The Repair Shop Cast 2026: Who’s In, Who’s Out, What’s Real

The Repair Shop’s 2026 cast is both confirmed and elusive — the BBC lists one episode with seven experts, but no full-season roster. This guide separates fact from speculation, addressing who’s in, who’s out, and what remains unconfirmed.

Original broadcast: 2017– · Presenter: Jay Blades · Narrator: Bill Paterson · 2026 episode on record: 8 April 2026 · Experts named in the 2026 opener: 7

Cast lists for The Repair Shop change with every episode, and that single fact explains most of the confusion around “who’s in” and “who’s out.”

The following table captures the show’s basic metadata, drawn from BBC and IMDb listings.

Who will be in the cast of The Repair Shop in 2026?

The honest starting point is an episode, not a roster. The BBC lists its experts per programme, so the clearest “2026 cast” is the credit list of the opening episode of Series 16.

Will The Repair Shop return in 2026?

• The BBC’s programme page for Series 16, Episode 1 is dated 8 April 2026 on BBC One, with regional exceptions and a later BBC Two showing (BBC official programme page).
• No full series order or complete 2026 cast list appears on that page — each episode’s credits are listed individually.

So the show has not merely been renewed; it is already broadcasting. What the BBC has not published is a season-long roster, the way a streaming service announces a whole cast. That gap is why the same experts seem to vanish and reappear between online lists.

What is the latest episode of The Repair Shop?

• The most recent episode on record is Series 16, Episode 1, scheduled for BBC One on 8 April 2026.
• Before that, Series 14, Episode 21 aired on 19 August 2025.

One naming quirk to keep in mind: the BBC uses both “Will Kirk” and “William Kirk” across its programme pages, so credit-list comparisons should treat the two as the same person unless evidence says otherwise.

The implication: future-cast speculation should start from the BBC’s episode pages, because that is the only place where a 2026 lineup actually exists.

Who are the new people on The Repair Shop?

The 2026 opener introduced viewers to several restorers who did not appear in older cast summaries. The BBC’s Series 16, Episode 1 page describes each one’s craft: Charlotte Abbott restores toys, Rebecca Bissonnet handles textiles and colour chemistry, David Burville works on clockwork mechanisms, Chris Shaw is a bookbinder and Dean Westmoreland restores pointe shoes.

• Charlotte Abbott — toy restorer
• Rebecca Bissonnet — textile expert, assists with dye work and colour chemistry
• David Burville — mechanical expert, restores clockwork mechanisms
• Chris Shaw — bookbinder
• Dean Westmoreland — pointe-shoe restorer

“New” needs context. Yahoo UK’s expert list, published in April 2024, already included Rebecca Bissonnet and Christopher Shaw alongside Steve Fletcher, Suzie Fletcher, Richard Talman, Mark Stuckey, William Kirk and Pete Woods. So two of the “2026 faces” were on the bench two years earlier — they are new to some viewers, not necessarily new to the show.

The pattern: “new” on The Repair Shop usually means “new to this episode’s credits,” not “just hired.” The BBC builds each programme around the specialists a repair demands.

Who is no longer on The Repair Shop?

The honest answer: no verified departure list appears in the BBC pages reviewed. The clearest reported change is in the presenting role, not the expert bench.

• Jay Blades reportedly stepped down from presenting in 2024, according to entertainment news outlet Tuko (Tuko (entertainment news outlet)).
• Streamlinefeed reported that the BBC removed Blades from its programming in September 2024 after charges of controlling and coercive behaviour.
• The same outlet reported that West Mercia Police confirmed in August 2025 that Blades had been charged with two counts of rape, and that he pleaded not guilty via video link at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
• Tuko also reported that Will Kirk and Dominic Chinea took on co-foreman responsibilities after Blades’s departure (Tuko).

None of this appears on the official BBC programme pages reviewed for this article. The episode credit lists for Series 14 and Series 16 checked here do not include Blades, so the practical effect is real — but the legal details rest on one entertainment news site.

Streamlinefeed’s explainer describes Blades as the former foreman and primary face of the series until his departure.

What happened to Lucia from The Repair Shop?

• Lucia Scalisi appears in IMDb episode history for the series, which is where most audience questions start.
• The BBC pages reviewed here do not mention her current status or a reason for any absence.
• The related search “The Repair Shop cast death” reflects audience worry, not proof of a death.

The short answer: no official explanation is available in the supplied sources. A gap in one episode’s credits is not a departure announcement — and on this show, credits are rebuilt every episode.

The takeaway: absence from one listing is not proof of exit. The Repair Shop’s roster moves episode to episode, and the BBC’s credits are the only record that keeps up.

Are Julie and Amanda in Repair Shop a couple still?

The question blends a professional pairing with a personal one. The BBC’s Series 14, Episode 21 credits list both Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch as experts on the same bench (BBC official programme page), but a shared credit list is not a relationship statement.

