Jay Blades delves deeper into classic repairs. Today’s episode is focused around three items from the home front in the Second World War, as Jay tells the story of how the nation kept the home fires burning and the way this still resonates today.

The first repair Jay revisits is a cherished toy owned by Patricia Hall that gave her comfort while she was evacuated to the country away from her family during the war. Betty the doll was given to Patricia by her host family at Christmas 193,9 and she has loved it ever since. Jay uses archive to reveal more about the lives of evacuees and how some were sent thousands of miles away to countries like Canada and Australia, with many not returning to their own families for as long as six years. He also lifts the lid on the changing face of Christmas since then, including how the humble bar of soap became the favourite present one year.

Next is a music box that was rescued from a bombing raid on Roger Livett's family home. Jay reveals how Brits amused themselves in wartime, how many millions of cinema tickets were sold, and how public information films and posters played a role in keeping the public informed - a tradition that continues to this day.

Finally, Jay recalls when Simon Moseley and his son Jake brought in a telescope owned by Simon's grandfather, an air-raid warden, that was built from parts picked up at bomb sites. Jay reveals how the new roles taken on by women during the war – from wardens to land girls - changed the face of the country’s workforce forever and paved the way for the increasing role of women in the workplace that continues to this day. Show less