Warbird Workshop

Imagine The Repair Shop, but in a drafty aircraft hangar instead of a cosy Sussex barn, and you’ll have a handle on the format for this new programme. In the first of a series of excursions across Europe to meet engineers passionate about saving a lost squadron of military aircraft from the scrapheap, the opening episode focuses on the Spitfire.

Most famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, the plane was subsequently used for spy missions, gathering intelligence in Nazi Germany and taking out deadly V1 rockets. Pilot and engineer Richard Grace is part of a team determined to bring one rare example back to its former glory, which means rediscovering lost skills and crafting new parts by hand.