But as real barns go, the Repair Shop is unusually smart, its wooden frame robust, its reed-thatch immaculate, and its interior beautifully lit. Nonetheless, in their reticence and friendship, the workers in The Repair Shop seem closer to ordinary life than the players in the average TV reality show. I like The Repair Shop. Another reason to like The Repair Shop is that nobody in the show, so far as I know, has asked the question that TV journalism currently finds irresistible. Covid will probably cancel our seasonal excursion to see It’s a Wonderful Life this year, but The Repair Shop has a Christmas Special (unpromising phrase) on BBC1 next Friday.

Source: The Guardian December 18, 2021 14:11 UTC