Fans of The Repair Shop were left screaming out loud and too scared to look at the screen when a woman revealed her unusual toy.

On Wednesday’s instalment of the BBC show’s nostalgic special Favourite Fixes, guest Emma brought in her toy puppet from the 1970s named Billy Willy.

She explained to teddy bear restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch, that the clown puppet was gifted to her as a child by her father before he died.

Billy Willy accompanied Emma wherever she went and holds a lot of sentimental value, but unfortunately he had sustained a crack on his face and had lost a leg, which was accidentally pulled off.

However, some viewers were left so petrified at the sight of the ‘scary’ clown puppet that they were unable to watch the show when he appeared on their screens.

On social media site X, one wrote: ‘Just screamed out loud because a bloody great big clown has come on the telly.’

On Wednesday’s instalment of the BBC show’s nostalgic special Favourite Fixes, guest Emma brought in her toy puppet from the 1970s named Billy Willy

She explained to teddy bear restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch, that the clown puppet was gifted to her as a child by her father before he died

Billy Willy accompanied Emma wherever she went and holds a lot of sentimental value, but unfortunately he had sustained a crack on his face and had lost a leg, which was accidentally pulled off

‘I hate clowns. I hate puppets. So I can’t look but I’m happy it’s sentimental to someone,’ a second said.

Someone else joked: ‘The evil clown will rock in its chair at midnight and then come walking to your bed to stir you from your slumber…’

Another viewer reminisced over how ‘most toy shops would have displays of marionettes and ventriloquist dolls’ back in the day but admitted that they ‘always looked really creepy’.

Emma broke down in tears when she was reunited with her beloved puppet after his restoration.

She thanked The Teddy Bear Ladies, remaking that ‘he looks like when he was new’.

Emma later said: ‘I’m so impressed with what they’ve done with Billy Willy. I think it would mean so much to my dad. 

‘Maybe when Dad brought this for me, he knew that I needed something that was going to make me smile, and it definitely makes me smile and cry!’

One fan, who did not share the same disdain for the puppet as others, wrote: ‘I love Billy Willy.’ 

The Repair Shop airs on BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer.