# Will Kirk
**Will Kirk** (born 1985) is a British furniture restorer who specializes in woodwork and is best known as a restoration expert on the BBC television series *The Repair Shop*, which he joined at its start in 2017[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/). He runs his own London-based furniture restoration business and has appeared on several other BBC and [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) programs[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Profession | Furniture restorer specializing in woodwork; owner of a London-based restoration business founded in 2012[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [3](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/) |
| Signature show | *The Repair Shop* (BBC One), regular expert since the show began in 2017; co-foreman since 2024[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [4](https://www.tuko.co.ke/entertainment/tv-shows/636736-where-repair-shop-cast-s-what-2026/) |
| Education | Graphic Design at the University of the Arts; BA in Antique Furniture Restoration and Conservation, London Metropolitan University[3](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/) |
| Other television | *The Travelling Auctioneers* (co-presenter, series one, 2022), *BBC Morning Live*, *What To Buy and Why* (2015)[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) |
| Craft roles | Ambassador of the Heritage Crafts Association; Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) |
| Book | *Restore*, a Sunday Times bestseller, discussed at the Farnham Literary Festival in 2025[5](https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/televisions-master-craftsman-will-kirk-celebrates-repair-and-restoration-in-farnham-774627) |
## Training and workshop
Kirk's interest in antique furniture began in childhood, watching his grandfather restore pieces of furniture in his workshop[3](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/). He studied Graphic Design at the University of the Arts and then earned a BA in Antique Furniture Restoration and Conservation from London Metropolitan University[3](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/).
In 2012 he set up his London-based furniture restoration business, where he and his team of craftsmen have handled commissions ranging from family heirlooms to larger corporate contracts[3](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/). Radio Times describes the workshop as being in [South London](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-london), offering expertise in upholstery, wood carving, and cabinet making among other skills[2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/).
## Television career
Kirk's first television appearance came in 2013 on a Channel 4 series; [Penguin Random House](https://www.edgepedia.org/penguin-random-house) names it *The French Collection*, while Radio Times calls it *The French Connection*, a series following Brits who traveled to France to buy antiques and resell them in the UK[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/). He appeared on the BBC's *What To Buy and Why* in 2015[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/).
**The Repair Shop.** Kirk joined *The Repair Shop*, the BBC program in which members of the public bring prized possessions to a workshop barn to be restored, when the show began in 2017[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/). His background in carpentry and cabinetmaking means wood-related items, from doll's houses to jigsaw puzzles with missing pieces, come to him[6](https://thecelebreport.com/television/the-repair-shop-cast-who-are-the-experts-will-kirk-jay-blades-and-suzie-fletcher). After presenter [Jay Blades](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-blades) stepped down in 2024, Kirk and metalwork expert Dominic Chinea took over as co-foremen, sharing presenting duties; the show returned to [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) in March 2026 with both continuing to anchor it[4](https://www.tuko.co.ke/entertainment/tv-shows/636736-where-repair-shop-cast-s-what-2026/).
**Other programs.** In 2022 he co-presented the first series of *The Travelling Auctioneers* with auctioneer Christina Trevanion, taking a mobile auction house and workshop around the UK to help families identify items with auction potential[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/). He has been a series regular on *BBC Morning Live*, giving viewers advice on DIY projects[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/), and has appeared on *Celebrity MasterChef* and *Richard Osman's House of Games*[2](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/) • [6](https://thecelebreport.com/television/the-repair-shop-cast-who-are-the-experts-will-kirk-jay-blades-and-suzie-fletcher).
## Craft advocacy and public work
Kirk is an [Ambassador](https://www.edgepedia.org/ambassador) of the Heritage Crafts Association, the national charity for heritage craft skills, and has said he is passionate about supporting young people to pursue careers in woodwork and furniture restoration[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/) • [7](https://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/). He is also an Honorary Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers[1](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/).
He has appeared at public events connected to the repair movement. In March 2025 he was the guest star of a Repair + Restore event at Farnham Maltings during the Farnham Literary Festival, marking the tenth anniversary of the Farnham Repair Cafe, one of the country's oldest repair cafes; there he discussed his Sunday Times bestseller *Restore* and recalled memorable restorations from *The Repair Shop*[5](https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/televisions-master-craftsman-will-kirk-celebrates-repair-and-restoration-in-farnham-774627).
## Personal life
Kirk married Polly Snowdon in 2020, and the couple have young children; press reports in 2025 described him as a father of two[8](https://kiwipress.nz/blog/the-repair-shop-cast/) • [9](https://www.gbnews.com/celebrity/will-kirk-bbc-the-repair-shop-admission-gesture-daughter-important).
## References
1. [Will Kirk, Penguin Random House author page](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2304239/will-kirk/)
2. [Who is Will Kirk? The Repair Shop expert and The Travelling Auctioneers host, Radio Times](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/will-kirk-profile-instagram-age-explained/)
3. [Will Kirk, Ambassador, Heritage Crafts](https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/staff/will-kirk/)
4. [Where is The Repair Shop cast now? Here's what they're doing in 2026, Tuko](https://www.tuko.co.ke/entertainment/tv-shows/636736-where-repair-shop-cast-s-what-2026/)
5. [Television's master craftsman Will Kirk celebrates repair and restoration in Farnham, Farnham Herald](https://www.farnhamherald.com/news/televisions-master-craftsman-will-kirk-celebrates-repair-and-restoration-in-farnham-774627)
6. [The Repair Shop cast: Who are the experts Will Kirk, Jay Blades and Suzie Fletcher?, The Celeb Report](https://thecelebreport.com/television/the-repair-shop-cast-who-are-the-experts-will-kirk-jay-blades-and-suzie-fletcher)
7. [A Voice for Craft, Heritage Crafts](https://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/)
8. [The Repair Shop Cast: Meet the Experts and Their Personal Stories, Kiwi Press](https://kiwipress.nz/blog/the-repair-shop-cast/)
9. [Will Kirk makes BBC Repair Shop admission as he shares sweet gesture for young daughter, GB News](https://www.gbnews.com/celebrity/will-kirk-bbc-the-repair-shop-admission-gesture-daughter-important)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Pottery, handicrafts, and collecting › Studio pottery and pottery firms › Studio pottery movement and potters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license