E4’s six-series ratings hit plants its pop-up parlour in Hackney and invites the one in six Britons who regret their ink to confess the story behind the misspelt lyric, the ex’s face or the lewd cartoon on their thigh. After a brisk consultation, the client picks one design from competing sketches by resident artists Jay Hutton, Sketch Porter, Alice Perrin or whichever sibling combo of Canby brothers is currently holding the needle. The clock resets, the arm is swabbed and the reveal is filmed in glossy 4K, usually accompanied by a gasp that doubles as the episode’s money shot.
The format, borrowed from US show Tattoo Nightmares, proved elastic enough to survive multiple cast shuffles: Lou Hopper departed after series one, Hutton and Glen Carloss exited before the fifth run, and twins Pash and Uzzi arrived to keep the chair warm. Studio Lambert produced 85 hour-long episodes plus three specials between 2015 and 2019, clocking an average 0.9 million viewers at peak and earning a National Television Award nomination for Factual Entertainment in 2017. Spin-offs Tattoo Fixers on Holiday and Body Fixers followed, proving the brand could stretch from Magaluf sunburn to botox.
Professional tattooists weren’t fans, arguing the programme sanitises pain, healing time and artistic consent into a tidy before-and-after package. Their criticism never dented the ratings, but the channel quietly let the licence lapse after the sixth run, leaving the parlour lights off since May 2019.
Production Details
E4 / 6 Seasons / 85 Episodes / 2015
Created by: Jamie-Lee Ingram
Producer(s): Matthew J. Smith
Main Cast
Sketch as Self - Tattoo Artist
Paisley Billings as Self - Receptionist
Chris Jarman as Opening Narration (voice)
Alice Perrin as Self - Tattoo Artist
Jay Hutton as Self - Tattoo Artist
Pash Canby as Self - Tattoo Artist
Uzzi Canby as Self - Tattoo Artist
Glen Carloss as Self - Tattoo Artist
Louisa 'Lou' Hopper as Self - Tattoo Artist
