Foxtel’s local version of The Repair Shop commences production

Foxtel has commenced production of fan Australian version of UK hit The Repair Shop for the LifeStyle Channel.

Filming started in Sydney last week with host builder and sustainability expert, Dean Ipaviz. He will be joined by a team of seven passionate and highly skilled craftspeople. Together they come to the rescue of treasured possessions which are broken or damaged and deserve to be returned to their former glory.

Foxtel’s The Repair Shop host Dean Ipaviz

The Repair Shop UK is a huge hit around the world, often referred to as ‘one of the loveliest, feel-good, heart-warming shows on television’ and will now received an Australian slant on the much-loved format.

Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s executive director of television, said: “Foxtel is delighted to have scored the exclusive format rights to The Repair Shop, the most successful new franchise to come out of the U.K. in recent years. It is the right show for the right time, uplifting, inspirational, entertaining, and heart-warming. Feel good television at its best!

“Along with this exciting new format we also welcome a fresh cast of passionate artisans and repair enthusiasts who we know will click with audiences of the LifeStyle channel. As with all our Lifestyle shows, our talent are the real deal, authentic, entertaining and experts in their field. Like our established hits, Gogglebox, Selling Houses Australia, Grand Designs Australia, Love It Or List It Australia and The Great Australian Bake Off, we know that Australian viewers will fall in love with The Repair Shop.”

Group general manager, Lifestyle at Foxtel, Wendy Moore told Mumbrella: “The UK show that I feel is quite strong for us is The Repair Shop. It’s been on in the UK for a while. It’s just a really lovely heart-warming show.

“The idea is that we all have these amazing heirlooms and pieces that we have inherited from family members that come not just as an object, but attached with stories and memories. And it’s not really about the financial value of it, it’s more about the life value of it. The Repair Shop is where people can bring these pieces in, and we have a group of passionate repairers that come in and restore these items.”

The Repair Shop team features the ultimate dream team of craftspeople – Majella the metal worker, Aaron the leather craftsmen, Lydia the jeweller, Jen the upholster, Andrew the horologist, Britta the furniture restorer, Paul the electrical all-rounder, and Kay the stuffed toys expert.

Host Ipaviz is a qualified builder, project manager and carpenter runs his own building business, Verdecon, dedicated to educating people around greener building principles and helping them understand that by taking active steps to reduce their carbon footprint, they can have a significant and positive impact on the environment.

Ipaviz’s previous television roles include co-host of Escape From The City (ABC TV), Best Houses Australia on 7two and Dream Home Ideas on The Home Channel.

Ipaviz said: “I’m unbelievably excited to be involved in a show that I’ve followed (and loved) for a few years now. We’re taking a peek back into Australia’s history on some pieces and getting a bird’s eye view into how things used to be done, before mass production and the “throw away culture” that we live in today.

“I can’t wait to work with a group of artisans that live and breathe restoration and repair. For me there is something really unique about taking old items that are really precious to us as people and restoring them to their former glory. It ties into my beliefs around a circular economy and I hope it will be the impetus for others to look into the restoration of their own heirlooms.”

The Repair Shop is produced by Warner Bros International Television Productions (WBITVP) exclusively for Foxtel’s LifeStyle Channel and premieres in 2022.