Chris Shaw, star of BBC programme The Repair Shop, has revealed one particular project that will forever hold a special place in his heart and the touching reason it meant so much to him professionally.

Viewers of the programme will already be familiar with Chris providing expertise in bookbinding on the beloved show. Restoring publications is his specialist craft and involves the physical construction of books.

The process encompasses a variety of distinctive techniques, including manual folding, stitching and adhesive work using traditional tools, approached as an exact skill.

The restoration specialist has become a cherished member of the BBC team since his first appearance in 2019, working alongside the likes of Will Kirk, Steve Fletcher, Kirsten Ramsay, and Dominic Chinea, who all comprise the group of skilled experts in the television workshop.

During a recent chat with the Radio Times, Chris remembered one specific item that he'll "never forget," a family treasure that held enormous significance for its owners and everyone featured within the publication, reports Gloucestershire Live.

During the programme, Chris was presented with an extraordinary piece that will remain with him always, writing in his column: "The Repair Shop viewers will know that ordinary books can tell us so much about our social history, the fabric of our nation or the world. They are as important as the highbrow history tomes on the shelf.

"Of all the items I've restored in my career, I will never forget the Haggadah," he said, referring to the book that listed all of the survivors from Theresienstadt concentration camp.

Chris elaborated: "It's an account of survival, an important record of the era and a treasured family possession. I've remained in touch with its owner, the grandson of two survivors. He's gone on to trace every single person on that list."

In the same feature, the skilled bookbinder expressed serious worries about the future of book restoration. Discussing his trade, Chris voiced his concern that "the art of protecting the text of a book" was tragically "dying out".

The television personality also shared how his career had started by accident, revealing he'd "struggled academically" and felt his job as a labourer on a building site was leading nowhere.

At the age of 17, he turned to his love of books and enrolled in a college course to delve deeper into his passion. It was then that he forged a career in bookbinding, and as they say, the rest is history.

The Repair Shop is currently avaiable to view on BBC iPlayer.