Inside The Repair Shop narrator Bill Paterson's life from 'most treasured' item to his Miriam Margolyes tie

Actor Bill Paterson has been a staple on The Repair Shop since 2017 as the beloved show's narrator.

The heartwarming BBC series is back this evening, Wednesday, November 27, for a trip down memory lane with the Scottish star, 79, reminiscing on some of the show’s most memorable moments.

And with the House Of The Dragon star making a rare appearance in the series, fans are eager to know more about his life away from the iconic barn.

Alternative careers

Born in Glasgow in June 1945, Paterson was brought up by his plumber dad and his hairdresser mum, gaining an interest in acting after a school trip to the Citizens Theatre in the early 1960s.

But initially, he decided to pursue a career in architecture, telling The Herald: "I spent three years as a quantity surveyor’s apprentice before going to drama college.

"I love architecture but if you were keen on the preservation of buildings, the 1960s was not the time to do it. There was an awful lot of disappointment.

"Every day you went out there was another part of Glasgow hitting the dust. To be enthusiastic about preservation, you were definitely going against the grain. It wasn’t a great time to be keen on reassessing and reusing buildings."

There was also a time when Paterson considered a life at sea: "I nearly joined the Navy because I really did like boats.

"I almost got caught up in that life but it is kind of lucky I didn’t because I realise that if I had become an officer in the Royal Navy – I filled out all the forms to apply – I would have been reaching my heyday about the time of the Falklands War. I would have been there, rather than in Guys and Dolls.

"The thing about acting is that you can go on indefinitely provided all the faculties are still working. There is nobody saying 'Well, that’s it, you have to stop now.' In many other jobs, you aren’t going to be physically capable of some things, but you can get away with an awful lot of kid-on in acting."

Treasured item

During an interview with The Guardian, the Fleabag and Miss Potter star shared that his "most treasured possession" was a handwritten postcard by author Enid Blyton.

He had received the postcard after his dad had written to the novelist and she personally wrote back to the youngster.

Sharing the message on Between The Covers, he said: "'I had such a nice letter from your father and instead of writing him, I’m sending you a card instead.

"'I love writing the stories as much as you love reading them. Give my love to your good father, very best wishes, love from Enid Blyton.' I’ve treasured it ever since."

Family

Paterson has been married to German costume designer Hildegard Bechtler since 1984 and share a son and daughter together.

Hildegard, who lives with her husband in north London, shared her initial feelings towards Paterson during a 1994 interview with The Independent.

Talking of how they met, she said: "It was my first job, a crazy play called Ella which was a monologue by a man in a frock surrounded by live chickens.

"I was very attracted to him [Paterson] and I thought it was mutual. During rehearsal I saw him riding by on his bicycle - he didn't see me - and I felt such a thrill, I was on a high for the rest of the day."

Miriam Margolyes

Paterson is close friends with Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes who he first met while filming The Lost Tribe in 1980.

It was during their time on set together that they decided to make a financial commitment to one another.

She explained to The Sunday Post while discussing her travel series with actor Alan Cumming in 2021: "I must say I showed Alan the little house in Fordyce near Portsoy (in Aberdeenshire) that Bill Paterson and I bought.

"We were in a television series (in 1980) called The Lost Tribe written by Jack Ronder. The cottage was the location and Bill and I bought it and did it up. It was going to be demolished. I like to think we saved it. It is still there."

The Repair Shop

Paterson narrated the very first season of the BBC show, before taking a break for series two to four with actor Robert Pugh as his replacement.

Since then, he has continued to narrate The Repair Shop but admits that he doesn’t feel his role is very important.

He commented: "The joy really is to watch fantastically skilled people who are very articulate about what they do. Until you do it yourself you don’t realise what a terrible hash you could make of it. But not one of them does.

"I don’t do much, there’s not a huge amount of narration in The Repair Shop. It’s mostly down to these experts who happily do most of the talking, which is a lot more interesting than my voiceover overstaying its welcome. The good thing is you get to hear the real people who know what they’re talking about speak."

The Repair Shop continues every Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.