03x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

It's the quarterfinal, and this
week we've decided to go al fresco

and take our five remaining
potters back to basics.

I've got me marshmallows, me
sleeping bag and even me crampons -

best to be prepared.

This week, we're camping
by a pit fire.

Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Last time...

..the potters
were on the tiles...

I need a shower, my knickers
are ringing and everything.

..and the chimney pots...

It's probably the biggest
thing I've made on a wheel.

..as Matt raised the roof
with his fireplace...

I'm really impressed with
what you've presented to us.

..to secure his first
Potter of the Week title.

Pretty blown away by it.

But after more issues
with his finishing...

BLEEP. Oh, no, Ronaldo!

You're trying to get that finish,
are you? Yeah, just for you.

..it was Ronaldo's time to go.

Ronaldo.

This time...

..the potters are all fired up
for the quarterfinal...

Hoping to cause chemical chaos.

..and an all-night pit firing
of their ginger jars.

I'm going to be too
excited to sleep.

There's a spot test that needs
to be up to scratch...

It's my nightmare, this one.

..but who will fire themselves
into the semifinal...

That's amazing!

..and who will go down in flames?

SHE GROANS

Gutted.

MUSIC: Making Time
by The Creation

# Making time

# sh**ting line

# People have their uses

# People have their uses... #

It's an early start for
the five remaining potters.

For the quarterfinals, Sue and Keith
have set the largest and longest

challenge of the competition so far.

I did not ever expect
I would get this far.

I'd love to make it to the final.
I'd love to win it.

Yeah, there's nowhere to hide now,

and rely on someone else
having a bad day.

I'm coming after Matt's title
this week

I want to get Potter of the Week
again. It's a good feeling.

This week is pit fire.

We're going to have
a marvellous time.

Let's hope I have something to fire.

The pressure'll be on
those top throwers.

People aren't expecting a lot
from little old me,

and so I've got no real pressure.

Morning, potters.
Welcome to the quarterfinals.

Well done, all of you.

Now for your main make this week,

you're going to be camping out
with your pots by a pit fire.

Sue and Keith have got
a little bit spicier,

because they'd like you
to throw ginger jars.

So we need two traditional
ginger jars from you.

They always have a really nicely
rounded shoulder,

with a domed lid and a
knob on the top.

It needs to fit neatly
into the neck of the jar,

and we want to see a flange
in the gallery in that lid.

The largest needs to be 50cm,
and the smallest needs to be

25cm tall.

You've got three hours to
build your two ginger jars

and you've got 90 minutes
to refine them,

and your time starts now.

Game on. The classic ginger jar
was designed by the ancient Chinese

to transport valuable spice
to the West,

and its iconic form has remained
unchanged for thousands of years.

It seems like the biggest challenge
about throwing.

Throwing large scale's
usually my thing,

so really looking forward to it.

Normally, I think I feel OK,

but people's skills here
is absolutely fantastic,

so getting a bit scared now.

The ginger jar form,
it's so fluent and elegant.

When I was a kid,

the local chemist used to
have a series of ginger jars.

I always used to remember seeing
them in the shop window.

It's really interesting
how we still use them,

but not as a functional piece,
but as a decorative piece.

Well, yeah. I mean,
I think it's very telling

that the form of the ginger jar has
just transcended the ages, really.

What we're looking for
is those striking curves.

I mean, this is a classic shape.

That really lovely shoulder,
it's got to be really rounded

and then come into a really nice
sleek curve like that.

Absolutely. A bit like you.
Yeah, like me. Yeah.

Yeah. With a dome on the top
for a head.

What's so classic about that
is the lid as well.

If it can have a flange like
this on the top, you know,

it's like the brim of a hat,
isn't it? That's fantastic.

And then a really nice
finial on the top there.

Yeah. There is room for
interpretation,

but they have to be
very, very careful.

It's a very classic shape
that we're asking them to do.

But marrying it with another ancient
practice of pit firing -

one's really elegant and beautiful
and the other one's really rugged,

isn't it? Yeah. And ferocious.

They're going to be placing these
ginger jars literally into a pit,

and it's probably the most irregular
firing process you can imagine.

So they need to be robust enough,
don't they, to survive that firing.

To make jars strong enough
to survive the pit,

the potters have just three hours,
and then once dry,

another 90 minutes to refine them.

I have made ginger jars before.
So I kind of know the shape.

It's just a wide neck
and a narrowing foot,

so can't really go wrong.

Shouldn't say that.

Despite his experience, Jacob is
sticking with the classic ginger jar

form, with traditional lids and
his own maker's mark in Chinese.

My inspiration is just a really
traditional wide shoulder

and then really narrow neck in,
and then out at the bottom.

Are you going to do any relief
work on the pot at all

or anything like that? No. So I'm
going to keep this really smooth.

I'm really after those curves...
That's what I'm after.

Well, I mean, this challenge is
really all about shape, isn't it...

