and our eight remaining potters
are making gnomes.
Oh, guys.
The hats, the beards, the boots.
Trying to be hipsters?
Think you're a little bit too
old for that look, actually.
- Bit awkward.
- No, Ellie, gnomes.
We're...
We're in gnome costumes.
- Oh, gnomes, of course.
- Didn't you get the message?
We're all meant to be
wearing them.
I'm not wearing one.
I had an argument
with an elf once,
and I'm finding this
quite triggering.
Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.
- You wanna see my pointy ears?
- Absolutely not.
Last time...
- Goggles!
- Goggles!
...the potters got a little
hot under the collar...
Oh, my goodness,
this is madness.
...as they attempted
Japanese raku...
- Don't panic.
- Do I look like I'm panicking?
...a volatile
and extreme firing process.
Ooh!
It's dead hot, isn't it?
- - Tom's teapot wowed.
- It's wonderful, Tom.
It's absolutely wonderful.
And he became
the fourth potter of the week.
- But sadly...
- The teapot,
it's a bit sparse in places.
...it was time
to bid farewell to Miles.
God, it's been a great ride.
- This time...
- I'm trying to stay cool.
- ...it's garden week.
Not a lot of time.
Yeah, I am rushing a bit.
And triple the challenge...
There's so many things to make.
Time is really tight.
...as the potters are tasked
with creating a trio of gnomes.
They just make you smile.
They've just got
bags of character.
They'll tackle
the largest throw down ever.
- It's a massive lump of clay.
- It's humungous.
But who will blossom?
It's absolutely... wonderful.
You should be really proud
of yourself.
And for whom
will the cracks begin to show?
- One went splat.
Our eight potters
are back in Stoke
to face a small
but also mammoth challenge,
as they attempt
to sculpt character into clay.
Gnomes.
They're just weird
little creatures.
I mean, I love fairies,
I love elves and pixies,
but I just find gnomes
stuck in people's gardens
kind of creepy.
I've gotta be honest,
I'm really looking forward
to gnomes.
They're cheeky little chaps,
aren't they?
They're the unpretentious
version of garden art
and we should embrace them.
Oh, no, I hate
garden gnomes with a passion.
Kind of funny
with their little beards, but...
I'm excited.
It's go hard or go "gnome."
Good morning, potters,
and welcome back to the pottery.
It's garden week,
so for your main make challenge
the judges would like you
to hand-build a trio of gnomes.
Your gnomes must be in action,
and we would like that
to be based
on time spent
with your friends and family,
which is great news if, like me,
all your friends
look exactly like gnomes.
So, Keith,
what are your tips here?
Well, we want
traditional, figurative gnomes,
with beards, hats and boots,
and they want to be
fully glazed.
We'd like your three gnomes
to be in different poses.
And remember, gnomes often have
a sort of cheeky
and humorous character,
and we want to see that
in your work.
Potters, you have
a total of six hours
to build and refine
your trio of gnomes.
Your time starts now.
Potters, get potting.
Noisy boy at the front.
To create a set of gnomes
bursting with character
will be the ultimate test
of the potters'
hand-building
and sculpting skills.
I'm definitely more of a thrower
than a hand-builder,
and when I'm hand-building,
I certainly wouldn't ever choose
to make a gnome.
The trick is the complexity
of the gnome.
There are
so many different components.
And we've got to do
three of them,
which puts the pressure on.
Time is definitely tight.
Six hours, three gnomes,
that's gonna be difficult,
especially for someone
who works slow like me.
So, Rich, week five. Gnomes!
I know. Who'd have "gnome" it
would present such a challenge.
- Do you like a gnome?
- I do like a gnome, you know.
I think there's something quite
quirky, quite kitsch about them.
They're kind of like
a design classic, aren't they?
Yeah. I mean,
it's a tough challenge.
I guess I'm curious to see
sort of what they choose
in terms of that pose, because
that's gonna be critical.
This one, for example,
it's just leaving the ground
with four skates,
and if they're choosing
that kind of route,
they've gotta be mindful
that those skates
will have to support the weight
of the rest of the gnome.
Yeah, they're gonna
have to really think about
how that's gonna work
in the drying process
and also in the firing process.
I would actually pare it
right back down
and make individual
pieces of the gnome
and then put them together.
They're really gonna have to
think about the time management.
Unless you plan out
that whole process of the build,
you're never gonna achieve it.
I'm really looking forward
to seeing what they do.
- Hello, Tom.
- Hello.
- How you doing?
- Howdy, partner.
- Good, thank you.
- So, do you like a gnome?
Does anyone? I don't know.
I've never met anyone...
- Yeah.
- I like gnomes.
- Do you?
- I like a gnome, yeah.
- Excellent. Oh, good.
- Tell us about your design.
OK, all through my life
I've been into dance music
and going to raves
and things like that.
- Hence the cap and...
- Yeah, yeah.
You're down with the gnomes.
So what are they
gonna be up to, then?
They are literally gonna be
in a field having a party.
Reigning potter of the week Tom
will relive his raving days
with a set of gnomes
each representing
his old school friends,
and just like back in the day,
the challenge will be
staying upright.
So are these guys
free-standing?
It depends. I'm actually
gonna judge it when I get there.
But I know this one
might well need a base.
'Cause two feet,
just gonna fall over.
And this one, is he sort of
doing a kind of a...?
Yeah, he's got this sort of
B-boy stance going on.
Sounds cool. Good luck, Tom.
- Good luck, Tom.
- Thank you very much.
See you later.
Ah, here we go.
My arms are gonna ache
after this.
Hours of pinch pots.
As they begin building
their gnomes' bodies,
most of the potters
are using pinch pots.
As I've joined
two pinch pots together,
you trap the air inside,
gives it stability.
You can tap it then
into the shape you want.
I'm aiming
for like an avocado shape,
so you've got the gut
and then the top of the body.
