03x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

# my darling

# I've hungered for your touch

i# a long, lonely time... #l

not bad for a first effort!

Wetcome to
the great pottery throw down.

I got into pottery
when I was doing gcses.

They was, like, "you have to
pick a subject."

"Cool. What's ceramics?"
"Oh, it's Clay."

"Yeah, all right,
I'll have a bit of that."

And here I am. I'm here!

In the biggest pottery throw down
yet, 12 of the nation's

finest home Potters have been
selected to walk the haltowed

cobbtes of middteport, right
in the heart of British pottery's

spiritual home, stoke-on-Trent.

I've been wanting to see this place
for a long time.

This is a mecca for Potters,

because so many beautiful pieces
have been made here.

In our throw down studio,
they'll be let loose on wet Clay

to transform it into unique
and beautiful items for the home.

I can lose days, fully immerse
mysetf in my pottery and get lost.

Everything they conjure up
will bejudged by Maverick

master Potter Keith brymerjones

and world-renowned ceramic
designer sue plyke.

The majority of homes in the uk
have something that

I've designed in their cupboards.

I've been designing
for high street retailers

like marks & Spencer's and Ikea
for over 20 years.

If you haven't drunk a cup of tea
from a month that I've designed,

then you clearly
don't drink enough tea.

Functionality is a large
part of what I do, but over

the 35 years I've been doing it,
it's not just about function.

It's about the emotional connection you're
trying to convey with what you make.

For me, pottery
is incredibly emotional

fantastic, mate. It's fantastic!

I'm an emotional person as well,
so I'd like to meet Keith

I and we can get emotional together. I.

So, are these Potters ready

for 20 brand-new challenges?

The last time I was this nervous
was probably before labour.

And who will go on
to be named champion...

My secret weapons, these bad boys.

Not the great patten; Throw down?

Don't drop 'em!

A bit fraught at the minute. Argh!

L I am sweating full-on. L

get your hand nice and wet
for some lubrication.

Don't look, really!

I knew this would happen to me.

# making time

# sh**ting lines

# people have their uses

# people have their uses... #

It's the first day
for our new Potter recruits,

and what a northern welcome
we've laid on.

Time to Don their overalls,
straddle their wheels

and get ready for the pottery
ride of their lives.

Let the game of pots begin.

The potting battle will commence
here at middteport,

one of the oldest surviving
potteries in britain,

where skills dating back
over boo years are still being used.

Over three days, our Potters will
face two challenging tests to

determine their skills
and creativity.

Who will be the first
Potter of the week,

and who will judges
Keith and sue send home?

Good morning, Potters!
All: Hi!

Wetcome to your first
day in the pottery.

Now, for your main make
challenge this week,

sue and Keith have set the perfect
start to your morning,

because they like you to build
a six-piece breakfast set.

This must comprise of a cafetiere.
We've provided the plungers.

Aren't we kind? Two Espresso cups
and two sources, and a toast rack.

You've got four hours,
and your time starts now.

Potters, get potting!

Throwing on the wheel
is my preferred style.

I'm going
to enjoy doing this task, yeah.

Throwing's not really my thing.
I'm a sculptor.

But I'm going to putt it out of the
bag and make something respectable.

But before the Potters
can throw their six-piece breakfast

sets on the wheat,
they have to prepare the ctay.

I've forgotten what I'm doing.
I'm worried my weights are all off.

I think we're all in the same boat,
mate, don't worry.

After carefully weighing the Clay...

It's got to be exact.

...each lump must be kneaded,
a process called wedging.

This is more like it.
It's not flopping around any more.

A breakfast set before.

I didn't even know you could
throw a cafetiere.

Have you ever seen a ceramic
cafetiere? I haven't.

So, this is the first main make
challenge, a breakfast set.

It's right up my street.
It's a throwing challenge.

It's pretty exciting,
isn't it? It is.

It's a tough challenge, too.

There's a lot of things
for the Potters to consider.

These items need to be fit for
purpose. It's a functional range.

So I want to see that the
plunger really fits

well into the cylinder
of the cafetiere.

The Espresso cups have to be small.
I don't want to see mugs.

And then we've got the toast rack.

There is a myriad of ways
they could construct this,

but we don't want sweaty toast.
No, not nice.

So I really want to see the Potters
working on the wheel,

I work with the Clay. L

it's all about the breakfast set
having that design follow all

the way through the pieces.

Soft, soft, soft, soft.

I'm just centring
the Clay at the moment

so that I'm able to putt it up nice
and easy without it wobbting around.

I'm trying not to make it
look like something!

This is the bit that everyone
gets very excited about.

That takes out all the air bubbles.

You start with the difficult one,
don't you?

The cafetiere's
definitely my main concern.

I've only managed that once so far
out of about ten attempts.

L hiya, Tom. Hello.L

can you tell me
about your breakfast set, Tom?

My theme for the challenge
is a song.

So I'm a musician,
and I wake up singing

and I go to bed singing, just to
myself, I don't sing property.

Tom lives in sheffield,
where he composes and teaches music.

It's hard when you're laughing,
isn't it?

His love of music will inspire
a toast rack of notes

and a cafetiere handle pulled
into the shape of a treble clef.

I'm looking forward to seeing this.
I'm quite musical.

I play a brass instrument.
Oh, so do I! What do you play?

I play a baritone. Oh, do you?
You are a real brass bander, then.

Proper brass band, yes.
I'm a French horn player, you see.

Yes, we don't have those
in brass bands,

but I do love a French horn,
I love the sound.

Shall we just leave them to it, sue?
Sounds like we should do.

The biggest challenge is actually
lifting this to the height

that I wanted to come to.

