A POPULAR TV presenter has made Bradford the focus for his latest heartwarming series.

In BBC Two's Jay's Workshop, Jay Blades, best known for presenting The Repair Shop, has been working closely with some of the city's residents.

Filmed in Bradford, Jay's Workshop follows a team of experts and trainees who have come together to make bespoke pieces of furniture for local heroes nominated to be part of the show by members of the public.

In each of the six episodes, Blades meets the special people receiving the furniture and hears why they have been put forward to receive this recognition.

Responsible for making the stunning designs in the workshop are three experts - Ciaran, Isabelle and Saf - along with six passionate woodworkers who hail from Yorkshire. Throughout the series we learn about the trainees' experience learning on the job, plus their personal reasons for being part of the show.

Jay said: "With this show, we are celebrating people who are not visible, so these are people in your community that are doing some outstanding community work, that are looking out for the most vulnerable in our society and they do it sometimes without any pay, or they just do it off their own back.

"Often, on the news, you have a lot of depressing stories; there's a lot of news that you'd rather not hear.

"But then when you are involved in a show such as this... And this was only one area, this was just in Yorkshire. Imagine the rest of the country."

There are 18 local heroes featured in total, and the host suggests they are the "real celebrities", rather than those we see on reality shows.

Jay said: "These are people that have not got a six-pack, a lovely set of white teeth, these are people that are just like us.

"These are normal people - and these normal people are doing some outstanding work.

"And I'm not knocking celebrities, because some of them do some really good community work. But when it comes to this, it's like, how many people are out there doing community work?

"I hope it does come back for a second series because I want to celebrate even more people."

There are many tear-jerking moments in the first episode alone - especially when we hear about Jack, who has been nominated by Connor.

"Connor explains to Blades that he had a life-threatening liver condition and, after posting on social media asking if anyone would be willing to donate half of their liver to try and save his life, Jack got in touch.

"Although they were complete strangers, following the operation they at first became friends, before becoming a couple - and they are now moving in together. So, Saf and his team take on the task of surprising Jack with a stunning mid-century sideboard for the new pad.

Discussing the couple's incredible love story, Jay said: "When I heard it, first of all, I was like, 'This isn't real!' It's a beautiful fairy tale, and even Disney couldn't write this story.

"Sometimes in life, you wish you could find love like that, and there you are right in front of it. That's a love story beyond all love stories, as far as I'm concerned - this person saved your life and now you're together."

Jay's Yorkshire Workshop starts on BBC Two on Wednesday, August 18.