Yeah... and then that reaction that
we get with the pit firing?

Absolutely.

I've never made a jar before.

Jacob seems to make
them all the time,

so he's well-practised, I think.

But it's basically just
a vase and a bowl.

For his first ever ginger jar,
Matt's going geometric once again,

with three bands representing
the beach, the sea

and sunset at the beach
in Silverdale in Lancaster,

and angular rather than
rounded shoulders.

And that's not the only
convention he's breaking.

They're nearly going to be
as wide as they are high.

So it's quite square in its
kind of dimensions, in a way.

Yeah, but I'll go on high.
If it looks right, I'll leave it.

I'm not aiming for a width,
but it should be about that.

Whilst Matt's relying on his
eye for form...

All right.

..Claire's leaving absolutely
nothing to chance.

This is my plan, in one page
basically, with a little flip over.

This is all my clay weights
and measurements and what order

I'm going to do everything in,
and these are my to-scale dimensions

of exactly what I'm doing.

Claire has calculated over 40
individual weights and measurements

to perfect two classic ginger jars,

which she plans to embellish with
some subtle but precise details.

Can you tell me about the detail
that you're going to include

on your foot? Yeah. So I'm going
to be turning out a foot ring,

and I'm going to have a nice
scalloped edge under... I see.

..under the edge of the foot ring
to try and really lift it

off the table. And are both your
lids going to have the same finial

accent on them? I've actually scaled
these to size,

that they are identical but half.

THEY CHUCKLE

OK. Of course you have. Of course
you have, yeah. Course I have.

You know, looking at all of these...
I wouldn't be me if I didn't.

That's exactly how I'd work.

Doing a shape like this,
I'd have my drawing like that

and I'd probably do some scribbles
on the table to make sure

the pieces would fit together.

And actually, it being the
quarterfinals,

that's what we're looking for. We're
looking for something that's really,

really well-made.

Almost got the shape for the first
one, just getting that belly

and neck on it.

Jacob and Matt already seem to be
well on their way to providing

the judges with what
they've demanded.

Oh, you smashed it out, as well.

Oh. Nice one, mate. Cheers, mate.
Cheers, cheers.

But whilst the smaller ginger jar
can be thrown relatively quickly...

As you round it out,
it loses height,

and I didn't want it to just sink,
and I chickened out.

Hopefully, it won't be too big.

..this quarterfinal is about
to get a lot more demanding.

This is the start of the big one.

My bigger pieces are
broken down into sections.

I'll throw the top part of the
pot first and then the base,

and then I'll take that piece
and join it on.

It'll be the biggest two-section
I've thrown.

I don't want to risk it, so I'm
going to do it in two pieces.

Most of the potters have chosen
to throw their large jars

in two sections, to be joined later.

I decided to do the big one in two,
because if the good throwers

do it in two, I probably
should do it in two.

But Matt is still trusting
his eye for form.

I'm going to throw my piece in one.

I'm hoping it'll just protect
the clay a little bit more

through the firing process.

Not having any joins is really going
to help with that, in theory.

And he's not the only one hoping
to pull off a large pot in one.

I'm going to have a go at
throwing the big one now.

I'm going to centre this bit first,
and then put another bit on top.

Rosalind plans to combine
two lumps of clay,

to throw her interpretation of a
large oriental-style ginger jar

for a pair that will have
tall lids, ornate finials

and surface detailing.

I've got a hand inside pushing out,
and one on the outside pushing in.

I want to try and go for
the ginger jar shape.

Trying to get a shoulder.

The judges have demanded
a matching pair.

So this is the top of my big one.

So whether throwing in one
or two sections,

the potter's large jar should echo
the shape of their smaller one.

Just stretching the clay out,
just trying to get this shape right.

Something that one potter doesn't
seem particularly concerned about.

My taller one is less round.

So that's the masculine one,

and then the little one is going
to be round and feminine.

So the large one's the male... Yes.
..and the small one's the female?

Yes. Jolly good. Yes.

I get that.

I'm there, I'm with you.
It's simple, isn't it?

Rosa is the only potter attempting
to throw two distinct shapes,

and she's considering making her
contrasting male and female jars

even more complicated.

Are you doing any surface
decoration on there at all?

It's been debatable.

So the idea was that
I was going to do this.

I'm going to say it wrong... Corp,
curp? Carp. Carp. Carp. Yes, fish.

So I thought I should really do
Chinese and not make anything else

than what they're supposed to be.

Well done.

It's always good to be doing the
thing we've asked you to do. Yes.

Week eight. Yes, it's only
week eight. Well done. Yeah.

So you are doing the fish?
Oh, I don't know. I don't know.

There's issues with the time is one,
other one is,

it could weaken certain parts.

So maybe it's just a male
and a female, but no fish.

Potters, you're halfway through. You
need to have your jars, your lids,

your knobs, your flange
and your gallery sorted

by the end of this part
of the challenge.

