The Repair Shop delivers an emotional gut-punch tonight (April 1) as one guest hears his late dad’s voice again for the first time in decades.
Electronics expert Mark Stuckey is tasked with restoring a broken reel-to-reel recorder – unaware it holds a deeply personal recording.
It’s important to us that you never miss our articles when searching for stories! We have all the latest TV & Celebrity news to share with our community of loyal readers.
Click here and tick Entertainmentdaily.com
The Repair Shop tonight: ‘This is my dad’s recorder’
Guest Michael Whitehead brings in the device once used by his father Alan – a singer who performed under the stage name Alan Curtis.
“This is actually my dad’s old reel-to-reel recorder,” he explains. He then reveals it helped his dad learn songs he performed in pubs and clubs across Greater Manchester.
Michael recalls: “Hearing him hit those notes and people applauding, just the sense of pride. And he was just so humble about it.”
‘When Dad passed away, the music died’
The item stopped working decades ago. And with it, Michael felt he lost a connection to his dad.
“When Dad passed away, the music died that day,” he says. “It was after he passed away and we were doing a clear out and it was just sat on the floor in the corner of the wardrobe.”
Asked if he ever tried to play it, Michael admits: “I did.” But heartbreakingly, nothing happened. “Not even a light or a move of the needle, nothing.”
He believes the tape may contain the song I Understand by Freddie and the Dreamers – but isn’t certain.
‘That’s my dad… that’s him’
When Michael returns to collect the restored recorder, he admits he feels “anxious” ahead of the big reveal.
As the machine whirs back to life, his dad’s voice suddenly fills the barn.
“That’s my dad,” he says, visibly emotional. “That’s him.”
Fighting back tears, he adds: “Wow, it just sounds great. I couldn’t imagine a more haunting song to be on there, it just blows me away, it really does.”
Mark gently tells him: “He’s left you a special gift behind.”
“I think so too,” Michael replies. “It’s just brought back so much… thoughts of just being young, fun, and a happy place. To have my dad on there, it’s just mind-blowing, it’s just amazing.”
Read more: The Repair Shop’s Will Kirk reunites veterans with memorial damaged by vandals
The Repair Shop is on Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC One.
Share your thoughts on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.