Nothing wrong
with a bit of a belly, is there?
And to help bring
their characters to life,
the potters must also fashion
an assortment
of limbs and accessories.
So I think
I've got about 60 pieces.
There's so many things to make.
This is a tough challenge.
It's a question of conveyor-belt
gnome parts, really.
I have a list of 100 things
I need to make.
That's not including hair.
There's a lot of hair.
As Tom's mini ravers
start to take shape...
As long as
I don't relax
and start a production line,
that's the main thing.
...Christine's also
getting into her groove.
I'm making
'80s roller disco gnomes.
That's something I used to do
with friends from college,
so you'd find us
roller-skating through Preston.
Each striking its own pose,
Christine's hoping
her precariously
balanced creations
will bowl the judges over
once again.
How are you feeling
coming into this week?
You obviously had
a very good week last week.
You made him cry.
That's always a win.
Has that given you
a bit of confidence?
Yeah, it has
given me confidence.
Well,
seriously, Christine,
I've really seen
a progression in you,
and it's lovely,
I mean, it's really lovely...
- Oh, for God's sake.
And each time you come
to the studio more confident.
- It's really wonderful to see.
- Thank you.
And for me that's what
this show's all about.
- Yeah. Thank you.
- Good stuff.
- Good luck.
- Cheers, Christine.
Just saw Keith crying again.
What do I do to him
to make him cry all the time?
I'll start
taking it personally soon.
- I've got bodies, heads, hats.
I'm working on legs,
bums, feet, arms, beards.
Oh, my God,
there's too many pieces to make.
My gnomes are hiking gnomes.
They've got a map,
it's upside down, they're lost.
A mix between hiking gnomes
and the three blind mice.
Inspired by climbing
expeditions with his family,
Cellan's hoping
his gnomes manage
to scale the heights
with the judges,
despite his own reservations.
How are you feeling
about gnomes?
Do you like them as objects?
I can't say
I'm the biggest fan of gnomes.
You're cool, Cellan.
You can bring it back.
Cool sort of
trekking gnomes,
although they don't know where
they're going, but never mind.
How are you with proportions?
These wanna be about 30cm high.
Yeah, so I've got
all my measurements down here.
So I've got my hat at 10cm,
my head is 4 to 5cm,
the body's 8 and the legs are 6.
- Right, OK.
- So it all adds up.
- It gets to the right height.
- Look, good luck with it all.
Thank you very much.
I think I need it.
And Cellan's
aren't the only gnomes
heading for the mountains.
So this is my skiing gnome,
based on the colors
of Eddie the Eagle,
obviously iconic
British Winter Olympian.
Jenny plans to finish
her alpine gnomes
with bases for support
and accessories
to help simplify design.
The hands are actually
gonna be mittens.
Winter sports, you can wear
gloves and mittens, can't you?
- So that makes that...
- OK.
I see what you did there.
Nice, yeah.
We wanna see some detail
in the mittens.
Yeah, so there will be
some detail.
I've realized I need to really
up my game and refine things,
think about the finer detail.
They love the detail.
These two go wild for it.
The devil's in the detail.
And just like Jenny,
Nick is hoping
to turn clever design
to his advantage.
One of them's just gonna
have hair all over his face
with his nose sticking out.
I won't have to do
the eyes and stuff.
My inspiration
is getting older,
getting older
and carrying on surfing.
You get guys in the water
who are 78 years old.
It's always great to go up
to 'em and have a chat.
Hopefully I'll be 78 years old
and these young kids
can come and chat to me one day.
As a perfect window
into his future,
Nick will weather his aging
- surfers' clothes with 3
- D stamps
as well as slab-building
authentic longboards.
I'm interested
to see the boards.
As something
that you spend time with a lot,
it's gonna be interesting
to see how you observe that.
I'm thinking
of making these ones
quite old and knackered,
like the guys.
- Old and knackered gnomes.
Ellie's a bit scared of a gnome.
I think they're a bit creepy.
Do you have them at home?
Well, I've never really,
like, said, "I like gnomes."
- But I like doing this.
- Not in public, anyway.
I think they like the idea.
It'd be good to see Keith on
a surfboard. It'd be awesome.
That's one hour gone, potters.
The drying room is open.
Christ! Who put that there?
OK, these are gonna go and
just dry off for half an hour
before I do
something else with them.
Before construction can begin,
the potters must ensure
every part is dry enough
to support the gnome's weight.
I'm trying
to make big to small,
so that they have enough time
to dry out.
But too dry and joining
the parts will be impossible.
I've got the main bodies
into the drying room.
I'm now just making the boots
and the hats and beards.
I'm channeling my inner gnome.
- Hi, Anna.
- Hi. How are youse today?
- How are you doing?
- I'm grand.
Got my finger
up a gnome's leg, but...
- You don't say that every day.
- I don't, do I?
- Good morning!
- Tell us about your design.
- I've got a plan today.
- Not chaos theory?
Hat, head, body, arms, legs.
And that's my plan for today.
I'm very proud
that I've got a plan for today.
Hoping that the chaos
is confined to her creations,
Anna's inebriated gnomes
are inspired by memories
of her brother's
home-pressed cider enterprise.
I am doing
cider-making gnomes.
- Oh, fantastic.
- The first gnome.
He's going to be carrying
a big bag of apples.
Gnome number two
is this one over here,
and he's mashing the apples
with his feet.
- The hard labor.
- Yeah, the hard labor.
And then he's been having
a little bit too much
of the old cider.
He's just lying there a little
bit drunk and disheveled.
If you want to lubricate
the whole judging process...
I'm glad to hear bribery
is on the table.
And Anna's aren't
the only gnomes
getting into the party spirit.
Mine are at a festival,
because that's the place
where so many people get their
party clothes on and jazz up.
Some that just wanna go round
swigging beer
and, like,
oh, you know, life's cool.
And then you get others that
are, like, into the music, man.
