JAY Blades’ new show is set to air on Channel 5 in a matter of days and the broadcaster has provided a sneak peak of what is to come.
In The West End Through Time, the television presenter is set to take on a new topic far from his workshop.
Jay, who is known for restoring family heirlooms in The Repair Shop, will be taking to the streets of London to explore the origins of the West End.
The first episode of the show will see him head to Trafalgar Square in a traditional black cab.
At St Martins-in-the Field Church, Jay will be told about a historical discovery made in 2006 that changed perspectives on the origins of London.
Jumping to the 17th century when the West End truly began to take shape, the presenter looks into the story of Henry Jermyn.
His ambitious construction near St James’s Palace transformed open fields into plush pads for the country’s elite, earning him the title ‘founder of the West End’.
Next, Jay explores luxury food store Fortnum & Mason, delving into its place in the West End’s long history of shopping.
He learns about its modest beginnings selling the Queen’s discarded candles while sampling scotch eggs, which Fortnum & Mason claim to have invented.
The West End is perhaps best known for its musicals and plays, so Jay’s next stop is at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane.
There he discovers how the theatre scene began thanks to the patronage of Charles II.
When preparing for a night out in the West End, Jay pays a visit to one of its oldest tailors, Henry Poole & Co on Saville Row.
He learns how this street earned its nickname as the Golden Mile of Tailoring.
Over lunch at Wiltons, Jay gets a taste of how restaurants began in Britain and why the West End became the epitome of fine dining.
He concludes his journey in Hyde Park, one of the West End’s Royal Parks, which was a popular spot for wealthy West Enders to flaunt the latest fashions.
This new Channel 5 series is expected to air on Saturday, July 13.
Meanwhile, Jay Blades has distanced himself from The Repair Shop in the aftermath of his split with fitness instructor Lisa Marie, 43.
She recently announced that she was planning to divorce him after marital problems led her to believe there is “no way back” for the couple.
In an Instagram post Lisa revealed that she would need counselling to process the end of their relationship, adding: “The world got the best parts of my husband. I got a whole lot of everything else.”