I'm not entirely convinced
about the shape of this,

so I might do it again.

Whilst Matt may be losing faith
in his instinct for form...

So now I was going to join these.

..it's the moment of truth for
the jars made in two pieces.

It should be OK, potentially.

Unless they've measured the diameter
of their top and base precisely,

they'll risk ruining the iconic,
elegant sweep of the ginger jar -

or worse.

You never quite know, do you?

Because it's going in the pit fire,
and it could crack where my join is.

It's looking all right.
Everything seems to be in line.

As Jacob's experience looks
like it's paying off...

..Claire's detailed plan
is coming together.

Don't you just love it
when a measurement works out?

Yes, it's so good. I'm so pleased.

You've done another one of those?

Yes. What are you like?
Such a show off.

Well, I wasn't quite happy
with it, and...

So you've got the choice?
Yeah. Which is lovely.

I hope the next bit goes
as smoothly as this.

The judges are expecting
each jar to be sealed

with a separately thrown lid.

So this is the bit here,
that's the flange.

There's the bit that kind of
overlaps the edge of the pot.

Trying to get a bigger lip for it.

And whilst aiming for the perfect
fit will be hard enough...

I just have to check
my measurements now...

Flange, let's go out a little bit.

..each one will also need
the classic ginger jar finial.

I like your knob, Jacob.
Thanks, mate, thanks.

Aw. He's flattering you. Yeah.

So this is my knob
for the male pot.

Now finials is the posh name for
knobs, isn't it? That is it, yeah.

Right, a finial.

But, it's... Much more elegant. A
finial has got a lot more elaborate

turns in it.
And a knob's just a knob?

Like a door knob. Yeah.

A finial you can imagine that it's
all sort of tapered

and finer on the tip,
more bulbous at the base. Yeah.

OK. Well, thanks for clearing
that up. That's all right. Yeah.

This is a little moulding I made.

It's just a bit of credit card.

Gives it a beautiful,
beautiful finish.

Very proud of this.

Potters, you've got 45 minutes
left and that is it.

Better get my skates on.

I'm just going to start,
like, burnishing it all.

Just going over it with a rubber
kidney, and it presses all

the impurities back into the clay,
and brings the clay to the surface,

which makes it shiny.

I tend to go up and down the join
line with a serrated kidney,

just to make sure the
join's really secured.

I think the join is OK.

Doesn't look bad at all.

So I wanted to do the ridges so
that I could put a bit of chattering

and it not get sort of lost.

I found this bit of rubber texture
my husband kindly made.

It's a home-made roller. So just
going to try and push that in.

That's looking better, isn't it?

This is the small jar,
though it's a bit big.

I looked around and mine are
definitely not up to scratch,

so I'm drawing on some fishes.

Everybody else is so bloody good,
I have to do something, don't I?

Potters, you've got
ten minutes left.

Remember, everything has
to be in the drying room.

Um...

That'll do.

So you did decide to
go for the fish?

This is what I'm good at, isn't it?
In the last ten minutes! Of course!

Are you crazy?

Oh, doesn't it make a difference?

Do you want me to hold it?
Is that heavy? It's all right.

All right.
Stop talking to me, get cleaning.

Cheers, mate. Seriously.

One minute before your ginger jars
have to be in the drying room.

How's it going, Rosa? Oh, it's
marvellous, Mel. Let me see.

Shall we talk about the weather? 44.

SHE SNAPS

44 and a half, actually. Yeah.

Excellent. Do you want me take one
in for you, Rosa? Yes.

Just Claire and Rosa. Any one.

Do you want to take the
big one? Yeah, sure.

Ten seconds, guys!

Take the big one. Nine...
The lid is a bit wobbly.

..eight...

..seven...

..six...

..five...

..four...

..three...

..two...

..one.

That's it.

Time's up.

Well done, everybody.

Well done!

Well done.

It's all the right size, so I think
that approach actually worked

cos it's the first time
I didn't feel panicked.

My jar didn't turn out
as wide as it was tall,

but I think you have to eye it up,

and the proportions
seem right for me.

So I just left it where it was.

Look at my knobs.

They're not as I planned them,
but there are fishes.

I could be in a bit of danger,

because the others
are just so superb.

So I go into the drying room
with them and then there's these

stunning ones there and you think,
"Oh, one day."

Pretty nervous.

I think my pieces might
be a little bit heavy.

So it's a lot more likely, things
blowing up in the pit firing.

I just need to be
a bit wary of that.

It's the same weight as
mine, mate. Oh. Sound.

Mine's just girthier.

In between the stages
of their main make,

the potters have another chance
to impress the judges

and help clinch a place
in the semifinal.

But they have no idea
what the second challenge will be.

This week, it's a Spot Test.

Keith and Sue would like you
to sgraffito two jugs.

So, Keith, what is sgraffito?

So, sgraffito decoration
is to scratch through a layer

to reveal another,
usually of a contrasting colour.

