THE REPAIR Shop has sparked concern among fans after a promo picture for the latest series of BBC show was missing a beloved expert.
Steve Fletcher was nowhere to be seen on the photo which was posted to The Repair Shop’s official Instagram page.
The 61-year-old horologist has been an expert on the BBC show since 2017. Over the years, viewers have been left in awe of his incredible clock-repairing skills as they’ve watched him work his magic on treasured time pieces.
However, after a promo picture teasing new episodes of the BBC show was posted online, fans were struck with concern that he wouldn’t be returning to the barn.
Fellow experts Brenton West, Dominic Chinea, Will Kirk, Kirsten Ramsay and Steve’s sister Suzie Fletcher posed alongside The Repair Shop host Jay Blades in the picture which was uploaded to the BBC show’s official Instagram page.
Announcing exciting details of new episodes of The Repair Shop, it said: “More fixes. More stories. More memories restored. Brand new The Repair Shop starts on 14th August on BBC One & iPlayer.”
But fans couldn’t focus on the announcement with Steve missing from the photo and quickly flooded the comments section with concern.
“Where the hell is Steve at?” one worried fan wrote.
While another said: “Love this show. Missing Steve in the photo!”
Echoing a similar statement, a third commented: “Currently getting episodes on YouTube but I’ll watch in whatever manner I can. I love this programme. Also, where is Steve?”
Other viewers even tagged Steve in the comments, hoping for an update.
However, fans shouldn’t worry as the announcement simply seems to be using an old picture that doesn’t include Steve.
Ahead of the premiere of the current 13th series, which began airing back in April, the same picture was posted to The Repair Shop’s social channels. Despite being missing from the photo, Steve did return to screens.
With no announcement that he’s departing from the show, viewers should expect to see him back in the barn next week.
Host Jay Blades will also be back in the barn when the series returns. Jay, 54, was missing from the show earlier this year as he took a temporary break in the wake of his marriage split.
However, he’s since made an epic return to the small screen signing up for a slew of new projects including teaming up with entertainment industry icon Dame Judi Dench on the one-off Channel 4 programme, Dame Judi & Jay: The Odd Couple, which will air on Sunday August 18 at 9pm.
The Repair Shop premiered in 2017 and sees family heirlooms restored for their owners by numerous experts with a broad range of specialisms. Jay Blades acts as the foreman, with a talented team at work in the restoration process. Let's take a look at some of them.
The Repair Shop returns to BBC One on August 14.
