BBC The Repair Shop expert makes admission on tough challenge in show first: 'Hopefully last!'

Olivia Gantzer
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:40:55 +0000

Goldsmith Richard Talman confessed that Wednesday's episode of The Repair Shop presented him with an unprecedented challenge during his time on the BBC programme.

Presenter Will Kirk asked his co-star if he had ever faced such a task, to which Mr Talman admitted he hadn't.

The unusual repair job came about when two Somerset sisters, Sara and Simone, arrived at the barn seeking help with a precious family heirloom.

They went on to reveal the cherished item had been damaged, and Mr Kirk enquired whether the expert had ever repaired an item damaged by a washing machine.

"I haven't, this is definitely going to be a first. And hopefully a last!" he confessed.

Their treasured brooch had suffered an unfortunate encounter with household laundry equipment, leaving multiple stones dislodged and the piece slightly misshapen.

Mr Talman accepted the task with grace, telling the sisters he looked forward to doing his best for them.

The brooch held profound significance for the pair, having belonged to their step-grandmother Jean Bull, a woman they never had the chance to meet.

Jean's life was cut short in devastating circumstances during 1973 when she joined numerous other Somerset women on a day excursion to Switzerland.

The aircraft encountered treacherous conditions, crashing amid low cloud and heavy snowfall, with 108 of the 145 passengers losing their lives. Among the dead were 91 women.

In a cruel twist of fate, Jean had not originally been scheduled to travel that day. She only secured a place after another passenger relinquished their ticket and offered it to her.

Following their grandfather's death, Sara and Simone inherited two brooches from Jean's collection, one red and one green.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Helen Flanagan blasts Travelodge as she's threatened with police for sleeping through check out time

Scott Mills' podcast disappears from Spotify amid BBC axe as presenter breaks silence

Scott Mills breaks silence with statement following BBC axe

The green brooch's damaged state stemmed from an emotional pilgrimage Sara undertook in 2023, marking half a century since the tragedy.

"We went to Switzerland for the 50th anniversary to visit the crash site. I wore it all the time we were there," Sara explained.

Upon returning home, she left the jewellery pinned to her dress for safekeeping, only to inadvertently place the garment in the washing machine.

"When I opened the door, the gems were in the little tray. I got out as much as I could. I had a good old spin of the drum to see if there was anything else rattling around, but unfortunately there wasn't," she recounted.

Mr Talman observed that beyond the missing stones, the brooch had also become bent during its ordeal.

The restoration proved demanding for the Repair Shop expert, who needed to locate replacement gems matching the originals precisely in both size and colour before setting them into the piece.

When the sisters returned to see the finished result, their reaction was one of astonishment.

"Wow," Sara uttered, visibly stunned by the transformation before her.

She described the restored brooch as "stunning" and expressed her disbelief at what had been achieved.

"I can't quite believe that," she added. "That's just incredible. Thank you so much."

"A little bit of Jean shining, I like to think," Sara added as she held the precious heirloom.