Your designs need to be inspired
by the elements.

Earth, wind, water or fire.

OK, and because
this is the quarterfinal,

it's gonna be judged blind.

So, Sue and Keith, would you like
to leave the pottery, please?

Off you go.

OK, potters, you've got 90 minutes
and your time...,

..starts now. Remove the hessian.

Sue and Keith have given
each potter two jugs

and an identical set of tools
with which to carve their designs.

Scared to touch it!

This is my nightmare, this one.

When you're sort of faced
with just a blank canvas,

it's, like, where to make
the first mark?

What on earth can I put
down to represent those elements?

Fbb!

I haven't a clue what to do.

So, we'll start with a line!

I've never done it before.

It's... scratching, innit?

Matt's going back to the beach again
for his sgraffito design.

My inspiration for the pit firing
was a beach in Silverdale,

where I used to go and have
bonfires with my mates.

So, there's fire from the bonfires
I used to have, the bay

and then there's actually
a wind farm right off Morecambe Bay,

as well. So, I'm gonna sgraffito
that design,

what that bay looks like.

I really do like drawing.

I used to have a children's
clothes company

and I had a signature print
each season,

where I designed the print
on each of the clothes.

I really enjoy it a lot.

Confident in her drawing skills,

Rosa has a clear plan for her jugs.

So, this is the water, the waves.

And this is the earth.

And this is the fire
from the volcano.

And this is all the trees.

And then it goes down to the water
again, to the waves.

Earth, wind, water, fire.

So, I kind of go with, like,
an autumny kind of season.

The wind blowing.

Wind. Leaves.

Yeah! Go with that.

Any of the decorative challenges,
I have done absolutely diabolical.

Like, I am just bottom of
the board, last.

So, I'm aiming high.

But, you know.

Morning, Claire. Good morning.

When I mentioned sgraffito,
your little face crumpled.

What was...? Did it?! It did!

Yeah, well, it's not my thing,
but we'll give it a go.

It's not gonna be
the most wonderful decorated jug
in the world,

but we'll have a bit of fun.

For Jacob's jugs, a very familiar
territory.

Soon as they said sgraffito, I
just thought, "Chinese landscape"

to keep in tune with
the ginger jars.

So with the bamboo and the
rock faces

and then some, like, Chinese clouds.

I'm gonna do some water along the
bottom, as well.

Going for the more dramatic
elements of the British landscape,

is Storm Rosalind.

I'm just scratching out, like,
a windy, windswept tree

and some water and some mountains.

It does remind me a bit of
holidays in the Lake District,

where you would have lots of windy,
wet days and campfires, too.

So far, so good, hey?

Unfortunately, Jacob is well good
at this, as well. And Rosalind.

I haven't won a Spot Test or
Throw Down yet.

Today's gonna be the day.

It's Jacob's dream to
win a Spot Test.

And I told him that this week isn't
gonna to be his week.

Running out of challenges!

He told me last week
that he was coming for me, so...

I'm gonna do everything that
I can to stop that from happening.

Sgraffito is all about precision
and a steady hand,

as once a mark is made,
it can't be undone.

You can't go back over.

I'm trying to keep that in mind

and just think about a mark
before I make it.

There's no hiding with this!

It's a one-time chance to
make that mark

and once it's made, that's it.

Just trying to get it neat

but it's quite difficult.

I have done it before.

I've done it with, um...

..a harvest jug that I made.

Hairs and naively drawn people to
give it that 1700s sort of look.

I don't think decoration's
my strong point at all.

Getting my style across is
difficult when you don't have one.

It's a girl in a boat.

She set out in the morning,
on a windy day,

to catch a fish for her family.

And then the wind blowed
and the sea went mad

and the volcano splattered!

And maybe she made it.

Or maybe she turned into a mermaid.
Who knows?

So, talk me through your design.

You look out over Morecambe Bay
to the Lake District.

You've got some horrible
Heysham Power Station.

Yeah, I wondered what they were.

And you can see where I got
married, as well, from the beach.

Aww! And that's a huge wind farm
right on the horizon.

And then we always used to have
fires down on the beach.

OK, potters, you've got half an hour
left on this second challenge and

I just want to remind you that Matt
has won second challenge three times

and Rosa has won it once.
Claire, once.

So, Jacob and Rosalind,
come on, this is your week.

Sorry, is it mean to highlight

you've not won anything?
No, it's all right.

I'll just cry myself to
sleep tonight.

Cry in your jugs.
When I don't win again!

It's quite therapeutic,
just carving away at the clay.

If I had a good concept
and a good idea,

I'd really get my teeth into it
and really enjoy the challenge,

but it's just having to improvise
on the spur of the moment.

That's the bit I don't like.

With a place in the
semifinal at stake,

there's a little more friendly
competition in the pottery.

I don't know where
I could stand out on this.

There's some amazing stuff around.
Everybody's work looks beautiful.

They all look pretty good.

As different as we're different,
so is our work.

Claire's looks fabulous.

I like that very much.

Do any more and I'll make a mess.

Yeah, happy.

Don't think
I've ever finished first.

Could make some more hills.

Shall we make a sun?

I could make a shark in the sea!

I don't know!

Less is definitely... more...

as... as I just keep doing more.

OK, potters, you've got one minute
left on your sgraffito challenge

and remember, the jugs have
to be up here on the ware board

at the end of that time.

Matt's on the move.

ROSA: Oh, they're beautiful!

Thanks, Jacob.

OK, potters, that's time up.

We'll get the judges back now
to have a look at your jugs!

Matt, yours are really nice,
love them. Thanks.

Your jugs are great, as well, Rosa.

SHE LAUGHS

Right, we've got five pairs
of jugs for you to look at.

Sue and Keith are looking
for a sgraffito design

featuring all nature's elements -
earth, wind, fire and water -

that show off their skills
in mark making.

And as they're judging blind,
they have no idea whose is whose.

Let's start over here.

They've got all
the elements on there.

I love the wind farm
in the sea there.

That works really, really well.

I quite like that
it's a composition.

You know, you're telling
a story about a landscape.

Some of the mark making, for me,
is a bit inconsistent.

It could have been a bit
more... defined, I think.

Let's have a look at number two.

I'm loving the work on here,
on the bark of the tree.

That works really well.

It's like a wood carving, isn't it?

Yeah. I really like
this flowing tree,

and it's obviously bending
in the wind.

I think what I'd like to see
is more depth and expression

in the mark making on here.

It seems to be all the same
thickness.

I'd like to see
that really explored.

Right, shall we move on?

I like the stylised clouds.

There's quite a lot of space
on this side.

It would've been nice
to see a bit more.

The mark making is really,
really quite defined on that.

Well, on the rock, this works
really well, doesn't it?

It does work really. Using different
layers of cutting techniques,

through the sgraffito,
through the clay.

You've got different shades here,
different depths,

and that works really well.

Next...

Wow, this is really lovely.

I like the way the smoke is coming
out of the chimney there.

I like the boldness of it.

It's showing a confidence, isn't
it?

That the maker knew exactly what
they were doing.

And here you can see
that they're just starting

to explore that depth of line.

And this is a really lovely flick,
here.

That's shown really good control of
the mark making.

When you look at it overall,

it just has a real consistency
about it, doesn't it?

OK, last one, then.

Wow, someone's been busy.

These are gorgeous, aren't they?

There's a lot going on here.

And it's interesting that this one
isn't just about a story,

a narrative.
It's also about a pattern.

Whoever's made this one
has attempted to cover

the whole surface.

Really, literally the whole
surface.

I like the design accent
on the handle.

That's really nice.

And those deep curves, as well.

That shows confidence, doesn't it?

Yeah, especially on a handle.

I think that's a handsome pair.

Sue and Keith will now rank them
from worst to first.

So, in fifth, it's this one.

Who's is this? It's mine.

We just wanted to see more depth
and more expressiveness

with your design. OK.

In fourth place is...

..this one here.

Oh! Rosalind! We just wanted
to see a bit more elaboration

in terms of mark making.

In third place, this one here.

Jacob, we really liked
the stylised clouds on there.

But again, we just want to see
more variety in mark making.

So, we've decided
in second place...

..and first place together,
these two here.

Is this yours, Rosa?
Yeah, that's mine.

And so this is Claire's! Fantastic!

Claire, you're getting expressive
in your old age!

I honestly thought going into that,
I was going to come last.

So to come out joint first,
I'm absolutely delighted!

I'm so happy that
it was a challenge

that I felt reasonably
comfortable in.

With the way it's looking
at the moment,

I could be the one
to go home after this challenge.

It'd be really sad cos I love it
and I don't want it to end yet.

The pit firing's
really important now.

I'm gonna be absolutely gutted
if I get there

and my ginger jars have
blown up in the kiln, so...

They need to be in one piece.

They have to be, for me
to stay in this competition.

to safely reunite
them with the potters.

We're leaving Middleport
and the potteries behind and

heading deep into the
Staffordshire Moorlands,

where five pits have been dug out
for the potters to fire their jars.

This is the first time that
we're going to see our ginger jars

and this is when we find
if they've blown up or

if they're perfect,
which hopefully they will be.

Oh, it's a real treat to
be out in nature today,

I was just looking at all
the beautiful stone walls

and all the moss that's
growing on the stone and

was thinking how lucky we are
to have a day out in the country.

Hello.

So what's the verdict?

Are they standing?

Oh.

I see lids, I see lids
standing up. Oh, no.

You look like... Oh, dear. Oh, man.

Who's is that? Mine. Oh, no.

Oh, Jacob. I knew it
was going to do that.

It was that heavy base. I know.

The whole base.
It's like half the pot.

Got no words, really.

