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Jay Blades has said British audiences have “never seen King Charles like this” during his performance at The Repair Shop.
Presenter Jay, 52, and the team visited Dumfries House in Scotland for a one-off episode to mark the TBEN’s centenary, filmed when Charles was still the Prince of Wales.
In The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit, which aired on TBEN One at 8pm on Wednesday, Charles needed help with an 18th-century bracket clock and a piece made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee by British ceramics maker Wemyss Ware.
Candid: Jay Blades has said British audiences have ‘never seen King Charles like this’ during his performance at The Repair Shop
He said the damaged 19th-century ceramic piece fell over when someone opened a window – “they didn’t win,” he joked.
Speaking to The Mirror, Jay described the King as “a real pleasure” to meet and said it was a “wow moment” to have him on the show.
He said, “People often say you should never judge a book by its cover, so never listen to what people say until you’ve met the real person yourself.
‘It was a real pleasure and an honor to work with him, just wait until you see it, you will be amazed. You never see him like that.’
Show: Presenter Jay, 52, and team visited Dumfries House in Scotland for a one-off TBEN centenary episode filmed when Charles was still the Prince of Wales
Jay previously spoke about the importance of Charles appearing on the show and speaking to someone “from a municipal estate.”
He said: ‘You have someone from a municipal estate and someone from a royal estate who have similar interests in apprenticeships and heritage crafts, and it’s incredible to see two people from so far apart, from different ends of the spectrum, have basically the same interests.’
In the episode, Charles met students from the Prince’s Foundation Building Craft Program – an education initiative that teaches traditional skills such as blacksmithing, stone carving and wood carving.
The monarch said: ‘I still think the great tragedy is the lack of vocational education in schools, actually not everyone is made for academia.
Helping hand: In The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit, which aired on TBEN One at 8pm on Wednesday, Charles needed help with an 18th-century bracket clock and a piece made for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee by British ceramics maker Wemyss Ware
“I know about The Prince’s Trust, I’ve seen the difference we can make for people with technical skills that we always need, I have the greatest admiration for people.
‘I think that was the biggest problem, it is sometimes forgotten. Internships are vital but for some reason they just gave up on the apprenticeship. It gives people intense satisfaction and reward.’
Charles said what he “really loves” is that students return as tutors year after year – “to fill the gaps in school,” he said.
Before the results are revealed, Charles asked the crew, “Have you solved this? The tension is killing me.’
The monarch also loaned Prince’s Foundation graduate Jeremy Cash to The Repair Shop to work with metalworking expert Dominic Chinea on a third item described as a fire in the shape of a soldier with a gripping story behind its existence.
Jay said: ‘It was a real joy and an honor to work with him, just wait until you see it, you will be amazed. You never see him like this