And then of course
someone's got a guitar,
you know, they're playing
round a campfire.
So, festival gnomes.
Lucinda's hoping
her larger-than-life gnomes
in intricately
patterned outfits
strike the balance between
character and practicality.
The main thing is
that they can stand,
that the weight of them
isn't too much.
It's an engineering kind of
challenge as well, isn't it?
If your gnomes
look anything like this,
you're on a winner, really,
aren't you?
Hopefully.
While Lucinda
and the other potters
are going for their take
on the traditional gnome...
I'm making beards
at the moment.
...AJ is leading theirs
down a different garden path.
I actually don't really have
a head for my gnomes.
I'm kind of building the faces
onto the beards and the hats.
- These are terrifying.
- Yeah.
What's going on with this?
Is it haunted?
I always found gnomes
really creepy,
so I thought
I'd make mine creepy as well.
- Right, really go for it.
- I kind of like that.
Could be a whole new genre,
the horror gnome genre. Nice.
AJ's planning to coat their
creepy cartoon caricatures
with decorations inspired
by a love of collecting
sea glass and pebbles
at the local beach.
But it's not just their
appearance that's unusual.
They're called Dingus,
Dorbus and Florbus.
- OK.
- That is perfect.
I think it fits the demented
little gnome vibe.
I like making things
that make me laugh,
so I'll just keep running
with that.
Halfway through, potters.
You've gotta get it done,
"gnome" matter what.
- That's a good one.
- Thank you, AJ.
As the potters' parts
leave the drying room,
gnome assembly can commence.
I've taken
the heads and the bodies
out of the drying room
and I'm attaching them.
Hopefully they'll be firm enough
to start
putting my gnome together.
What's this little lad?
- That's a whistle.
- Is it gonna work?
Um, maybe. If I'm lucky.
Running it over
with a scorer,
popping some slip on,
and then sticking it together,
and that should rewet
the clay enough that it fuses.
I'm just making sure I'm
slipping and scoring everything.
I don't want him blowing open.
Just wanna make sure
you get a really good join.
I think not falling apart
is coming before
the "does it look pretty?"
That's gonna come back
to haunt me, innit?
Attaching clay limbs
is fraught with danger.
If they're holding now,
they should hold together.
They should be nice and strong.
Any weak joins
risk unwanted cracks
on their finished pieces.
See if I can get
his wee leg in there.
Hee-hee! There we go, you see?
There's one leg almost done.
Mr. Blobbies at the moment.
Poor thing.
They look a bit like
jelly babies at the moment.
The next thing I've got
to put on are the wheels
'cause he's got to be wearing
roller boots, basically.
As well as being intricately
detailed and refined...
This is starting
to come together.
...the judges require each
gnome to be at least 30cm high.
This is Dorbus.
So it's quite tricky.
I never really make anything
this tall.
And whilst Christine's
come up with a clever idea
to help hit the mark...
I've changed
the style of the hat.
Rather than it going downwards,
it's pointing up,
to give me more height.
...Cellan's finding it
a tall order.
I'm struggling a bit.
They don't really look like
they're 30cm, do they?
Four hours gone. Two hours
to go, potters. You can do this.
I've got arms and legs. I've got
dismembered gnomes over here.
Looks like a w*r zone.
I'm now making
break-dance gnome.
Are you gonna fall over?
Gnomes collapsing is what
everyone's worrying about.
Ensuring their gnomes
are stable is critical
if they're going to be sturdy
enough to survive outdoors.
I think
I've balanced him OK,
'cause I didn't want
to have to put them on bases.
But adding a base for balance
is not without risk,
as large sections of clay
are prone to warp and crack
during the intense
firing process.
They're all on bases,
so if that did sit in a garden,
it would be less likely
to fall over.
He's a little wobbly,
but I think once his feet
dry out a little more...
I went with no bases,
and I don't want
to regret that decision.
At the moment, I'm just
wondering whether these legs
are actually strong enough
to support.
I think it will be all right,
but I have been known
to be wrong before.
It's sort of like
Play-Doh, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, it is, actually,
it is.
Oh, he's got a lovely bottom.
Yes, I think all gnomes
should have a nice bottom.
Lovely. It's a lovely crack.
They will be judging
specifically on butt cracks.
They're small,
all right?
- But it's all about the butt.
Nice a*s.
Yeah, I got
the cheeky crack in.
A little bit of humor,
that's what they want.
Humor and expression.
No, mine have not
got bum cracks.
The shorts on mine
are pulled right up.
It's got quite a lot of depth to
it. This guy's been squatting.
Keith and Rich are
always asking for nice bottoms.
You've been going
for almost six hours, guys.
Well done.
Half an hour to go, everyone.
Oh, man.
All right,
stick a face on this guy.
They are gonna have beards,
using my mini hand extruder.
The risk with that is,
of course,
that they all just snap off
in the firing.
There's not
that much detail on it.
I just don't think I can do
three decent faces in the time.
The face is gonna be
where the finest detail is,
so I think it just needs that
little bit of extra attention.
- Oh, my God.
- He looks so evil.
He looks
absolutely terrifying
and the thing of nightmares,
but brilliant.
It's definitely your style.
I just really like
the sticky-out eyeball thing.
It really makes me laugh,
so I just put it on everything.
I want them
to look ugly on purpose,
not ugly by accident.
15 minutes left. The final push!
Don't we know it.
You're crowning! It's a gnome!
- There's a lovely thought.
Going like the clappers
at the moment.
It's just gonna be so tight.
Rock on, Tommy.
I've just gotta keep going
to the bitter end.
I need to get some
details and some features in.
It's like Night Fever, isn't it?
John Travolta.
It feels like everyone still has
quite a lot to do.
Yep.
Just thought
I'd let you guys know.
Not a lot of time.
Yeah, I am rushing a bit.
They're still making
me giggle, so how bad can it be?
Five minutes to go.
