There’s a touch of magic in the air as music box restorer Stephen Kember mends a much-cherished but sadly long-mute music box. Bequeathed to Betty Hill by her beloved father, a professional stage magician, this miniature music box presents an exacting undertaking for Steve. With every element on a smaller scale than usual, it’s on with the magnifying specs to examine the delicate inner workings of this marvellous machine. Can Steve pull a rabbit out of the hat and get this tiny box tinkling once more?
It’s a game of two halves as clockmaker Steven Fletcher and furniture restorer Will Kirk breathe new life into a dilapidated penny arcade machine. This fabulous piece of seaside nostalgia belongs to Christine Dawkins and her husband Frank, who can’t bear to part with it even though it stopped working in 1986 when it was badly damaged in a flood. While Will works on the water damaged case, Steve tackles the mechanical workings, which have rusted over and completely seized up. With each individual component needing to be examined, stripped down and cleaned, it will take all Steve’s ingenuity to get the machine back in the game.
Lastly, Caroline and Mark from St Ives have called in the cavalry in the form of soft toy supremos Amanda and Julie to rehabilitate a threadbare horse on wheels that holds many cherished memories of Caroline’s late brother. Show less