on the BBC this Christmas, will also appear.
Brydon has voiced a character in every one of Donaldson’s animated adaptations and he and Donaldson are seeking to repair a toy farmhouse that she was given by her grandmother.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The farmhouse was a much-loved toy for Donaldson and her sister, so is full of childhood memories as well as being an inspiration for the setting of some of her books.
open image in galleryThe Repair Shop experts (BBC/PA Wire)Furniture restorer Will Kirk and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay will bring the farmhouse back to life before it is gifted to West Sussex-based children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House.
Donaldson said: “Bringing stories alive through play is such a special part of childhood.
“My sister and I spent many happy hours making up stories around the farmyard and the thought of having it restored and shared and enjoyed once again with many more children means a lot to me. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.”
The team also restores a battered and broken sledge that has seen 80 years of service for a family from Northern Ireland and a dilapidated carol book that has played a central role in a little known but much celebrated local tradition in Sheffield.
Julie Shaw, commissioning editor for BBC Factual, said: “Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and this year’s Christmas special of The Repair Shop is guaranteed to be magical.
“Full of warmth that audiences have come to know and love from The Repair Shop experts, it’s a real treat for audiences to sit back, relax and enjoy, and maybe even shed a tear or two this Christmas.”