Everything needs to be
in the drying room.
- Going in. Well done.
- I think I'll have to start.
Lucinda's got
her first gnome in.
- Does it work?
- Well done!
- I need that for the end.
Right, drying room.
Come on, Mr. Gnome.
- Oh!
One went splat.
Oh!
Stupid.
It's his butt.
It's the best butt.
- Dropped him?
- Yeah.
Oh, no. He's got a flat butt.
- Is he salvageable?
- He's gonna have to be.
- Could he by lying down?
Stupid.
That's one minute.
Come on, babe, stay up.
It's just not as good
as the rest now.
It just looks a bit sad.
Cellan, you've got to get them
into the drying room.
Can I take one?
There we go.
And that is it. Time is up.
Well done.
That was the longest make ever,
and it was exhausting.
I'm ruined. I'm utterly ruined.
Time was already tight, and then
I made the foolish mistake
of dropping one of my gnomes.
All that hard work on
the bottom squished in seconds.
For the second challenge
of garden week,
we have unearthed
a huge challenge.
But the potters have no idea
what or who to expect.
Potters, your second challenge
this week is a throw down,
and we're keeping it
in the garden
because you're going to be
making forcer jars.
This is a very large
rhubarb forcer.
To demonstrate how to make one,
please welcome
master potter Adam Keeling.
- Hi, Adam.
- Hello.
Warwickshire-born Adam
learned his craft
at his family's pottery,
world renowned for
its high-quality garden ware.
Here the skills
of five generations
of English potters
continue to thrive,
and using
these traditional techniques,
Adam can make 150
nine-and-a-half-kilogram pots
in a day.
You're looking worried.
- Don't look worried.
- I am.
First, you're gonna throw
the lid. A nice chunky rim.
The dimensions are important
because the neck of your forcer
needs to be the same width
as your lid.
So I'm gonna pop that
in the drying room.
Right, next up, we're gonna be
throwing the top section.
One of the differences
between this clay and others
is that because it's softer,
it will potentially collapse.
It doesn't like
being overworked.
So I'm only gonna put
three pulls in.
That is so... such skill.
What's important is this width
must be matched
with your base section.
Small steps, potters.
Don't worry.
The top will need to join
seamlessly with the base,
a huge lump of clay
to manipulate.
You may choose to divide
your clay into smaller lumps.
You're taking that base
all the way out to that edge.
- All the way out, yeah.
- So impressive.
That's the first pull,
and little and often
with the water.
Rub it up and down, make sure
you've got a nice even coating.
Two more pulls and the base
is at the ideal height.
Like it was nothing.
A quick blast of heat,
and it's the moment of truth.
- Flip it upside down.
- Whoa.
Drop it on your base section.
Oh, my goodness.
After using his fingers
to smooth the seam at the join,
Adam works the pot's profile
into shape.
Once you've begun the curve, you
can then actually throw this in.
Just going from the bottom
back to the top.
- That's gorgeous.
- That's about right.
Once you've done that,
you've each got a paintbrush
and a little bit of slip.
As if throwing it's not enough.
Oh, yeah, we want it
decorated as well.
I'm just gonna put
some wiggles through.
Couple of lines to border it.
That's about it.
Don't even know
if I could lift that.
The lid is the final piece
of the puzzle,
which is just missing a knob.
You can choose
to turn the knob in
or you can choose to throw,
it's up to you,
but I'm choosing to turn it.
But that's roughly it.
So, let's have a go,
see if it marries up.
Now, this rhubarb forcer
is about 70cm high,
but don't worry, we're not
asking you to make one of those.
We're asking you
to make a sea-kale forcer,
which is around half the size.
Oh, thank God.
This is gonna be
judged blindly,
so, Adam, Keith and Rich, if you
would like to away yourselves.
- Good luck, everyone.
- Thank you.
This is
a very hard challenge.
It's the most amount of clay
we've ever given
in a throw down.
And it's going to be messy.
Time to pop on the overalls.
You have one and a half hours
to make your sea-kale forcer.
Your time starts now.
- Go!
This is gonna be hilarious.
Have you seen how big
the challenge is?
There are so many things
that can go wrong.
You're throwing really big,
but you have to be very precise,
because you have to get
your measurements right,
and that's just a bit scary.
Oh, wow, this clay.
Even this is quite a lot.
Adam's demonstration
was incredible.
He just knew what he was doing,
didn't need to think about it.
It was really impressive to
watch. Inspiring, to be honest.
So we just get
a wee bit of heat on this now
and get started
on the second part.
So I've done my lid. I'm gonna
start with the top section now.
So he did it
in three pulls, right,
which keeps the clay
from collapsing.
We'll be here, going,
"Oh, look, pull number 15."
And our clay will get soggy
and it'll disintegrate.
I'm trying not to make it
very wet.
It's kind of impossible,
isn't it?
- Yeah.
- I'm a bit behind.
- I don't know what I'm doing.
- You have one hour to go.
That was already half an hour.
That's to get it all together
and everything, isn't it?
That's usually what time means
when I say the time.
You're getting the hang
of this show, mate.
I will do eventually.
So you've made
your top bit.
- I've made the top bit.
- Lid's in.
- This is the really hefty bit.
- This is the really hefty bit.
We have to pull it out to the...
to the edge, he said.
I went for the split.
I've centered the first piece,
I halved it,
and I'm now putting that on top.
I'm gonna try and center
the rest.
Urgh! Why do we...
Why are we whacking it?
- Why does everyone whack it?
- 'Cause we hate it.
Uh!
I'm gonna try and do one.
I don't think
the split's working.
Oh, good God.
That is a massive
lump of clay.
It's humungous. Imagine
making these out of porcelain.
Yeah. Potter joke.
- It'd be harder.
- OK.
I'm just not able
to move it.
It's not just the strength,
it's the technique.
It's a monster!
Like that.
A power stance, that is.