SHE GASPS

I don't think they're as ugly
as I thought they were.

I'm glad I did the five
minute fish on them.

Oh, wow.

I'm sorry, buddy.
It's all right.

It's the way it goes, isn't it?

And that is my lady hole.

I did not... I'll pass it back.

SHE LAUGHS
Here you go.

Thanks.

Look at that. I've seen it.

I've seen it.

I didn't even mean to do that.

Smashing.

Pit firing, it's real true alchemy.

This is where it all started.

It's probably the oldest
firing process known to man.

It's really relying on the potter's
research or experience

to think about what combustibles
are gonna give a really rich,

textured, smoky surface.

We've got some really wonderful
examples of pit firing here.

Some of the colours, like the
copper reds, obviously from copper.

Yeah. But those yellow colours
here are derived from seaweed.

I know. That's amazing, isn't it?

And the peachy colours, that
comes from banana skins.

So we really won't know until they
pick those pots out of the pit

what we're really judging.

It's like magic, isn't it? It is.

The potters are hoping
that the combination

of combustibles and oxides...

You all right?

..will bring unique
decoration to their ginger jars

during the intensive firing.

So tell me about the wire
that you're putting in on there.

So this is copper wire.

If it's oxidising in places,
it'll leave greens

and if it's reducing in places,
it'll leave reds.

OK. What's this?

That's steel wool.

So I'm hoping that's going to
give me the yellows and oranges.

And seaweed.

Where did you get your seaweed from?

The north coast
of Northern Ireland.

Beautiful! It's travelled,
hasn't it?

Rosa's seaweed has
a less exotic tale.

Seaweed from the
Chinese supermarket.

The potters are hoping
their mix of combustibles

will create perfect alchemy.

Jacob seems to have brought
the whole chemistry shop.

So I've got copper carbonate,
cobalt oxide, red iron oxide, salt.

Just got to throw
everything on it now.

Rosalind is really getting her
head into the combustibles.

I've got a real assortment here.

That's an old hair extension.

I was a different colour
then, as you can see.

She's even come up with
her own secret weapon.

I doctored a few herbal teabags.

These are just salt in here.

This is copper carbonate.

It would be lovely to get
an autumny-coloured ginger jar.

This is copper, and I'm
sort of just rubbing it on.

Maybe I put too much on here.

Aren't you glad you did them fish?

I am. Yeah. It's good to do a risk
sometimes, isn't it? Absolutely.

So you've got cabbage as well.

It's apparently supposed
to give a bit of texture.

It would be great if it gave some
of this texture onto my fish,

wouldn't it? What else
have you got in there?

Orange peel, I can see.

Avocado, banana,
pistachio's good, eggs as well.

I'm really hoping to sort of see

the colours in a sunset,
in an ocean, in the landscape.

Hoping to cause chemical chaos.

SHE CHUCKLES

But with one jar already broken,

Jacob has more than combustibles
to worry about.

I just want the rest
of them to survive now.

Yeah, just a bit gutted, that's all.

So, uh, just going to
keep going, keep going.

OK, potters, your jars
are all in the pits.

Get you safety gear on,
we're going to start some fires.

Exciting!

Come on, Jacob, we want
a smile on that face.

That's better.

Who's got the matches?

Fire, here we go.

Under the watchful eye
of kiln guy Rich,

the potters set alight their fires.

That's it.

That's it.

Once lit, they need
to burn all night long...

Wow.

..baking the clay and, hopefully,

fusing the combustibles
onto their ginger jars.

They burn really quick, don't they?

Look at this, like, stuff
right at the front here,

all glowing gold.

Ah, it looks amazing in there.

All right, potters, well done.

Enjoy your night tonight
under the stars.

I won't be joining you,
I'm gonna be going to the hotel.

I'll see you later.
THEY LAUGH

Bye, Mel. Night-night.

Who's in charge of the tents.

We build the tent.

All righty, then.

Stretch out into these holes. Yeah.

Can I move mine beside the fire?
So it's nice and warm.

Is this even long enough?
I think I'm longer than this.

Look how small it is.

It'll be all right for you then,
won't it? Yeah, it will, it will.

Hey.

Hey, well done, Rosalind.

So are you ready to put the top on?

I think so, yeah. I think
I've got a good ember going.

I think we all decided at
the same time, more or less,

that it was time
to put this cover on,

because the flames
are sort of dying out,

and we want to keep the heat in.

So it will sort of burn all night.

I'm just sealing the edge
with that sand.

I don't really know
what's happening underneath.

It's a bit of magic, hopefully.

MEL: It's a cold night,
as our potters camp out

to guard over their precious pots

and pray they survive the
extreme heat of the pit fire.

I'm feeling fantastic about my pot.

In there, all warm.

Think they'll be OK?

Thing is,
they were quite beautiful.

Yes. Exactly.

If you've gotten good colours,
I think they will get away,

you'll get away with a broken bit.

I'm really too excited to sleep.

