Dame Helen Mirren and Gavin & Stacey icon confirmed for The Repair Shop 2025 Christmas special with an historical twist

The Repair Shop is returning this festive period and is opening its doors to some very special Christmas guests.

Dame Helen Mirren, Julia Donaldson and Rob Brydon will all visit the experts to get treasures mended and fixed in time for Christmas.

Mirren will be bringing a beloved cello dating back to the Second World War. The instrument belongs to Denville Hall, a care home for people who have worked in the entertainment industry, which the acting legend is a loyal supporter of.

The cello was left to Denville Hall by theatre director Martin Landau, who had fled his home country of Germany on the Kinder transport. Sadly, the cello was broken by the Nazis before he was able to get on the train.

The cello has not been played in over 80 years, and the care home would love to have it restored so that it can be used alongside the piano they have to perform Christmas songs, uniting their elderly residents.

Mirren will look to expert Becky Houghton to help give the cello some much needed care.

She 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."

Elsewhere, Julia Donaldson and Rob Brydon are seeking a repair to a toy farmhouse that was given to Julia by her grandmother.

The toy farm was played with by Julia and her sister and is full of childhood memories, as well as being an inspiration for the setting of some of her books.

Furniture restorer Will Kirk and ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay will get busy bringing the farm back to life to inspire the next generation. The children's author is gifting the farmhouse to Chestnut Tree House, a children's hospice which Julia has a longstanding relationship with and where she has performed many of her stories.

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 am very grateful to Will and Kirsten and Rob and I can't wait to see how it turns out."

In addition to the repairs of the celebrity guests, the team will be repairing a life size mechanical Rudolph, which belongs to Leicestershire Fire service.

The team will also restore 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 of this year's special: "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."

The Repair Shop Christmas special will air later this year.

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