The Potters must putt up enough Clay
to get the cafetieres to the

required height.

I'm not used to doing big
throwing things.

But if they putt up too much, they
risk their watts becoming too thin.

There is absolutely
zero room for error.

And their cafetieres could cottapse.

Nope. All gone.

L too much pressure! I

get out, you naughty boy.
I should stop talking to the Clay.

This is what happens
because I'm on my own all the time,

so I just talk to myself,
or the dog. One, two, three!

27-year-old rainna lives in Dover

and pots whilst caring full-time
for her mum, trelina. Cheers.

Rainna's breakfast set
will be decorated with cogs

and rivets in her design mashup
of steampunk meets recycling.

But first,
she's got to throw the pieces.

Look at you! You're the messiest
Potter in the pottery.

Is it really, really bad?
Everywhere.

I'm not really good at throwing.
Oh, ok.

I've only sort of started
in the last year,

so I've just been practising,
practising, practising.

But, you know, I'm getting there.

All my training
really has been in throwing,

so I prefer throwing large
lumps of Clay on the wheels.

This is where the muscles come in.

Claire's a body-builder
from northern lreland.

When she's not lifting weights
with her former mr universe

boyfriend Paul,
she likes throwing big pots.

Claire's hoping to show off her
throwing skills with a simple

design and muted
colours across her breakfast set,

enhanced by shaping
the cups, saucers

and cafetiere to
look like Lily pads.

My granny's also called Lily,

so there's a bit of a family
element in there as well.

As long as the Clay plays ball
with me, it should be ok.

Gone.

I can do it a thousand times
at home.

Flea's from London,

and mum to five-year-otd Iris
and two-year-old Jimmy.

And it was her own artist mum who
first introduced her to pottery.

Well done.

Her blue-and-white set is
inspired by the Moroccan plates that

her mum would serve the family
breakfast on.

Breakfast was definitety
quite a thing for us,

and it was always a pleasure
eating off beautiful things.

That's a better attempt,
so I'm happy with that.

To throw tall and precise
is a real test

for even the most
experienced Potter.

I'll be glad
when I've done this big one.

It's up there now,
let's keep it up there.

But it's not just the height
that matters here.

It's going to have to be so precise
getting that diameterjust perfect,

otherwise you're just going to
have a cafetiere that doesn't work.

Width is crucial
if the plungers are to fit.

And if that's not challenging
enough, once it's fired, the Clay

will shrink, which the Potters need
to factor into their measurements.

This Clay shrinks by 12%.

Luckily I got a shrinkage ruler,
which is

something that probably
every man shoutd have.

Hello. Hi, rosalind. Hello, lovey.
Oh, it's so lovety to meet you. Aww.

How are you getting on?

I've enjoyed doing the measurements,

something I haven't used before,
because it actually works.

When you measure and weigh,
things tend to match!

Funny, that, isn't it?

I wished I'd done it years ago!

Retired antiques shop owner rosatind
from essex pops in the garden

shed next to her husband
Ken's pigeons.

Oh, look,
he's still got his fluff on.

Her bird-themed breakfast set is
inspired by the chickens

she remembers from her childhood.

My dad was a farmer. It's good to
see the hens coming in the kitchen.

Mum always made
pets of all our animals.

I'd try not to get too attached,

because sometimes they'd end up
being for Sunday dinner.

Ronaldo's also looking back
to his childhood.

My work is inspired by where
I grew up, which is in Barbados.

Even for my measuring system

I'm using the coconut lint

I've broken it down to the
measurement I need. Bit too narrow.

Ronaido is an art technician
at a college, and lives in London

with his girlfriend Eleanor
and their four-year-otd daughter

renelle, who's already
following in his footsteps.

Beautiful.

Ronaldo's decorating his set with
hand-painted coconut trees to

capture memories of Barbados.

But his usual style of throwing is
at odds with the precision required.

I freestyle a lot.

I say,
let's let my subconscious take over

and do whatever it feels like. Yep.

You're so involved in the making,

and your mind is left
to just wander.

Just don't wander too far,
because you'll get lost.

Don't want that to happen!

At this stage of the challenge,

the Potters are allowed to
throw as many pieces as they can.

I think this is going to be
the one that I keep.

But while some
are making progress...

One for the drying room!
Oh, dear, shaky hands!

...others are still struggling.

Trying to get a smooth
Scandinavian sleek line to it,

and at the moment you can see it's
going a bit like this.

That's what I'm not happy about.

Originally from Denmark, Rosa is
a former fashion designer who

now lives in buckinghamshire.

Her Scandinavian roots

and love of the British countryside
inspire her designs.

What do you think about that?

Rosa's breakfast set will have a
carousel for a toast rack,

and will be decorated with
hand-painted flora

and fauna to reflect her
love of nature and all that grows.

Yet things aren't growing
so well at the wheel.

I'm definitely not getting
the height I was hoping for.

I have to do something about
these shaking hands, I think.

L no, I just have to crack on with it, I

otherwise I'll never
get anything done.

I made three cafetieres.
I'm going to start making cups.

Having gone big with
their cafetieres...

Big hands, tiny little cups.

...the Potters
now have to think small.

The cups I've made
aren't that small.

He's made really small ones. I think
they're more like egg cups.

Egg cups? How dare you, Leonard?

I'm really happy with the cups.

I'm indenting it
kind of like a Lily pad.

But the more elaborate the design...
They look really nice.

I don't know if they're
the same size, but...

...the harder it'll be to make
their cups and saucers identical.

Let's see
if we can get rid of that Ridge.

Let's hope it matches
the one over there.