You don't want it to end,
do you? No.

It's the next morning.
Morning.

And an early wake up
for the potters.

Did you sleep OK?

Not really, did you?

Not really.

Sunny side up.

I never camped with my pots before,

but hopefully it's all worth it
and they come up beautiful.

Pretty worried about unveiling it.

Those bases could still
possibly explode or crack off.

Who knows what's going to happen.

Scary.

There's some sort
of colour on there.

Yeah, it's come out...

..colourful.

That's fantastic!

I think we should pretend
that this is mine.

I expected to see some colour
and I've got some colour,

so, yeah, I'm happy.

Oh, my goodness me.

How chuffed are you? I know.

This is so stunning.

What made that line there?

So that's the angle
I actually had it in the pit.

You've got some
really nice colours, Rosa.

Yeah, the colours look incredible.

That's beautiful.

Oh, no.

Ooh. Ooh.

That's always the danger
with pit firing,

the extremes of temperature
can just cause joins

and things to reopen.

I scored it so well and attached it
really, really well, but...

..that's a shame, huh?

Wow.

This is the challenge that
we have to risk everything.

So I don't think I could have
done better than I'd done.

They look fantastic.

Look at this bit here.
Yeah. That's amazing.

That is nice, that bit, isn't it?
Well done. Thank you.

This is the scary bit now.

Oh, wow.

THEY GASP

Oh, look at that!

THEY SCREAM

That's amazing!
Oh, my goodness!

Oh, how brilliant, Rosalind.

Look at that.
Look at the pink and yellow.

I could cry.

Right, let's see the little one.

Or is this the big one? This is the
little one. This is the little one.

Yeah. The little big one.

The little big one, yeah!

You actually... And I think
I've just hit on a new thing

for pit firing - teabag firing.

SHE LAUGHS

Whoo!

Whoa!

That's so fantastic, Rosalind.
They're really, really good.

Wow, look at the orange
and yellow. That's amazing.

Well done.

WHISPERS: I told you
it wasn't your time to go.

I just think
you should just leave them.

How do you feel, all right?

A little bit nervous. Yeah.

I think my fire went out quite
early compared to everybody else's.

OK. I don't know whether it did
what it needed to do. Right.

It's blown as well.
What? The top has...

Oh, no, it hasn't,
it's all right. Oh, don't!

I thought it had blow
but that's the bottom.

That's the bottom end,
thank goodness.

Were you expecting more colour?

Yeah, I was expecting
a lot more colour.

Uh, yeah, I wanted
more colour, really.

OK.

You got a bit of colour there.
A little bit, but not a lot.

That's really annoying. Oh, it's
just been one of those weeks

for you, hasn't it?

Yeah.

Gutted.

They now just need to pack up
and get back to the pottery...

Ready? Yeah.

..where they will clean, wax
and polish their ginger jars,

ready for the all-important
quarterfinal judging.

So the wax kind of gives it that...

..sort of sheeny shine to it.

And it's enhancing the colours
and enriching the colours.

I think we all got weaknesses.

Like Rosalind's, maybe
the little one is too tall,

but she got the
most fantastic colours.

Mine is broken in two.

And Jacob's bottom blew off.

I think pit firings
definitely broken me.

I definitely don't think
I've got a chance

of making it to the semifinals.

Yeah.

It's judgement time
for the pit-fired ginger jars.

Rosa, you're up first.

Would you like to bring your ginger
jars to the table, please?

Although these don't necessarily
sit very well as a pair,

I think they do work as ginger jars.

You've managed to get this
fish design on both pieces.

That obviously ties them in
just by definition.

And that's actually worked
in your favour.

And the disappointment for me
is just the form.

Now, I'm going to pick this one up.

OK. Oh. We can see now that it's
a fault in the construction...

Yeah, yeah, yeah ..of putting
the two pieces together.

They're beautifully made,
wonderfully ex*cuted

with the pit firing process.

It's just whether these are
a ginger jar or a biscuit barrel.

But the overall effect is great,
isn't it?

You've got sort of a rainbow
of colours on there.

What works really well

is this shape here you've emulated
on both of them,

which makes them tie together.

It looks like a piece of
architecture, doesn't it?

Oh, that's nice.

That's a really nice weight.
That's really good.

LAUGHTER

That's fantastic.
You've made him cry.

That's fantastic. At last,
I've been trying for ages.

LAUGHTER

That's really, really good.

Yeah, it's a good weight. Thank you.

Beautiful form there,
beautiful shape.

And in terms of that ginger jar
aesthetic, you know,

it ticks all the boxes.

You've got the really nice curve
on the shoulder.

You've got a very elegant curve

down the body of the piece
to the foot.

It's just a shame that this one's
had so many problems in the firing.

This one has gone. That's heavy.

How thick was that base?

Way too thick and it's...
I think it's just bad, bad making.

And that's why I'm not getting
so annoyed with you, actually,

because you already know that.

