EXCLUSIVE: The BBC will not remove content from iPlayer featuring Jay Blades after it was revealed that The Repair Shop presenter is facing rape charges.
The BBC’s position means that 13 seasons of The Repair Shop will remain on its streaming service as legal proceedings play out against Blades.
This includes an episode from Season 10, in which King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) visited the beloved unscripted show’s Weald and Downland Living Museum set.
The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit remains on iPlayer. It sparked a flurry of headlines at the time because Blades and King Charles got on well, with the presenter breaking royal protocol by touching the monarch.
Produced by Warner Bros. Discovery-owned Ricochet, the show follows a group of experts who lovingly restore people’s treasured possessions. King Charles got a Victorian clock restored on his visit.
While the BBC is standing by Blades’ content on iPlayer, the presenter has not appeared in new episodes of The Repair Shop since last year. The corporation will also not air shows in which he features on TV. The BBC declined to comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.
In a statement on Monday evening, West Mercia Police said that Blades, 55, will appear in court to face two counts of rape on August 13. His rep has been contacted for comment.
The rape allegations follow a separate charge against Blades last year relating to controlling and coercive behavior, which he has denied. Blades is currently awaiting trial on these separate allegations and was expected to appear at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday for a pre-trial review.
The BBC carefully weighs decisions over iPlayer content starring presenters accused of wrongdoing. Director-general Tim Davie has previously said the BBC is reluctant to censor output, though the corporation did remove Huw Edwards content from iPlayer — including a Doctor Who episode that was re-edited — after the newsreader pleaded guilty to accessing child abuse images.