I'm really interested in clean
forms,

so my inspiration is traditional
Chinese tea cups. Yes, yes.

I'm half Chinese and half english,
and that's... and 100% scouse!

L yes, 100% scouse! I

25-year-old Jacob soaks
up his heritage

when he visits liverpool's historic
Chinatown with his dad John.

His declaration will celebrate
the city skyline.

Setting atoft his toast
rack will be a liver bird,

and his set will be signed off with
his own maker's Mark.

I use my little Chinese stamp
to Mark everything.

My mum and dad
brought this back from China.

It's my name in Chinese. It
kind ofjust finishes it off a bit.

Guys, you've got to one hour left.

Rosa, are you all
right for 60 minutes? I hope so.

I finally moved
on to the Espresso cups,

but my hands are still
shaking like I don't know what.

But before anyone's breakfast
sets are complete...

I'm getting pretty tired.
Oh, man. It's tough, isn't it?

...there's still one more
piece to throw on the wheel.

I've never done a toast rack,
so this'll be interesting.

So, the toast rack is going to be
shaped as a boat,

and then I'm going to have
like little people on each end of

the boat, so it's almost like a 3D
version of some illustration work.

Born in Nepal, London based sampada
is a part-time illustrator

who likes to express her emotions
through her art and ceramics.

Her breakfast set will show off her
illustrative style,

but the notion of using a toast rack
is something new to sampada.

I think when I heard about it, I
just thought, who uses a toast rack.

I'm Asian. We don't eat toast!
Don't expect too much. Oh, we are!

We definitely are.

Leonard will also be
serving his toast in a boat.

There are two sails in the end
of my toast rack. We're done.

Now retired and living in cornwall,
70-year-old Leonard spends his

days pottering in his garage, much
to the delight of his wife, susie.

Len? Coffee, cakes. Oh, excellent.

His love of sailing
on the cornish coastline will be

reflected in his
breakfast set design.

So this is the yacht
that I sail with.

It belongs to my buddy Anthony.

The design is actually the sail, and
on the end will be the cornish flag.

Leonard might have
some local rivalry.

I've got my eye on Leonard.
Cornish competition.

The younger generation
beating the older generation out.

Our youngest Potter, kitt,
still lives at home on his mum

and dad's Turkey farm in cornwall.

He's been potting
since he was nine years old.

His set is inspired by the iconic

blue-and-white-striped cornish
crockery that he's grown up with.

How old are you? 19. Does that
feel like an added pressure?

No! You're very chilled, and you?

You're very calming to be around,
actually. Thank you.

Not like these two!

All right, Potters.
You've got half an hour left.

That's an hour and a half!

I'm the boss around here, Leonard.
Do as you're told! Yes, ma'am.

Crack on! Keep potting!

Every/body's pulling handles,
aren't they?

So, talk to me about pulling,

because I don't really know what
this term means.

It's difficult to do without
sort of innuendos flying to mind.

Get your hand nice and wet for some
lubrication. Ok, yeah.

And then you just start to putt
things down... don't look, realty.

You asked me to do it!
She's gone into five-year-otd mode!

Matt from Manchester was a
professional cyclist for ten years.

He started potting
when he retired from the sport

to focus his mind
on a new challenge.

Matt's hoping his minimalist design,
simple decoration

and sleek handles will win
over the judges.

Are they thick enough of that size
cafetiere, do you think?

I'm going to make them
quite close to the form,

so hopefully that should be strength
enough. Good luck, Matt. Thank you.

You've only got a bit more
time to go now.

With the cafetieres and
Espresso cups requiring handles...

It's an interesting
process to look at.

Why would I be
self-conscious about this?

...and dividers needed
for the toast racks...

I'm going to cut that off, stick it
on the bench and start another one.

...the Potters still have
plenty of pulling to do.

You've been busy, bless you.

I'm pulling a very large handle
in the shape of a treble clef.

Most of the time I putt them
off too hard!

Am I going red yet? Ok, guys,
you've got five minutes. Oh, dear!

I didn't want to cry.

Did some people just finish?
Blimey! Stop drinking tea!

Every/thing's done now.
Just don't drop it!

I think this one's too short,
so I might just do that one anyway.

I do not have any spares. Hopefully
the ones I've got are really good.

I've got one spare cafetiere,
one spare lid, two spare cups

and two spare saucers.

Everybody,
you've got one minute left.

Everything has to
go into the drying room. Don't run!

Oh, I'm the doorman.
Thank you very much.

Rosa's doing a butterfly,
and she's got a minute to go.

This is a butterfly. I think
she's in a bit of a flap, don't you?

I see what you did there, yeah!
That will do. You've got so much!

Do you need help? Do you need help?
There's one more board on there.

Are you free? She's running!

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Come on, ronatdo.
You've got seconds left!

Come on, shift yourself.

Five, four,

three, two, one,

time up!

Well done, everybody.

Are you good? Yeah. Well done!

They look relieved. Yeah.

I'm quite pleased
with what I produced, but looking

round at other people's,
there was some good stuff there.

It was an easy challenge,
because I throw,

and that's what I do, realty.

At first, I was like,
"oh, my god," and panicking.

And I thought,
"just be catm, rainna."

Just sort of channelled it in.

I haven't had any spare at all, sol
really hope it's going to work well.

You never know with pottery,

and maybe that's the beauty or maybe
that's the awful thing.

Let's see later on.

In between the stages of
their main make,

each week the Potters
will face a second challenge -

testing a different pottery skill.

And today they'll need
to demonstrate the speed

and precision of the master Potters
that made stoke the centre

of the ceramic world.

Your challenge this week
is a throw-down and we're sticking

with the breakfast theme, as Keith
would like you

to throw eggcups off the hump.