What was this? Orange?

So, it was orange slices.

It's worked really well. It has.

In terms of colour, you can see
that it's been in a smoke firing.

It's just subtle.

I really wanted those rich colours
like everybody else.

I was really disappointed.

Ah, don't, cos I'm all choked up
and upset about it myself.

Thank you so much, darling.

Thank you.

Well done, Jacob.

KEITH: The first thing I see
is the colour.

You've got some wonderful reactions
from the pit firing.

Yeah. It's fantastic.

They're beautiful, aren't they?
And they do sit together as a pair.

I was hoping for more of
a rounded shoulder and

more of an elegant form.

The other thing is the size
difference.

This is either a really large,
small one

or this is a really small,
large one.

A really nice flowing form.

It's not sort of
a hunched up shoulder, is it?

You've got a really nice
roundness there.

You've got some wonderful
reactions here.

It's like a landscape, isn't it?
Yeah.

Lots of layers of colour on there.

I mean, for me, these are nigh-on
perfect examples

of a pit firing. Yeah, they are.
Really, really wonderful.

You've got some tremendous effects.

As two pieces together,
they look fantastic, Claire.

I'm feeling pretty confident
after that.

I think it's the first time

I've come out of a judging
feeling confident,

which is strange for me.

I just kind of feel quite deflated.

I think anything that's gone wrong
kind of has gone wrong.

I'm in for a very good chance
of going, so...

It's the difficult bit,
the one they're sending home.

I don't want to be it and
I don't want anybody else to go.

I could be eliminated today.

It's just up to the Lord, now.

He knows what's good for me,
whether I need to go home now

or whether I need to go into
the next challenge with His help.

It's His will be done.

So who's had a good week?

Who is on fire?

Well, I think Claire.

You know,
just a really lovely build,

fantastic detailing as always.

Almost a perfect piece.

In the pit firing,
those reactions are just sublime.

And she came joint top
in her second challenge.

We've never seen anything like that
from Claire before.

Matt. He always goes
slightly off-piste,

and the problem is
he does make lovely pots.

They're confident pieces,
aren't they?

I picked one up and the weight
in proportion to size was amazing.

Let's look at the weaker potters.

I feel we've got a dilemma.

We've got Rosalind,
who's done amazingly well

with the actual pit firing

but she struggles with her throwing
and it shows.

It doesn't look like
that classic ginger jar.

We've got Jacob that's done
amazing shapes.

Lovely curve, which is exactly
what we wanted. Yeah.

Really nicely in proportion.

But the elephant in the room is
one of them hasn't got a base.

And then we've got Rosa.

Great effect with the pit firing
technique

but we've got three pots
and we're supposed to have two.

OK, potters.

It's that time. The judges
have made their decisions.

Firstly, the good news.

The potter of the week this week,

who will be going through into
the semifinals, is...

..Claire. Well done, sweetie. Yay!

Well done, Claire. Well done,
Claire. Well done, Claire.

Oh, gosh, and now it's the bit
that I absolutely dread every week.

My heart is pounding, actually.

The person leaving the pottery
this week is...

It's Rosalind. It's all right.
I'm so sorry, Rosalind.

Well done, Rosalind.

I came into this competition
with a real passion

for pottery, I love pottery

but I'm going home with even
more passion, more zeal for it.

It was just such
a wonderful experience

and I shall really treasure
that experience forever.

Thank you, Rosalind. You've made
the pottery such a wonderful place.

We're gonna miss you. Aw, I'm going
to miss all of you! We are, yeah.

She's had such an amazing
impact on the group,

bringing everyone together.

She's always a voice of reason
and positivity.

And I really didn't want
Rosalind to go at all.

She's just a joy to be with.

She will be so, so, so missed.

It really does quite literally
break my heart to see Rosalind go.

Ultimately, it boiled down
to the shape.

She didn't make ginger jars.

So, as Rosalind leaves the pottery,

Claire's ginger jars
join her breakfast set

and slick cast vases in the gallery,

as she wins potter of the week
for a third time.

She's got the hat trick.

I never thought I'd get this far.

Never mind get this many potter of
the weeks.

I'm just stoked!

Really, really, really,
really, really happy

to be in the semifinal.

I never thought I would be here.

I think my five-minute fishes
maybe saved me.

For the last two days, I've just
prepared myself for going home.

I'm really lucky to still be here.

I'm in the semifinal

of The Great Pottery Throw Down!

Next time...

Let's crack on.

..the semifinalists face
a huge main make...

It's a big'un, isn't it?

..for the smallest room.

I clearly should have done some
more measuring.

And which of them
can toil with tissue...

I've just cut straight
through it!

..in a Spot Test
that tears the pottery apart?

I almost did it in ten minutes.

Sure.

But whose dreams of reaching
the final...

SHE GASPS
You can fix it.

..could go down the pan?

I'm just holding my breath. I've
got it, I've got it, I've got it.