Jay Blades is set to welcome King Charles III to The Repair Shop in a very special episode.
The King will appear in an episode of The Repair Shop to celebrate the BBC’s 100 year anniversary. For the centenary episode, Charles will join the team with a very special heirloom in need of restoration.
Speaking to Alison Hammond and Dermott O'Leary on Tuesday's instalment of This Morning, Jay discussed everything from his new book, his dyslexia diagnosis, and dished on filming with the new King. The 52-year-old TV personality revealed that he actually blew off King Charles three times before filming The Repair Shop special, but heaped praise upon the new monarch.
Jay told the ITV show: "Well, we done (sic) a special with regards to items that he wanted fixed but at the same time me and him have a shared interest of apprenticeships and heritage crafts. So looking at what he's doing for the Princes Foundation, so I'm an ambassador for the Princes Foundation.
"Funny story is, he invited me probably three times to go to Dumfries House. Just to have a look around and have a sleepover, but I was so busy I turned him down three times.
"I said to the mrs, 'Look the fourth invitation came, we can't ignore this one'. We went up there, filmed with him and it was just a joy."
According to the BBC, The King “will choose a piece of pottery made for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and an 18th Century clock to be restored by the programme's team of experts”. The broadcaster explained that The Repair Shop was chosen to showcase it and the King’s “shared passion for preserving heritage craft skills".
In the episode, Jay will receive a tour of Dumfries House near Ayrshire from The King, where the team will “pledge to restore the 18th Century bracket clock from the collection at Dumfries House and pottery by renowned ceramics company Wemyss Ware”. Both pieces were made for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897.
Jay will also meet students from the Prince’s Trust who are learning traditional skills such as stonemasonry and blacksmithing. This was particularly moving for Jay, who said: “You’ve got someone from a council estate and someone from a Royal estate that have the same interests about apprenticeships and heritage crafts.
"It is unbelievable to see that two people from so far apart, from different ends of the spectrum, actually have the same interests.”
The King and Jay have met before, as Jay was presented with his MBE for services to craft in May earlier this year, by the then Prince Charles.
Chatting to HELLO! at the National Television Awards, Jay revealed: "Working with King Charles III was absolutely perfect. He was exactly the same [when the cameras stopped rolling].
"You're going to see King Charles like you've never seen him before. Super relaxed, in his element, surrounded by heritage craft, he loves it. Wait until you see it."
Before ascending the throne, the former Prince of Wales visited the iconic Repair Shop barn between Autumn 2021 and March 2022 to film the special episode. The royal was joined by regulars on the show including Jay, Steve Fletcher, Will Kirk, and Kirsten Ramsay.
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