Laughter

some of you had an idea!

Now, you're going to start off
with a big lump of Clay.

So, centring it
you might find it quite hard.

But with throwing off the hump,

you only have to centre the bit
you're actually working on.

Just want to press down.

You don't actually want to take
too much Clay.

It's all about pressure.

And then you just gently squeeze
the Clay to make your stem.

And then you squeeze the Clay
again to make your foot.

And we want to see a
nice, fluent shape

through the bowl of the eggcup,
through the stem, to the foot.

Think about what you're making.

It's an eggcup,
it's not a salad bowl.

Get your knife and just keep
it slightly upwards.

So when you make your base...
Lovely... it'll sit nicely.

All right?

Potters, you have got 15 minutes

to throw as many eggcups off the
hump as you can.

And your time starts now.

Oh, look at this.
Start it like that.

Here they go. Ok.

Oh, god, this is
really hard to centre.

Bleep!

L it's a big old lump of Clay. L

for god's sake!

Well, I just love any
big lump of Clay.

I could centre this all day long.

Matt's already getting in there.

Lovety. I've not really
worked off the hump before.

Throwing off the hump is something
I've done before.

I tried to do Espresso cups.

It didn't work out.

I don't do any production pottery,
so it's a big struggte.

It is, isn't it?

I like to throw
miniatures off the hump

for my daughter's d0ll's house.

I want to see that nice
fluid shape as well.

I don't want much.

I don't think I'm getting my curve,

but as long as it looks
like an eggcup.

What's an eggcup look like again?

Matt's got his first one off.

Flea's got one off.
Tom's just got one as well.

Well done, Tom. Heady he“!

Ten minutes left.

Just keep throwing them out.

This is horrendous.

Come on, rainna. Sort your life out.
This is my first one!

They're a bit wobbly, aren't they?
Wobbly hands, wobbly heart.

Ok, there's quite a few
of you on three.

Oh, what is that?!

Come on, Potters.

Remember, it's not
just about quantity.

Was that you shouting? That's the
quietest shout I've ever heard.

Perhaps if I put my glasses on?
Do it again.

Potters! That's it, yeah!

Get a wiggle on!

Is that a reject? Nope!

Ok, sorry, I wasn't judging it.

The wheel's wobbling,
everythi ng's shaking.

Flea's going for it.
Loads on her bench there, look.

Matt's very industrious.

There's a nice flow to it,
when you're working fast.

It's ugly.
It's not ugly, it's manly.

Does it matter what size it is?

L all right, I'm sweating, full-on. L

don't get the hump, you've got
five minutes left.

What?! Ahh!

Oh! Come on, guys!

Oh, god.

Oh, my word. I'm squeezing so hard
with my legs.

Give me another hour,
I might master it

oopsie. How many of you got, Tom?
Can't talk, sorry, busy.

Busy doing eggcups.

One minute, g*ng.
Come on, at least another two.

You can get one more out.

I can feet the
concentration in the room.

Bit fraught at the minute.

Watch it with the knife.
Watch it, watch it.

If in doubt, just pull it off.

Five, four...

One more, Ronaldo,
one more. Come on.

...two, one.

And breathe!

L step away from the Clay. L

well done, guys.

Well done. That's brilliant.

Oh, I got it all in my hair again!

The Potters will now face
the judges for the very first time.

Any eggcups that don't
measure up will be rejected

and won't be counted.

Rainna, hello. You all right?

They're not too bad at all.

Shall we try an egg? Go for it.

See, look? Yeah, that's
spot-on, isn't it? Perfect.

You could have seen a bit
more fluidity with them,

a bit more refinement on the rim.

Which one did you start with?
That one.

So the shapes have got curvier.
Yeah.

If we did that... oh, yeah,
that fits! That would be better.

L no, that's going in there.L.

Bang

that's the first one.
That is not a good sound.

Oh, k*ller!

Which one?
I think this would be a good one.

The little one here.

Oh, look how gorgeous it looks.
Perfect.

This one could have been finished
off a bit better.

Isn't it amazing how much better
it looks with the egg in it?

It just makes more sense.

There's some nice waists on them,
isn't there?

That's very messy.
That's got to go in.

Wow. You were fast and furious.

Look at those.
There's quite a few here.

In terms of consistency,
they're a little varied,

but really impressed with the size.
Thank you.

The ones that don't work for me
are this one...

Yes. That's a bit more

these ones. The way you were
throwing them, you can spare a few.

You did so many! That's a goner.

There's a good balance between
that depth of the foot

and the cup on them, isn't there?

The base could have been
slightly wider. Wider, yeah.

So that's going to have to go in.

That's a little big, isn't it?
Mm-hm. Get rid of that one.

I think that's fair.

I didn't like that going in the bin.

L no, never mind. Never mind.L.

You'll get over it.

I'm aware there's going to be a
certain amount

I of quality control going on.L.

But I was going fast, fast, fast.

This one's kind of the leaning
tower of pisa of eggcups.

That'll have to go.

That'll have to go. Sorry, Tom!

No, it's fair enough.
Are you done with it?

Oh! He's mean, isn't he?

Not that one!

There are variations within them,
but essentially they've got

that little nipped-in waist
at the base.

You'd never thrown anything like
that before? No, no. Brilliant.

Very consistent.

The shape's the same,

I don't actually want to throw
any of them in the bin.

I don't want you to, either.

Too big? They are
a little bit, aren't they?

Definitely a goose egg for that one.

Yeah, or Turkey egg.

So what were you thinking of, then?
Goblets?

But they are small eggs.

I've never seen an egg so small.

