Jay Blades

Jay is a modern furniture restorer, sustainability advocate, social entrepreneur and broadcaster, presenting the award-winning BBC show The Repair Shop and Money for Nothing.

Brought up by his mother on a council estate in Hackney, Jay’s journey has taken many twists and turns. Jay is dyslexic and, after leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, he eventually managed to get back on track studying for a degree in criminology and philosophy at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU). He then found his true vocation in restoration and supporting vulnerable people in our society through his former charity, Out of The Dark.

Jay is a man whose personality, enthusiasm, and empathy shines brightly every week in millions of homes across the UK as the host of BBC One’s extraordinarily successful ‘The Repair Shop’. The six-foot three dapper furniture restorer with the flat cap, bold glasses and gold tooth is a truly unique presence on mainstream television. He is the antithesis of the throwaway culture that surrounds us, believing that the old can become new, the worn can shine again, and the broken can be fixed. It is perhaps no coincidence that his belief in the restoration of objects stems from a belief that humans too can be repaired, fixed and rejuvenated. He is the living embodiment of that. A man whose backstory will give you an idea of the hurdles that he has had to overcome, and how those considerable challenges make the ascent to where he is today seem all that more impressive.

Jay released a documentary, Learning to Read at 51, an intimate and revealing film that went behind closed doors to see how he organized his upholstery business without the written word, manages on The Repair Shop without scripts and struggles each day with his vowels and consonants as he tries to learn phonics.

Jay is an inspirational mentor and has the ability to encourage individuals to think differently and realise their full potential so if your are interested in booking Jay for your next event, please contact a Prime Performers Booking Agent on 020 3500 3331 or email info@primeperformers.co.uk