Viewers of BBC restoration show The Repair Shop believe that the programme's host treated a British gold medal-winning Olympian with disrespect when he appeared on tonight's episode.
Olympic diver Jack Laugher appeared on the programme with two of his medals. Jack won the medals, one silver and one gold, during the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.
Laugher has proudly taken his medals to schools to try to inspire the next generation to take up sports. Unfortunately, all that attention took its toll on the medals and their wooden cases and he brought them to The Repair Shop to be given a touch-up. The workshop's silversmith Brenton West and wood wizard William Kirk worked their magic once again.
Presenter Jay Blades interviewed Laugher and made it clear quite quickly that he didn't know who the 27-year-old was. Blades wanting to know more about the medals asked the Olympian: "Did you win them?" Some viewers regarded the exchange as "disrespectful".
Taking to Twitter @GaryCollett said: "Actually think that was quite disrespectful that @TheRepairShop pretended not to know @JackLaugher or his achievements."
@NickRH14 also tweeted: "Can't say Jay is starstruck. Who won the medals? What for? Isn't Jack a national treasure."
Another viewer was excited to see the Olympian on the small screen once again, @charlieharden1 tweeted: "Wow Jack Laugher’s Olympic medals on #therepairshop."
It wasn't long before Laugher's medal was repaired to its original state.
With every episode of The Repair Shop viewers are drawn into the personal stories of treasured antiques owned by members of the public. The craftspeople are the geniuses behind each reinvention and they each specialise in one department. Suzie Fletcher is the leather expert, Stephen Fletcher deals with watch and clock repairs, William Kirk is the carpenter and Dominic Chinea is the metalworker.
They aren't the only experts, there is also Kirsten Ramsay, the ceramics expert. Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchellwere who both work on teddy bear repairs and Lucia Scalisi, the painting conservator and lastly Brenton West, the silversmith.
After Laugher's visit to the workshop the repair teams met husband and wife Barry and Bernadette who brought in a musical jewellery box that Barry bought for Bernadette while he was in Malaysia with the British Army over 50 years ago. Sadly, when he sent it back to Bernadette in the UK, it was damaged in transit and she has never seen it working. Clock and watch expert Steve Fletcher had this one covered.
Amanda Middleditch and Julie Tatchellwere next called to action to fix Duncan the dragon, who was given to Marisa when she was just a little girl, and since then he has been a huge comfort through her son Jonah's life challenges. Both the experts made sure he was sturdy enough by the end of the episode to carry on his important work.