Laughter

is that right?
No, that's going in.

L no, that's not very good, either.L.

Well done. They're really lovely
shape for a medieval banquet. Yeah.

Very much the same, aren't they?

They're all really nice and stable.
They're all upright.

Except for that one in there.
I was hoping you wouldn't notice.

L no, Matt. Just no.L.

That's got to go in. That's brutal.

Keith and sue will now reveal
who have the technical skills

to throw the largest number
of usable eggcups.

In 12th place with,
eight eggcups is...

...kit.

In joint tenth place,
with ten eggcups...

I..it's rosalind and sampada. L

Jacob and Leonard threw 12, Ronaldo,
rainna, Rosa and Claire threw 15.

And Matt came third in the
throw-down with 1A.

In second place, with 15 eggcups...

...is Tom.

So that leaves first place,
with 20 eggcups - flea.

Well done, well done, everyone.

Well done, Tom. Well done, mate.

I thought Matt was going to win it,
because his were beautiful.

I'm saying it's downhill from here.

It's the first challenge and so it
meant a lotto me,

but I'm also very aware that I
really can't go uphill from here.

I thought all my eggcups looked
like a kind of dysfunctional family,

which I thought was nice.

At middteport, world renowned
pottery is being produced

round the clock.

And for our Potters, their shift
is not over yet.

Their six piece breakfast sets
have been drying in the drying room

for three hours.

Ok, what have we got?

Now, leather-hard, they
have an hour and a half

to turn and trim,
and add their handles.

This is the best part, for sure.

It's where all the
finesse really is.

This is the last stage before
firing, and crucial

if they want to achieve the finish
the judges are looking for.

Obviously don't want
a heavy old jug.

Lyou want some nice light jugs. L

the better the Potters throw each of
their pieces in the first stage

will mean less finessing work now.

It will be hopefully a lot more
refined

than this lump at the minute.

So I've had to be really
careful not to overtrim

and go all the way through.

How do you know when to stop?
Trial and error.

You can also tap it and you can
feet... oh, right.

Cut through so many pots
so many times.

Phew! I forget to breathe.

Focus.

You can really feet
the concentration in the room.

I'm feeling like I've got
so little time to make them look

the way I'd like them to look.

Under quite a bit of pressure.

For Rosa, the pressure is even
greater.

Don't shake. Not shaking.

One mistake means she won't have
a complete set.

I'm just surviving at the moment.

So I'd has to work.

L I think it's fine. It's only Clay. L

this is the last chance
to check their measurements...

It's a little bit
on the tight side.

...and the Potters must now
attach their handles,

knobs and spouts.

I just hope it pours well,
and not pours over the judges.

I've cut a section out for the
spout that I threw earlier,

so it's got
the right flare for pouring.

I've never made anything
that doesn't drip.

It all drips.
That's a lovely little knob.

It's a nice little knob.

You've got loads of knobs
down there.

They're all different, though.

It's tighter than
I've ever had it.

All the way down the shaft
fits very well. Yeah.

So I'm putting on my stamp
at the moment.

It's just getting everything on,
though.

No, I don't think I've ever
worked this quick.

All right, Potters.

You've got half an hour left.

You can only put one of your sets
in the drying room.

All right. Panic.

My handles are just a touch dry,
but I might get away with it.

If I have it up there,
I think it's going to just be

too much weight,
but I'm not a pro at this.

Oh! Ls it not playing ball?

Just got to press it on the pot
without breaking it or fainting.

Well, I'm hereto catch you.
Just the handle would be good.

That would be lovely.

I'm working on the toast rack.
Really rushing now.

Is this your toast rack?
Lt'll be for tiny toast.

I think I'm going to cut
the toast in triangles.

I think you're going to have to.

L I've got just enough time, I

still, mustn't count my chickens
till they hatch.

I'm doing, like, a little gear
system.

Looks like an owl now.

Oh, no, don't say that to me!
It does.

It's a bloody owl! It's an owl!

Almost finished.

Just neaten up a few corners.

Being neat is not my strong point.

How long we got left?
You've got one minute left.

Remember, finish is everything.

Not at this point.

Oh, sorry! Watch out!
Watch your backs.

Rush, rush, rush!

Rainna, kit, I think you're the only
two that haven't got your stuff

in the drying room. Come on, rainna.

D0 you want these ones taken to the
drying room? Oh, yes, please.

Why are you so coot?

There's, like, seconds left.
It's stressing me out, man!

Finish is everything.

Ten, nine, eight...

Don't drop them!

...seven, six, five, four...
For god's sake!

Three, two, one!

Oh, my god!

Your time is up.

Well done. Whoa'.!

Well done.

Well done, everybody.

And breathe!

Ah!

The turn and trim was really
stressful.

Could have been a disaster,
but I think I rescued it.

How did you do? Yeah, turned
something out.

It's been a really good day,

but I do feel I'm up against some
really stiff competition.

I'm feeling awesome. I'm just glad
it's over and I can go home

and get some sheep.

White the Potters take
a well-earned two day rest,

their breakfast sets
will be in the safe hands

of our very own kiln guy rich.

He'll be keeping a close
eye on them as they dry.

Tom's chosen to do these really
ornate decorative handles,

but all of these curves could
potentialty crack as they dry out.

And I'm slightly concerned
about sampada's cafetiere.

This rim, it's incredibly thick.

There is the risk that it
could exptode in the firing.

We need these pieces to be bone dry
before they go in the k*ll.

Sending my pieces into the kiln

is like sending your kids off to
school, I suppose, but less tears.

If things don't go my way, I'm
going back to cornwall,

back to my shed,
back to the turkeys.