Yeah, I'm using all my upper
body weight on this.
- Are you all right?
Lord!
He said just do
a little bit at a time.
That is a little bit at a time.
No, I can't. I'm not doing it.
- What's up?
- I wouldn't normally give up.
But I just... I...
Seriously, I can't do this one.
- There's gotta be a way.
Just give me five minutes,
and see if I can just
give it a break.
This is where
being a bit hefty does help.
You can center it better
'cause you've got extra weight.
If you're really good,
it's technique.
If you're kind of like me, then
the strength comes in handy.
- How does he do it?
- Getting there, Lucinda.
Could quite easily
have given up then.
Well, I did. I did give up.
I took some of the clay away
and just thought
I need to just
try and get something
out of the amount of clay
that I think
I can manage to throw with.
It's gone a little bit
whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo.
Ah-ha! I don't even know
what I'm doing.
Ooh.
Oh, God, it's coming off.
I think what I'll do
is throw the top bit first.
That bit needs to go on there.
No, that bit
needs to go on here.
- And they're the same width?
- Yes.
- That's pretty good going.
- Yeah.
I think it's gonna be OK.
Let's do it. Right.
30 minutes left.
Half an hour left.
I've joined it,
and it fitted.
Here we go. Here we go.
Good luck.
Not bad, buddy, not bad at all.
AJ's doing it now.
Ta-da!
- Got something.
- There you go.
You flipping well did it.
Well done.
Well, let's try
and shape something.
I'm just trying
to get the join good.
I might stick the blower on it
to dry it a wee bit.
This just needs to be
a bit more bell-shaped.
It's a bit of the wrong kind
of bell right now.
- Nothing's centered any more.
- Oh, man. It's collapsing.
- Oh, AJ, that's impressive.
- Thanks, mate. So's yours.
- It's so tall.
- It's buckling.
I wish I'd stopped
touching it sooner.
I tried to fix it,
but that was a bad move.
It was going so well.
Just under 10 minutes to go.
I'm doing all right,
as long as I don't mess it up
in the last little bit.
I forgot we have to trim this.
Oh, no.
This is
the potential savior.
- Get a nice curve back in it.
- Does that fit?
There we go.
That's a bit better.
Do the lid, do
the lid, do the lid, do the lid.
- Five minutes left.
- No. Goddammit.
I turned through my lid.
Try and trim
all this extra bulk off it.
- I'm not gonna lie...
- Yeah?
It's looking flipping brilliant.
Thank you.
I made a right mess of that
picking it up.
Right, that'll do.
I have made a forcer.
Too big.
My lid's like an umbrella.
You have one minute left.
I reckon I only need one minute.
It's a bit of a torpedo,
isn't it?
- Ta-da.
- Ten seconds to go.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six!
- Lids need to go on.
- Haven't tired this yet.
Five, four, three, two, one!
- Well done.
- That was mad.
That is how much clay
I took off that lump.
If you'd like to bring down
your forcers to the front.
Oh, man,
look at the bulge on mine.
Well done, potters. That was
a really tricky challenge.
Let's welcome back
our judges and Adam.
Wow. Amazing.
You know,
we give you these challenges,
and you always
pull it out of the bag.
It's absolutely... wonderful.
You should be really proud
of yourself.
- Every single one of you.
- I'll second that.
Adam and the judges are looking
for a well-shaped,
seamless pot,
wide enough to grow sea kale,
simply but effectively
decorated,
with a fitted lid
and a knob on the top.
OK. So,
what does it say? Eat your...
- Veg.
- ...veggies.
- Veggies.
- Like it.
So the first thing
I can see is the narrowness.
They've managed
to get the height.
The height is brilliant.
And I really like
the decoration.
So here we go,
we've got better width,
but I can see the second section
is off-center, unfortunately.
There's a struggle evident
in that piece.
Moving on. I'm really impressed
with the width of that one.
And I like the shape.
The join is almost seamless.
I love the slip. The finger
trails are really confident.
- Moving on.
- We've got a miniature.
I can see whoever's this is
has really struggled
with the weight of clay.
We've got a really good,
strong, sturdy pot,
but I'm afraid
it's too small overall.
- OK, the next one.
- We've got a real bulge here.
If I look at this side,
I've got a really nice form
there, though.
Some imagination
going into the slip.
Moving on.
This, you've got the full width.
However I can see
that the actual throwing,
as you're coming up, you're
kind of losing the center.
Again we've got
great use of slip here.
It's kind of naive
and easygoing, isn't it?
It's really lovely.
But I'd like
to have seen that rim
a little bit more centered.
And last but not least.
Again, you can see it's gone
off-center a bit as it comes up,
but unfortunately
you've almost overthrown it,
and therefore it's become
really thin on the shoulder.
- But the lid's fit... Well...
- Yeah, the lid's...
The lid's fitting,
but unfortunately...
It's a nice air hole in the top.
But I'm really impressed
with all of them.
I think
it's a fantastic achievement.
Now Adam, Keith and Rich
will rank the forcers
from bottom to top.
In eighth place is this one.
You can see you really struggled
to make use of all of the clay.
Whose is this one? In seventh.
You can see
you're a little bit wayward
with your center
as the pot has grown.
Lucinda is in sixth place,
Jenny is fifth,
Nick is fourth,
and Tom is third.
In second place...
we have this one.
I think it's a really sweet
little pot. The form is good.
And last but not least,
we've got number one, this one.
Really well done. The join
and the smoothness of the form.
You've got the width. You've got
strong marks through the slip.
I think it's
a fantastic attempt. Well done.
- Well done.
- Well done.
That's the second challenge
I've won,
and they've both been
throwing big things.
What a day. Very excited.
Awful. Absolutely awful.
Oh, I screwed that one right up,
didn't I?
That would have been
my opportunity
to sort of claw
something back for myself.
This has just not been
my week at all.
