THE owners of a fish and chip shop in Yate are preparing to take their 'plaice' in the spotlight when their business begins a new era. Julia and Kip Holbrook, who run Pisces on Station Road, are handing over the popular takeaway on Friday to their daughter Juki during a celebratory event which will be filmed for television.

The couple, who took over the fish bar from Mr Holbrook's father Jerry in 1988, have been followed by TV cameras for several weeks for BBC2 programme The Fixer, a documentary series with Alex Polizzi which follows family-run businesses and their ups and downs.

And on Friday (4-8pm), they will open a pop-up restaurant in the car park, where they will serve up complimentary drinks and nibbles from their new menu as advised by business expert Alex, for the finale of the episode on Pisces. Mrs Holbrook said: "The programme has been a very positive experience. "As a result we will be looking at sourcing more food locally including rolls from Hobbs House and burgers and sausages from their butchery. "We are talking to a lot more local suppliers as we feel it is important to support each other. That did come as a result from Alex but we had always thought that anyway."

Pisces will also be introducing new homemade items on its menu including its own recipe mushy peas, fish cakes and sauces. Mrs Holbrook, who has four other grown-up children, said although Pisces was well supported by the Yate community, it had struggled in recent times. "The main problem we have found is the cost of producing our product," she said. "It is not really an easy market to be in. "Another part of the reason we have struggled is because it is very difficult running a family business. We have different ideas and that always causes a little bit of upset."

Pisces was started by Jerry Holbrook and his friend Arthur Haynes from the front room of a house in North Road, Yate in 1948 with compensation Mr Holbrook received from an eye injury sustained as a stonemason. It moved to a wooden hut on Westerleigh Road in 1953, complete with a coal fire range, before opening in what was a greengrocers on Station Road in 1958. Taking over the business on his own, Mr Holbrook named the restaurant the Fish and Chip Saloon before it became Pisces in 1974. Mr HolbrookÕs granddaughter Juki, 25, will take over the running of the restaurant this year, with assistance from her parents. BBC2 has not yet announced when it will show The Fixer episode featuring Pisces. All are welcome to the event, call 01454 312220 for more details.