Our Potters are back at middteport

where their breakfast sets have had
2A hours bisque firing,

and kiln guy rich is bringing them
out ready for decoration.

This stage will be the last chance
for the Potters

to impress the judges.

Good morning, Potters. Morning.
Good morning.

Your breakfast sets
are out of the kiln

and are lurking beneath the hessian.

We've got a variety of glazes for
you to use ready

for your decoration.

This is where your breakfast sets
really come to life.

I want to see that your range sits
cohesively together

and works perfectly as a set.

If you've got your
measurements right,

the plunger should fit the cafetiere
and hopefully

all your handles will still be on
all your pieces.

You've got three hours
to decorate your breakfast sets

and your time starts now.

Ohhh! Yes!

L hello! Well done, little plate! I

you did it.

If it didn't have lipstick on,
I would kiss it. Ahhh...

Uh-oh, why did that crack?

I'm happy the handles stayed on.

There's a hairline crack right
there, so I need to be careful.

Even if their sets
are in one piece...

The screw of this doesn't fit.

...there's still one final check
to make.

Whoa, that's huge. Falls right in.

Oh, god, it's absolutely enormous.

There's about a centimetre,

which is almost the exact
shrinkage rate.

So I think this will fit
perfectly when I glaze.

I'm really looking forward to
having a beautiful breakfast set.

The execution has to be fantastic.

And I think you can easily see that
in one or two of these.

What I really like about this
in particular is the simplicity.

But if you're going to do
something that's that simple,

it's got to be absolutely spot on.

It's a perfect opportunity
to really let their personalities

come through.
At the end of this process,

I really want to know something
a bit more about the Potters.

Before applying any glazes,

the Potters are smoothing out
any rough edges...

You look like a ninja!
Safety first.

...which will help perfect
how their pieces fit together.

That one's got a tiny wobble,
but not if I sand it.

Fit really well.

Can I have a little bit
of the rougher stuff?

You're a star.

But sanding might not be enough
for Tom.

Nothing's really fitting.

The cups do not sit
exactly on the saucers.

There's about a millimetre
too much Clay.

I'm going to have to spend a lot
more time on this than I wanted to.

So there might be compromises
later on in the process.

Once the pots
are finally up to scratch,

decoration can begin.

Steady hand, steady hand.

Let's get on with it.

Rosa's hoping she's over her first
day nerves, but just in case,

she's brought along
some moral support.

My grandmother was
a porcelain painter.

So I'm going to use her inspiration.

My grandma was called Rosa like me.

So she'd be sitting up there
thinking of me, I think.

Kit's not relying on a steady hand
to perfect his cornish stripes.

Are you going to use
a banding wheel for this, or...

I'm going to use tape.

Tape? Oh, ok.

I'm going to tape the lines
and then paint

and then peel them off. Right. Ok.

Well, if you're confident...
Yeah... l'll sort of be confident.

Yeah. Cheers. All right.

If you're confident, I'll be
confident, whatever that means.

But I have to beat Leonard.
He's the other cornish guy.

The yellow bird is the yellow bird
in the middle of the sail.

And I should put my glasses on.

L my wife susie always tells me, I

"put your glasses on so
you can see what you're doing!"

Each chicken's going to be
hand painted.

So each one will be unique.

I've had hens at home for
a long time, and I've named mine.

What's the name of yours?

Well, my hen's called henrietta.

How very appropriate!

You couldn't wish for a better name,
could you, for a hen!

I love painting.

There's a little bit of

it was said that he was
at his most happiest

when he was doing his ceramics.

They're playful, they're fun,
they're full of life.

And that's what I'm trying to do.

So, this is outside my dad's house
in Barbados.

Loads of vegetation all around.

So why not put my culture
into the piece?

To be honest, illustration
isn't my strong point.

But I wanted to show the judges

I'm not afraid of going outside
my comfort zone.

My background is illustration.

So a lot of times I make
a simple shape first

and then the main highlight
is my decoration.

But I was a bit too ambitious
with my design.

I should have focused more
on the actual function.

So I'm just going to do
little sad faces crying,

because that's how I feel

looking at the state of
my cafetiere!

Ok, guys, don't panic.

But we're halfway through.

Don't panic. I'm panicking, I'm
panicking! All right, you got this!

It's getting there.
He sighs

so I've got to stop dithering now
and focus and get on with it.

While those painting by hand
are making slow progress...

...Matt's minimalist design
is a much quicker technique.

So, it's not really painting, is it?

What would you call it, splattering?

Yeah. Just going for it.

Oh, that's worked out all right.

Oh, that's amazing!

And not one bit on me.
So thanks for that!

Flecking, got my template,
which is the liverpool skyline.

Then I'm building up layers,
using different shades of blue,

then I'll peel that off.

So we'll really see a crisp skyline.

That's the idea?
That's the idea, yeah.

L I wish I could paint nice like that. L

Claire's avoiding
the paintbrush altogether.

100 grams, boo grams...

Mental maths. Mental maths, yes.

She's making her own black glaze
out of iron oxide

to create her deceptively simple
two-tone decoration.

Glazing really is my thing,

I use quite a lot of technical
kind of glazes.

Like, I'm quite into the chemistry.

But whhe she can start to mp
'm her freshb; Made mack gum...

It's quite messy.

So I have to keep this away
from everybody else.

...she's going to have to be patient
to use the communal white gtaze.

I'm waiting for everybody to finish
using the white so I can dip in it.

So I don't want to contaminate it.

Is that cos you're using the
darkest colour in the room? Yeah.

Will it be absolutely black
when it comes out?

Well, I'm not 100% sure because
I don't know the base recipe.

So I've had to guess.