It's day two in the pottery,
and studio technician Rose
is up early
to collect the potters' gnomes
ready for decoration.
It'll be nice
to see them,
as long as
there's no horrid shocks.
But whether their creations
have survived
the kiln's thousand-degree heat
is a secret
hidden under hessian.
Potters,
now it's the decorating stage.
Keith, what's your advice here?
Now, we all know that gnomes
are very brightly colored.
But that color is applied
very, very precisely.
I really wanna see
that glaze application
coming through in your work.
Think about your build and
the action poses of your gnomes.
I'd really like to see
your decorating skills
bringing those forms to life,
bringing your gnomes together
as a set of three.
You have a range
of glazes and oxides to use,
and you have three hours.
Potters, get decorating.
My God,
they're all in one piece.
Yeah, they're OK.
They've survived the kiln.
Exciting times.
I have intact gnomes,
so now it's sort of trying
to just basically enhance
everything with good decoration.
That's the plan.
But for some, the kiln gods
haven't been quite so kind.
I'm trying to stay cool.
The hat's come off
my guy over here.
That's the one that I had to
rip the hat back off of
after I dropped him.
So not only are mine already
too small, they're now broken.
These are 1980s
roller disco gnomes.
Just slight wobbles
on two of them.
OK, well, this guy
looks really good.
- He's very sturdy.
- He is, isn't it?
- Very, very sturdy.
- Yeah, tripod, you see.
- It's the three, isn't it?
- Yes. You need three legs.
It's a different sort of gnome.
Yeah, it is, yeah.
Oh, dear.
The potters have
a variety of glazes and oxides
to help them
bring their builds to life.
So the plan is
to put all my skin color on.
I'm very chuffed
that they've come out all right.
And whilst Nick's surfers
will be weathered,
others are going for the more
traditional gnome style,
with bold blocks of color.
These are
my beachcombing gnomes.
I feel like I managed to get
quite a lot of character
in the make stage.
This stage I'm just trying
to get everything
really bright and colorful.
Going for bright colors.
Most gnomes are bright colors,
I think.
They're meant to be
happy little fellas.
I've stuck
to three or four colors,
but every
single one's different.
They wouldn't wanna go out
in the same outfits.
And just like
style-conscious Christine,
Jenny is going ski chic
with a more textured look
for her winter sport gnomes.
I'm trying to just make this
look a bit chiffony.
I'm doing a lighter application,
sort of dabbing it on.
My plan is I shall add
bits of lighter colors
and darker colors
just to try and get it a bit
more, um, painty, I suppose.
I've got an idea in my head
the way it's gonna turn out,
and I'm hoping that's the way
it will turn out.
- Hi, Anna.
- Hello, Keith.
- How are you doing?
- Not so bad at all.
- Painting gnomes.
- Yeah.
There's a great style
to them already.
Three bad apples,
I've called them,
'cause they're up to no good.
Even the happy one's
up to no good.
He knows what he's doing.
We often see your decoration is,
well, kind of
your strong point, really.
Any particular plan for them?
I wanna put the block color
on first,
and then bring it up
with highlights and lowlights,
so just to get a bit of depth
of color in there.
Good.
But things aren't always
as they seem
in the world of underglaze.
They tend to be slightly dull
when they haven't been fired.
Then when they've been fired
with a transparent glaze over,
they go much brighter,
so it's trying to imagine that
in your head.
It is a bit of guesswork.
I'm hoping I know the way
it's gonna come out,
but it's underglaze.
It should come out
like fire-engine red.
How do you know
it's gonna come out red?
- What's this one called?
- It's called fire-engine red.
- Ah.
That will... That will help you.
And are you happy
with how everything's come out?
Yeah. Best bit is... check
this out, right? Action gnome.
Ah, he's like the boys
at my school disco in year six.
- Yeah, or me at 40.
- Or you...
Great news, everyone.
You're halfway through.
Ooh. Anybody got
a gnome done yet?
Little bit of pattern
on his trousers.
It's the detail
that takes the time,
and time is not on my side.
There's a lot of little details
and places to get into
that you kind of forget about
until you come here.
You don't think of those
things when you're making it.
You go, "Ooh, look at me,
how smart I am,"
and then can't paint it.
Hey, Cellan. How you doing?
Did everything
go through the bisque OK?
Everything bar this guy.
- He lost his head a little.
- Oh, OK.
Well, when I dip it,
I'm gonna hold him by the top,
and then as it fires,
it'll fuse it back together.
Just so long as it's kind of
in a position that it won't...
- Won't fall off, yeah.
- ...slide off.
What I'm thinking now
is just refine
all their faces next.
The faces need to be
very expressive,
so it's why
I left them all to last,
just to get the faces
the way I want them.
Some of the expressions
have been created
just in the shaping of the clay.
But then obviously
I want really nice rosy cheeks.
It's difficult, innit?
Skin tone.
Well, I know what color
roughly my mates are.
They're based on my mates, so
I'm gonna make 'em that color.
Give him a nice healthy
South Wales suntan.
I'm just putting
the skin on them there.
- I'm doing the same.
- Oh, nice.
Whoa. This guy
looks surprisingly peaceful,
considering he's the one
that got splatted.
These are
looking marvelous.
Thank you.
With huge noses,
if that's not too rude to say.
I love a big nose.
- Do you?
- I really do.
The bigger the nose,
the more excited I get.
Crikey. I've never heard
that one before.
Ten minutes left, guys!
- No!
- No! Paint, quickly!
Precision. Remember precision.
Oh! I'm very conscious
of the fact
that we need to get them dipped
in transparent glaze.
OK, one, two, three.
Not only
will the transparent glaze
help the potters' colors pop,
but it's a crucial step
to ensuring the gnomes
are able to withstand
the elements
in their natural environment.
Just have to wait and let it dry
before I can put it down.
- One minute left.
- Oh, deary me.
Ooh, ooh, ooh.
I'm glazing my hat on.
