The Repair Shop's Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch were utterly gobsmacked in the latest episode of the beloved BBC series. On Wednesday night, viewers saw the pair meet Jill Purves and her daughter Vickie, who brought along a rather special guest to the barn - Bulbous the Elephant, a puppet with a history linked to the iconic BBC show featuring Muffin the Mule.
As they stepped into the workshop, Jill recounted how she acquired Bulbous at a puppet auction, saying: "I believe he worked in the BBC programme with Muffin the Mule. I thought, right, I'd love to have him!". Muffin the Mule was a trailblazer, starring in the first British TV series for children back in the 1940s, with Bulbous being an additional character on the show.
Julie couldn't hide her excitement, exclaiming: "I'm a little starstruck!" while Vicki chimed in, acknowledging: "It's quite a famous character.". Amanda couldn't resist calling their item a 'celebrity' before probing further into its backstory. Jill shared that she and her husband have been puppeteers for years and still perform, hoping to feature Bulbous in their toy theatre museum, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Unfortunately, a fire had left the cherished puppet with smoke damage, leading Vicki to explain: "He's in a bit of a sorry state, the poor thing. It's quite a rare puppet, a very special puppet to us because you get so attached.". The conversation turned to restoration as Julie inquired about the desired repairs, with Jill suggesting a clean-up, fixing his trunk, and proper restringing.
However, when the two BBC icons began their detective work on the beloved character, they uncovered a startling find in the puppet's depths. Julie first voiced her suspicion upon discovering a hidden layer, saying: "I'm pretty sure, this is the original Bulbous under here.".
Amanda then spotted signs of a previous attempt at fixing the notorious puppet, and Julie suggested the double lining was perhaps a way to try and repair it originally. Upon presenting the refurbished puppet to Jill and Vickie, they were astounded by the transformation achieved by Amanda, Julie, and expert David Burville.
A thrilled Jill exclaimed: "Oh wow! What a difference, he's much fresher! You've done the trunk, look at the trunk Victoria. You've done a lovely job, you really have.". But the surprises didn't stop there—they revealed to the mother-daughter duo the concealed layer found during their initial inspection, effectively giving them back two Bulbouses.