Oh, really? Oh, god, so there'll be
a bit of luck involved.

Fingers crossed!

She hums

Claire's not the only one
experimenting with oxides.

Never used oxides in my life.
I'm winging it.

Bit of powder, bit of water.
She laughs

it's like art attack!

This could go two ways.

L "whoa, that's bloody amazing."I

or, "what the hell has this girl
done to her pot?"

Ok, Potters, you've got one hour
left, just one hour left.

I think I'm in a bit of trouble.
There's too much to sand down.

Tom still hasn't started
his decoration.

Bleep. Nothing fits.

Sony, I'm just having
a mini-meltdown at the back.

It's all right.
You'll make me cry! Sorry.

Sorry. Shall wejust go and cry
in the dry room?

Yeah, let's cry in the dry room.

I need to just crack on, don't I?
Yeah.

You're doing well.
Thank you, Keith, thank you.

But Tom's not the only one
yet to touch his glazes.

Even these are not even. Oh, my god.

Spent an hourjust bleep around
with tape.

I might have a cry in a minute.

I have nothing to do.
Do you want my help? Oh, yeah.

Is that straight? That straight?

The bottom one's straight, isn't it?

This one? That ain't straight.

Oh, my god, ok.

How many people does it take to make
a straight line?

Maybe you have to do
vertical stripes instead.

Yeah. Why don't you do vertically?

L I just need to get it done now.L.

White Tom and kit have finally
started decorating...

I you're not white. You're clear. L

I'm clear. Ok. Clear! Clear!

...Claire can finally dip her pots
in the white glaze.

Hopefully get this nice gradient.

50/50 at the minute
whether it's going to work.

So much to do! I should move on.

But it's so difficult to stop.

I've finished. A bit weird.
Everyone's still working.

It took me a long time after cycling
to get out of the mind-set

that doing something quick
was the best way to do it.

Bit nervous.

I'm struggling to breathe a bit,
just trying to not flake anything.

I'm just being clumsy.
I've managed to break my toast rack.

Oh, no!
I'm having a bit of a one today.

Three rounds of toast, that's all
right. That's one for each judge.

That's ok, isn't it?

I changed the direction
of the stripes.

Don't know how the cornish people
are going to react.

Pitchforks and torches.

Got the skyline on there.

So, yeah. I'm happy, yeah!

Once their underglazes
and oxides have been applied...

The last stage now.

...the breakfast sets are ready for
a dip in a final glaze,

which, when fired,
will become transparent

and reveal the colours
of their designs.

Ugh! I don't know what I'm doing.

Now I'm going to clean them up
on the bottom

so that they don't stick to
the kiln shetf.

L that would ruin the whole thing. I

oh, man, what a mess.

Guys, are you all right?

You've literally got
less than a minute.

I've got to do the handle.
Hurry up!

L do you want me to help you? I?

Oh, god, don't do...!
I can't look.

Glaze it. Thank you.

You're a star. Thank you.

Ok, Potters. Five, four...

Just get the...
..Three, two, one.

No more cleaning your bottoms,
it's all over!

Congratulations.

He groans

now, all you have to do is get
your breakfast pots on the board

and get them down to the kiln.

Lots of things went wrong.

I'm not sure the judges
are going to like it.

I think they're more for
precisely finished things.

I'm just hoping that the judges
are distracted by the design

and not the actual shape.

I was pleased with
my chickens, I guess

I was in my zone today.

L feel really positive about it. L

now, I have to wait and see
how the results are

when they come out the kiln.

I'm not 100% what way this glaze
is going to come out, obviously,

because I have winged the recipe.

It could either come out quite nice

or it could come out
a complete disaster.

In the extreme heat of the kiln,

there's always a risk
that their carefully crafted pots

could crack or exptode.

And if that's not
nerve-racking enough,

the next time our Potters
see their breakfast sets

will be in front of the judges.

It's judgment day.

The Potters will now see that
breakfast sets for the first time

in front of sue and Keith.

First up, Ronaldo,
would you like to bring

up your breakfast set to be judged?

L are you ready, Ronaldo? I

ok, not too bad.

Your decoration -

it's got a really nice touch
to it

all of the pieces.

The spacing's really nice.

The colour application is
really good.

I think the handle could
have been slightly more delicate,

but it's not a bad weight and I'm
liking your cafetiere itself.

Let's have a look before we
put the coffee in.

Yeah, it does go up and down.

I mean, it's tight.

It's tight. Right, the moment
of truth, ronatdo.

Oh, you've got a dribble.
And the toast?

Perfect! Well done, ronatdo. Thank
you. Absolutely brilliant.

Good stuff.

Rosalind, would you like to bring
up your breakfast set?

L are you ready, rosalind? I

don't know what to expect.

Oh!

Happy with henrietta?

It seems to have all worked out.

Well, I entirety agree with you.

Oh, thank you.
I entirety agree with you.

Emotionally: Start me off again.

It's fantastic, mate.
It's fantastic.

Aw! It's not my cup of tea or
coffee, but the execution

of your illustration of your hen,
it's fantastic.

Really, really good.

Well done.

For me, what you've really achieved
is a functional set

and your style is very country
kitchen, isn't it?

There is certainty a market
for this.

It's charming. Like you!

Oh, thank you. Charming, yeah.

What's the weight like, sue?
I must say it's really heavy.

L I love your illustrations on here.L.

They're really strong
and the little face on the top.

Look at that. I love that.

I love the simplicity of it.

And the handle - that's another
pleasing thing.

It's a pity
you've got a massive crack there.

L do you eat much toast? No.L.

I think I can tell, really.

I think it's what people who don't
know what toast rack is.

