Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Making It

  • How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life
  • By: Jay Blades
  • Narrated by: Damian Lynch
  • Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (423 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Making It cover art

Making It

By: Jay Blades
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Finding My Voice cover art
The Sun Over the Mountains cover art
Oh Miriam! cover art
Further Agony cover art
Madhouse cover art
Man with a Van cover art
The Two of Us cover art
Boy in a China Shop cover art
Everything Is Everything cover art
Daughter of the River Country cover art
Let Me Take You by the Hand cover art
Fact or Fiction cover art
Face the Music cover art
The Dreamer cover art
My Account cover art
The Passengers cover art

Summary

The Sunday Times bestseller, Making It is an inspirational memoir about beating the odds and turning things around even when it all seems hopeless, by Jay Blades, the beloved star of hit BBC One show The Repair Shop.

We had our hardships, and there were times that we didn’t have a lot of food and didn’t have a lot of money. But that didn’t stop me having the time of my life.

In his audiobook, Jay shares the details of his life, from his childhood growing up sheltered and innocent on a council estate in Hackney, to his adolescence when he was introduced to violent racism at secondary school, to being brutalized by police as a teen, to finally becoming the presenter of the hit primetime show The Repair Shop.

Jay reflects on strength, weakness and what it means to be a man. He questions the boundaries society places on male vulnerability and how letting himself be nurtured helped him flourish into the person he is today. An expert at giving a second life to cherished items, Jay’s positivity, pragmatism and kindness shine through these pages and show that with care and love, anything can be mended.

©2021 Jay Blades (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

Critic reviews

"Lynch dramatically conveys the diverse cultures, personalities and accents of Blades's world, and recounts how he coped with dyslexia and learned to 'upcycle' - repair items from a dump for resale - then taught homeless kids this marketable skill. Most memorable is Lynch's delivery of Blades's honesty, self-deprecating humour and can-do motto: If something's broken (including life), you can always find a way to put it together." (AudioFile)  

What listeners say about Making It

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    361
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    339
  • 4 Stars
    47
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    337
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic life story, very well read

This is a really interesting autobiography; kept me gripped to the end. Great choice of narrator brought the story to life. Fantastic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

JUST AMAZING 🙌🙌

If you only get to listen to one audiobook make it this one.
It was amazing and Jay as an inspiration.
Read so we'll had me gripped from start to finish.
Just shows you how you can do anything in life no matter where you come from or what circumstances.
Jay is simply a legend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal

Ground breaking bio, a relatable story written by an outstanding human being with so much love to give. Jay blades deserves an award for his stoicism and his resilience towards life's challenges.. Every family should have a copy on their bookshelf..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a very good read, had me rivetted to the end.

i was rivetted listening to the narrator, i think it was brilliantly read and the different accents used were authentic. i felt so sad that as a child Jay faced such racism and hatred by bigots. He has been very honest in this book and i liked his unique way of communicating with the boy in the children's home and gaining respect from the troubled youths. although its not a conventional method. i was sad when it came to the end of the story. its a story of twists and turns and Jay has come through this as a shining star. i think he has much more to do with helping disaffected young people. being able to build trusting relationships with them is not something that just anyone can do.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely brilliant

I loved it from the first few utterance. I thought it was Jay talking. Damian Lynch narrated brilliantly. I cried and laughed so much. Jay gives hope to the underdog, the unheard, the lost and the marginalised. I want to give this book to everyone. Jay is such a realist. I believe so many will identify with his life experiences. I simply couldn't put it down. Jay has lived a thousand lives, and it has made him the great man that he is today. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great read

Thank you Jay
I really enjoyed reading this book and felt it was honest and brave. Would love to see you on SCD though . Lol x

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well done Jay Blades for telling your story

We dine Jay Blades for telling your harrowing story of rasicism that could have destroyed you. despite this you have compassion and strength and became a likeable strong character who has managed dispite emotional wounds to stay on top. also to recognise the strength of love even when it's not from blood relatives.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A great listen

Excellent, Jay comes across on TV as a top bloke and this book confirms that. From his tough days as a kid and his mental health issues later in life it's amazing what he has achieved both professionally and personally. This book has everything, it's an eye opener, especially if you're had it easy in life ( which in comparison to Jay I most definitely have) . Enough of this rambling, just give it a listen!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

he kept going.... what a guy, great listen.

great listen, from a tough start he has really turned it around. Maws centre is great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jays life

It gives meaning to life itself, the struggles jay had as a child and how he has overcome them to become the man he is today, a strong man who is not scared to show emotion, constantly wanting to help others too. Brilliant true story I loved it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!