Tattoo Fixers is a British reality television series based in Hackney in London, broadcast on E4, from 23 June 2015 to 29 January 2019. The series follows some talented tattoo artists helping members of the public cover up some of the rudest and crudest tattoos by transforming them from extreme inking disasters into walking works of art.
| Tattoo Fixers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality television |
| Starring |
|
| Opening theme | Chris Lewis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 71 (+3 Specials) (as of 29 January 2019) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Tim Harcourt |
| Producer | Matthew J. Smith |
| Editors | Dom Bird Simone Haywood |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company | Studio Lambert |
| Original release | |
| Network | E4 |
| Release | 23 June 2015 – 29 January 2019 |
| Related | |
| Tattoo Nightmares Body Fixers | |
Cast
| Name | Series | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Cast members | ||||||||||||||
| Jay Hutton | ||||||||||||||
| Sketch Porter | ||||||||||||||
| Lou Hopper | ||||||||||||||
| Paisley Billings | ||||||||||||||
| Alice Perrin | ||||||||||||||
| Glen Carlos | ||||||||||||||
| Pash Canby | ||||||||||||||
| Uzzi Canby | ||||||||||||||
Episodes
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Series average (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 9 | 23 June 2015 | 18 August 2015 | 0.61 | |
| 2 | 15 | 22 December 2015 | 29 March 2016 | 0.99 | |
| 3 | 16 (+2 Specials) | 7 December 2016 | 28 March 2017 | TBA | |
| 4 | 17 (+1 Special) | 7 November 2017 | 27 March 2018 | TBA | |
| 5 | 15 | 17 September 2018 | 5 February 2019 | TBA | |
| 6 | 9 | 27 March 2019 | 22 May 2019 | TBA | |
Production
On 12 February 2015, Digital Spy announced that television channel, E4, would be commissioning a nine-part documentary series; The Tattoo Fixers.[1] However, it was later shortened to Tattoo Fixers. The series follows the same format as the American show Tattoo Nightmares.
The original cast of Tattoo Fixers included Jay Hutton, Sketch Porter, Lou Hopper and Paisley Billings.
For the second series, Hopper was replaced by Alice Perrin. All other cast members from series one returned.
In 2016 it was revealed that all cast members from the second series would return for the third series. These include Jay Hutton, Sketch Porter, Alice Perrin and Paisley Billings.
On 12 July 2017, the show announced that a new tattoo fixer would be joining the cast for the fourth series, Glen Carloss. All other cast members from series 3 returned. This also marked the first series to have four tattooists present.
In 2018 it was confirmed that Hutton would not be returning for the fifth series. It was later confirmed that the fourth series tattooist Glen Carloss would not return for another series. It was later revealed that Jay Hutton and Glenn Carloss replacements would be brothers from Devon, Pash and Uzzi Canby.
Tattoo Fixers was not renewed for a sixth season and although not confirmed no further series have aired since January 2019.
International broadcasts
In Australia, the series premiered on GO! on 2 September 2015.[2]
Spin-offs
In 2016, Channel 4 announced the commission of two Tattoo Fixers spin-offs. Tattoo Fixers on Holiday will be similar to the parent series but with a focus on tattoos picked up on holidays abroad, whilst Body Fixers will look at non-tattoo cosmetic alterations such as body piercing, hair dye and botox.[3][4] Casting calls for Body Fixers began to appear after episodes of Tattoo Fixers from February 2016 and the series began on 13 September 2016.[5]
Airing from April 2017, Tattoo Artist of the Year will be judged by Jay Hutton and Rose Hardy.[6]
Reception
Critical reception
Professional tattoo artists have been heavily critical of Tattoo Fixers, accusing the show of misrepresenting the industry.[7]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|
| National Television Award for "Factual Entertainment" | 2017 | Nominated |
References
- ^ Wightman, Catriona (12 February 2015). "E4 to fix terrible tattoos in new eight-part documentary". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
- ^ Knox, David (1 September 2015). "Airdate: Storage Hunters, Ghost Town Gold, South Beach Tow, Troy, Tattoo Fixers". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "E4 takes smash hit Tattoo Fixers on Holiday and extends to body fixing". 4 Press. Channel 4. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ Fletcher, Harry (3 February 2016). "Tattoo Fixers gets a holiday spinoff AND a Body Fixers series". Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ Weston, Alan (12 February 2016). "Makers of Tattoo Fixers are in Liverpool to cast for new body transformation show". Echo. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ "E4 Commissions Tattoo Artist of the Year Competition". Channel 4. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ Brennan, Ailis (29 March 2016). "Why do tattoo artists hate E4's Tattoo Fixers?". British GQ. Retrieved 25 April 2019.