My hands now are also
gonna be stuck.
Three, two, one.
Well done, everybody.
Challenge is over.
The potters must now take
their finished work to Rose
for the final firing.
Bring on the gnomes.
And when they are
next reunited,
it will be judgment time.
Painted three gnomes. Yeah,
that seems like a win, really.
I think I did
what I came here to do.
After seeing everyone else's
gnomes, I'm like "mm-mm."
But I'm pleased with my gnomes.
Pretty blocky,
like block colors, pretty plain.
Just depends, really. Can't
compare them to other people's.
'Cause other people's
are very good.
The potters' sets of gnomes
began life as lumps of mud
just three days ago.
But they're now ready to step
into the limelight
and face the judges.
Potters, your gnomes all look
absolutely flipping brilliant.
Let's ruin the fun now
by judging them.
Jenny, would you like
to bring down
your trio of gnomes, please?
Well, they're
incredibly striking.
They're very colorful, which is
what we were looking for.
The build isn't bad at all.
There's some really nice
movement in the whole structure.
The way that you've created
the mittens here
in that caricature kind of way
works really, really well,
and actually
I think this is probably
your most considered work.
- Would you say that?
- Yeah, I think so.
I was so scared
of the challenge.
I think you've conveyed
your concept beautifully.
They really feel like a set.
I would say the application
of the purple on your ice skater
has gone a little bit awry.
It was supposed
to be like chiffon,
so it's supposed to be sort of
dabbed on, but it's, yeah.
I think it's only because
with the others
you've applied the color
so effectively
that that one sticks out
a little bit, perhaps.
But, you know, the way you've
chosen to texture the beard
and put in some of the detail,
it works really, really well.
And they've just got
bags of character.
There's a great
strong style there,
and if I was walking in the
garden and I saw them from afar,
would I know what they were?
Of course I would, yeah.
They're very, very recognizable,
and it's because
of those bold colors.
- Absolutely brilliant.
- Really well done, Jenny.
Thank you.
The character that you've got
into your trio of gnomes
is just incredible.
I love the approach
to your beard.
You know, there's such energy,
such movement,
It's, I think, what really
brings them together as a trio.
The posture and the poses you've
chosen are just incredible,
and I've gotta commend you
on this one.
I mean, I just think
the different stances,
that is inspired.
I want one of these
on my bedside table,
let alone the garden.
The build itself
is just incredible.
A lovely cacophony
of surface design and textures.
I love the nod to the rave
scene, the smiley face.
- And the whistle, I mean...
- Come on. Yay.
- Great idea.
And what's so lovely
about them
is that you look at them
time and time again
and you notice
something different.
Really, really
well ex*cuted. Lovely.
- Nice work, Tom.
- Brilliant. Thank you.
They work brilliantly
as a trio.
The energy you've got
into the pose,
you can see
they're really going for it.
And the level of detail you've
got in there is incredible.
I can't help thinking
they feel like they could be
members of your family somehow,
I don't know why.
- Wouldn't like to say.
- Does Lucinda look like...?
- No, I'm not sure.
- I don't know.
There's a slight resemblance,
yeah. Maybe it's the nose.
I don't know,
I don't know.
But, yeah, there's just
so much going on there,
but it really feels like
they're at a festival.
They carry
your design idea brilliantly.
So Bill here has got
a slight crack in the base.
You've got
this big flat piece of clay
on this sort of solid lump
on top.
You're gonna get those stresses
and strains.
But, actually,
there's real character in these,
and I'm just loving
all the surface design.
You've got
so many different processes.
You've got some sponging
going on there.
You've got inlay. You've got
kind of the brushwork.
You've got incising
that you've applied glaze into
and wiped back.
There's just
so many different techniques,
and yet it all
comes together beautifully.
They're
very, very striking,
and if I was to look at them
in the garden,
I'd have a little smile,
and that's what you want
from a gnome.
- Well done, Lucinda.
- Thank you very much.
They do look like
they're loving it.
This one's hanging ten here.
This one's thinking about
going in.
We've seen
with your hand-building skills
and those observational skills
that you have
really come to the fore
in all your makes.
And you haven't disappointed
this time.
They're just brilliant.
They're all
incredibly individual,
and yet they look good as a set.
Yeah, I mean the level
of animation you've got
in their kind of action poses,
it's incredible.
They've just been
built beautifully.
I think the surfboards,
they are inspired.
What a great idea.
It adds stability,
but it's also part of the theme.
It just makes perfect sense.
There's a few areas
where you've got glaze dribbles.
It's just run out
of these crevices
and kind of left
a slightly thicker patch,
but the character, they just
make you smile, you know.
- I'd love them in my garden.
- Thank you.
They look
really, really strong.
They're all doing what
they should do, standing up,
or doing some kind of acrobatic
kind of position.
You've really got that energy
and that fluidity
in your structures.
I love the application
of the color
and the markings on the beard.
It really ties in
throughout the whole set.
Yeah, I mean,
we asked for action poses,
and you've certainly
given us that.
There's so much energy.
It's almost like
they're sort of mid movement.
You kind of feel like
you're thrown
immediately into the 1980s.
I think the one thing they're
perhaps lacking is that base.
That would just give us
that extra confidence
that they're gonna
stay standing.
But, I mean,
you've really gone for it,
and I think despite the fact
they've got shades and no eyes,
you know, you've built
loads of character into them
just in their movement.
- Whoa.
- Sorry.
Overall, the colors, the poses,
I think they work really well.
Thank you.
For me, they're a bit
on the small side.
But they're incredibly bold,
really striking.
Your idea of the story
and your concept
works really, really well.
It would have been nice to see
a little bit more detail
in the beard.
I sort of ran out of time
a little bit.
- I did drop one of them.
- Oh, OK. Right, OK.
He went a bit flat and I had to
reinflate him a bit.
You wouldn't have known
that one of them
was heavily deflated
during the build.