• No relationship confirmation for Julie and Amanda appears in the BBC pages reviewed or in the supplied research.
• Both appear together in the Series 14 credit list, so they overlap professionally.
• A separate Series 6 episode synopsis references a vicar, Steve Stewart, and his wife Amanda — a different Amanda entirely.

The trade-off: the BBC gives viewers the workshop, not the personal lives. On-screen warmth is editing, not evidence — and no official statement exists either way.

What age is Steve Fletcher from The Repair Shop?

Age is the shortest answer in this article: it is not published in the BBC pages reviewed, and no official biography with a birth year appeared in the supplied sources. What the BBC does say is craft-based — the Series 14 credits identify Steven Fletcher as a horologist, and an episode description has him restoring a clock compendium containing a clock, thermometer and barometer.

Has Steve from The Repair Shop been ill?

• No official statement about a health issue appears in the supplied sources; the question comes from search data, not a BBC announcement.
• The BBC identifies Steven Fletcher by his craft — horology — not by his medical history.
• Don’t confuse the two Fletchers: the BBC credits include both Steven and Suzie Fletcher as experts.

So the honest status on both questions is “unconfirmed.” Any number circulating online for Steve’s age is a guess until a biography or an interview settles it.

The catch: “Steve Fletcher age” is a search curiosity with no authoritative answer in the current record — and that absence is the answer.

Are the repairs actually done in The Repair Shop?

Yes — and the BBC’s episode descriptions treat the restorations as real craft, not props. The Series 16, Episode 1 description alone names three distinct jobs: Rebecca Bissonnet was recruited to help restore the colour of Julie Felix’s satin pointe shoes, Chris Shaw repaired a 1917 scrapbook documenting the Dick Kerr Ladies football team, and David Burville repaired a clockwork birdcage belonging to Fenella Haffenden’s grandmother.

• The barn is a filming location, not a public shop — you can’t drop off a broken lamp.
• The BBC owns the programme; the individual experts run their own restoration practices outside it.
• The format is documentary-style craft: the repair happens on camera, performed by the named specialist.

That last point matters because “is it real?” usually means “is the restoration real?” The object, the damage and the repair work are all on screen; what’s staged is the setting, not the skill.

What this means: authenticity questions should focus on process, not ownership. The repairs are real; the “shop” is a set built for filming.

The Repair Shop timeline: 2017 to 2026

The timeline below traces the show’s key milestones, from its 2017 debut to the 2026 episode on record.

The pattern: audiences keep asking “who’s in?” while the BBC keeps answering with “here’s this episode’s credits.” The only reliable cast tracker is the episode list itself.

What’s confirmed — and what’s still rumour

Some cast questions have solid BBC documentation; others rest on entertainment blogs. Here’s the split.

Confirmed facts

• The Repair Shop has a 2026 episode on the BBC record: Series 16, Episode 1, dated 8 April 2026 (BBC official programme page).
• Seven experts are credited in that episode, including Charlotte Abbott, Rebecca Bissonnet, David Burville, Will Kirk, Sonnaz Nooranvary, Chris Shaw and Dean Westmoreland (BBC).
• Series 14, Episode 21 credits Dominic Chinea, Steven Fletcher, Suzie Fletcher, William Kirk, Amanda Middleditch, Mark Stuckey and Julie Tatchell (BBC).
• Steven Fletcher is identified by the BBC as a horologist (BBC).

What’s unclear

• Jay Blades’s reported 2024 departure and the separate legal claims reported by Streamlinefeed (Streamlinefeed (entertainment news site)).
• Lucia Scalisi’s current role.
• Steve Fletcher’s age and health.
• Julie and Amanda’s relationship status.
• Whether any visitor has been publicly disappointed after a repair.

Why this matters: the gap between a confirmed 2026 date and a confirmed 2026 roster is exactly where rumour fills in.

What the sources say

Rebecca Bissonnet was recruited to help restore the colour of Julie Felix’s satin pointe shoes.

BBC programme description, Series 16, Episode 1

Chris Shaw repairs a 1917 scrapbook documenting the Dick Kerr Ladies football team.

BBC programme description, Series 16, Episode 1

After Jay Blades’s reported departure, Will Kirk and Dominic Chinea took on co-foreman responsibilities.

Tuko (entertainment news outlet), 2026 cast explainer

What this shows: the BBC’s own descriptions are the most concrete evidence of what actually happens in the barn. Everything else — who left, who’s dating whom, who’s ill — is commentary until the broadcaster says otherwise.

Summary

Follow the credits, not the chatter. The BBC has confirmed a 2026 episode and a working bench of expert restorers; everything else — Blades’s reported exit, Lucia’s status, Steve’s age, Julie and Amanda’s relationship — is either unconfirmed or rests on one-off reporting. For the BBC, the next test is simple: publish a proper 2026 cast page, or keep letting episode-by-episode credits do the work while the rumour mills fill the gap.

Related reading: The Repair Shop Cast 2026: Who’s In, Who Left, and What’s Next · The Repair Shop Cast: Current Experts, Departures, 2026

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