Filmed in Glasgow, in a specially created HQ, this series combines high end restorations with fascinating social history, as some of the best restorers in Britain give stunning objects a new lease of life – but this is a restoration show with a twist.
For each of the three stunning restorations featured in the show, two of the country’s top craftspeople will compete to get the job. The restorers must go head-to-head, pitching their plans to bring prized items back to life. Crucially, they must estimate how much profit the item will make when sold and agree a profit share deal with the owner.
The show follows every step of the intricate restoration process at the specially created Mend it For Money hub, which has an industrial, yet warm and welcoming vibe. Narrated by Tom Allen, the show will also tell the history of the item and delve into some of the specialist restoration techniques used to restore the items to their former glory.
Kate Thomas, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4 Daytime said: ‘The show is beautifully shot and has a distinctively Channel 4 flavour, due in part to its warm and diverse cast of restorers, all of whom are completely new to TV and yet utterly brilliant. This is a world you simply won’t want to leave.’
Mike Benson, Managing Director and Executive Producer at Chalkboard Television, said: ‘With Mend it For Money we wanted to come at genre we know works – antiques, collectables and restoration – and inject some Channel 4 irreverence and intrigue in the form of a format twist where both owner and restorer have skin in the game! With Tom Allen narrating in his own inimitable style we hope Mend it for Money will be a fascinating, fun watch!’
After a successful pilot broadcast in April 2020 a 20-part series was commissioned by Channel 4 and released in 2021.