I'd agree they might get
a bit lost in the wilderness
if the grass got a bit long,
'cause they're quite short,
but can't fault
the quality of the build,
the application of the color,
or the way
you've carried your design.
Thank you.
The application of color
is great.
You've managed to kind of keep
those underglazes really punchy,
which is what
we were wanting to see.
It tells your story wonderfully.
You know, you've got the apple
collector, the stomper,
and then you've got Keith over
here after a few too many jars.
But, you know, they've just got
so much character.
They look like
old-fashioned garden gnomes
but with that contemporary
sort of humor,
if you like, within them and...
The sack.
That sack is beautiful.
- It's great.
- It's a beautiful sack.
You don't say that every day.
- But it is a beautiful sack.
- Thank you.
They just make you smile
when you look at them.
They look a bit crazy, but,
you know, in a really good way.
I couldn't quite figure out
where you were going
with the construction
of the face,
because it was sort of moving it
a long way away from that
traditional idea of the gnome
with the rosy cheeks and the...
But somehow you've kind of
put all of those attributes
into it
but in a really
sort of contemporary
and different mixed-up way.
They've just got such character.
You've run with
a very, very different style,
and you've really
pulled it off effectively.
And such a simple application
of design, if you like.
I'm really loving
the mouth of this one.
It's so simple
but just so expressive.
- Ooh!
- They're just wonderful.
We're seeing from you
that your builds
are getting better
and better and better.
I really, really wanna
just congratulate you
on taking a different approach.
And it's really, really
worked for you.
Good. Phew.
That was great.
For Keith and Rich to be like,
you know, yeah, well done,
it felt really nice.
I just really liked
when they picked them up
and had a little laugh at them,
'cause that's exactly
what I wanted.
I enjoyed that. That was great.
It's really nice
to have nice comments.
But it was lovely to watch
everyone else's
nice comments as well.
The judges basically said
something lovely
about everything.
No idea again how they're gonna
make their decision,
but I think
it's closer than ever this week.
They were a lot nicer to me
than they could have been.
I'd love to stay, but
when you look around the room,
everyone else
is a lot more dynamic.
I don't know
if I've done enough to stay in.
Everybody's gnomes were amazing.
So I'm kind of like practicing
a goodbye speech in my head.
Keith and Rich must now decide
who will be named potter of
the week and whose time is up.
Well, garden week, hey?
I dig it. I dig it big time.
But some real highs and lows.
Who do you think's
had a good week?
AJ's had a fantastic week.
Their gnomes just took that idea
of the traditional garden gnome
and sort of catapulted it
into the modern age.
It was just so brave to take
a really different approach.
So, AJ's up there. Anyone else?
Nick's gnomes for me,
he just got that idea
of those surfboarding gnomes
over to us so well.
Tom's, they were just so fun.
The whistle,
the different posture
of the break-dancing gnome.
He's gotta be up there.
So who do you think's
at the bottom of the garden?
- Who's struggling?
- Cellan is down there.
He struggled
in the second challenge,
and with his gnomes,
they were just
a little bit small.
His gnomes could have done
with a bit more animation,
a bit more movement.
Christine may be down there.
The stability of the gnomes
was a bit uneasy,
and of course
that second challenge.
Interesting to see who will be
turfed out of the competition.
At least there'll be
no more gnome jokes.
- "Gnome" more at all.
- I couldn't resist. Sorry.
- Thank God for that.
Potters, the judges
have made their decision.
This is the best
and worst part of my job.
But let's do
the good news bit first.
This week's potter of the week
has been bold, brave,
and the judges say
is getting better and better.
The potter of the week is...
AJ. Congratulations, AJ.
Deserved. Well deserved.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I can't believe that.
It was just so simple
and effective.
You just really
pushed the boundaries.
We just loved it.
It was really great.
And now
to the much sadder farewell,
which is so tricky by now
because we've all become
good friends,
and it's unimaginable to think
that next week
one of you won't be here.
But someone has to go.
The person leaving the pottery
this week is...
Cellan.
I'm so sorry, Cellan.
It's all right. Yeah.
Just wasn't my week.
Just wasn't my week.
- We've loved having you here.
- Thank you.
It's the end of this for me,
but it's not the end
of anything else.
You know, if anything,
this is the start now for me
to really go out there and do
something that I wanna do,
which isn't gnomes.
Well done, AJ.
Well done, well done.
- Thanks.
- Well done.
I d... I'm... I'm really...
I'm really pleased. I'm like,
oh, like, achievement, like...
I'm really chuffed,
but also really gutted,
'cause I'm losing Cellan,
and I'll miss his flowing locks.
Everyone come in.
Everyone come in.
Gonna miss Cellan.
He's my little Welsh buddy.
He's only 23. Little bugger.
You've done
really well, man.
Definitely got big things
ahead of you.
He's got a lot of talent.
I think the pottery world will
be seeing a bit more of him.
And as Cellan exits
the pottery...
AJ's gnomes
will now take their spot
in the Throw Down gallery.
Ah, AJ's brilliant.
Their pottery is just ace.
They've got such a style.
Yeah, thoroughly deserved.
I never really thought that
I would get potter of the week.
I'm really proud.
Yeah, I'm proud of it.
Pressure's on for next week now.
It's only down from here.
- Next time...
- Mine is so off-center now.
...the swinging '60s
come to the pottery.
- Time is tight.
- Whoo!
Life and death with mud.
- - With vast vintage vases.
- Focus.
And a demanding
decoration spot test.
Oh, God, I'm making
such a mess of this.
Whose designs have aged well?
I'm just giving it
a little rub for luck.
And who has fallen
out of fashion?
I hope my ba*ls stay on.
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05x05 - Character Gnomes & a Sea Kale Forcer
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In each episode, a group of amateur potters compete to complete two pottery challenges.
In each episode, a group of amateur potters compete to complete two pottery challenges.