[David G4EBT]

I'm glad it's not just me then.

Dire.

I stopped watching the earlier series when they described self-styled 'experts' as 'skilled craftsmen' and 'artisans'. In the last series a young chap billed as an 'antique restorer' was (allegedly) restoring a pipe rack. A brass ferrule was missing so the guy who is on the metalworking lathe turned a new ferrule. It was slightly oversized on a trial fit, so needed a smidgen to be taken off. The 'antique restorer' thought it could be made to fit into the delicate wooden pipe-rack by hammering it into the hole, with predictable results. Giggles all round, and out came the superglue to bodge it back together again.

In yesterday's episode, his task was to replace some missing rosewood veneer on the base of a skeleton clock. The original veneer would have been applied using hide glue. I think he used PVA, then instead of using fine sandpaper (no coarser than 320g) to blend it in with rest of the veneer, sanding with the grain, he used a sanding disc in an electric drill. I guess he then slapped a coat of Ronseal on rather than French polish. I'd lost interest by then.

Basically, it's just daytime TV light entertainment on a tight budget for the hard of thinking. One to miss.

Makes me realise how lucky I was to have grown up in an era when schools had well equipped woodworking and metalworking workshops and we were taught craft skills by committed and highly skilled craft teachers, followed by an apprenticeship, C&G exams, with 'pride in the job' imbued from an early age.