Well, quite clearly.

I tell you what, that's a little bit
heavy and I'm not quite sure

where to hold that, actually.
Ok. Cups now.

You might find a little problem when
they sit in the saucers. Yeah.

So they're the eyes, aren't they?

If you look from overhead,
it's kind of quite clear.

What, shall I just do that?

That's an improvement.

The concept's very interesting,
so the creativity's there -

it's just the final execution.

We lost a couple of notes... we lost
a handle. That's just my clumsiness.

The finish, though, mate,
the finish.

Are you ready? Yep.

What? What does that mean?

It's bubbles.

The bubbles, I think, it's the
quickness of the firing.

It did go up really, really quickly
and the gases escape the Clay body

and that's why you've got
the bubbting effect.

But I'm liking the decoration
on the inside.

That's really lovely.
Look at that.

That's exactly what I was looking
for - a little surprise.

I'm liking this toast rack -
it's really, really simple,

but really effective, bit like me.

Just like you.

Are you ready, Matt?
Never will be.

There's more bubbling.
It looks good, though, right?

It looks actually part
of the design.

Oh, that's lovely. It's a really
nice weight, Matt.

That really shows skill
in the throwing.

For me, though, the handle
is a bit too thin.

Feels like it's about to snap.

It's not very smooth, is it? No.

And you're getting loads
and loads of drips down there.

You could have been a lot
more generous with the lip.

So we just need a bit more lip
from you, believe it or not.

You don't... you don't want that.

Lovely. Are you ready?
As ready as I get.

It's absolutely lovely.

My grandmother was a porcelain
painter and she did lots of lovely

flowers and I wanted to credit her.

Well, I don't you think you've let
your grandmother down.

The execution of the painting is
really, really nice.

And very autumnal - it's got
a lovely feel to it.

It's a bit on the heavy side.

The handle, though -

let's have a look at these.

This is really, really nice.
The illustration is beautiful.

Absotutety lovely. Thank you.

Well, we both thought that this was
going to look huge,

but actually it's not too bad.

I really like the way
that you've put these handles on.

They've got an energy.
I think it's really exciting.

L it's the centrepiece, for sure. I

I would have liked to have seen
a slightly smaller handle, I think.

The lid could have been different.
It's a bit flat.

It's a bit boring. With such
a simple design like this,

the execution has to be immaculate.

You've got a few hand marks here.

A bit of a residue of blue there.

When you're using cobalt,
it is an incredibly strong oxide

and it gets everywhere.

What about these cups

well, that's light, isn't it?
They are light.

And one of the reasons why they're
so light

is cos they're really small.
So small.

My inspiration was the spinnaker
of a sailing yacht.

It's quite striking, isn't it?

I think it could have been a little
bit more detail on your painting,

but a lovely handle,
very expressive.

They look like they're a set,
don't they?

And actually I really like your
pulled handles.

L that's really nice to hold.L

for me, they're a bit on the large
side. Yeah, a little bit.

All right. Shall we look
at the toast rack?

There's the obvious flaw.
It's got a crack in the bottom.

You can tell there's a lot
of work in here.

And you've done that rather nicely.

Are you ready? I'm ready.

You were born ready, weren't you?
Go on.

Ok. That's not what I was
expecting.

I've never used oxides before.

What I like about this, and you,
is that you really go for it.

You're not afraid of trying
a different approach.

It's quite heavy, but I really
like the feet of the handle.

Is the positioning right?
Probably not.

You need find the centre of gravity
on your piece.

So just a little bit higher up would
have given it a bit more balance

when you're pouring it over.
All right. Your toast rack.

Well, we did say we only wanted two
pieces of toast

and you've kind of done that.
Well done. Yay!

Are you ready?

Oh, wow!

Yeah, I'm happy, good!

I'm just relieved that it's come
out in one piece.

I'm loving this. This skyline has
really, really worked for you.

But what I really love is
the energy, those layers and layers

of blue are really successful.

Toast rack next.

I mean, that's nice.

It's a nice weight.

I really like this shape, too.

Your liver bird? Yeah?
Bit crude. Yeah.

That seems to glide in, though,
doesn't it? Yeah, it's good.

Nice little point on the spout.
Look at that.

Lovely pourer - great effort.
Thank you.

Confident strides.

Are you ready?

As I'll ever be.

What do you think?

Ok?!

Is that it? The overall look -
it's fantastic.

I'm off again. Aw!

It's fantastic.

The pieces all really work
together.

You made one of these glazes up
yourself. Ls that right? I did.

It's fantastic.
I thought it was a massive risk.

It is a massive risk, but it's
really paid off for you.

To have a declaration that's
purely on glazing,

the pieces themselves have to
really work.

The shapes, the form, the
proportion,

has to really work together.

And you've really, really pulled
it off.

The only criticism I would
have is the handle is a bit

on the generous side.

I was thinking of you, Keith.

I love these - they're really nice
and round.

It sits with your idea
of the Lily pad

and what a lovely handle -
that's so nice to hold.

There's very, very little I can say
that's wrong about these.

You've done an amazing job.

Crikey, you can't get better than
that, can you?

You've nailed it, Claire.

Brilliant.

Lovely.

Better than I expected.

I certainty didn't expect Keith
to cry.

It was a shocker.

I would love to win it, but I don't
think it's going to happen.

Absolutely gobsmacked, that
honour, that great honour -

Keith cried for my work.

Oh, my goodness. I'm going to
treasure that for ever.

Henrietta's done me proud.

I'm really happy with the outcome.
It was in one piece.

All the glazing come out.

After working for days and days,

it's just such a relief.

Pf-ft! I thought the judges were very
fair

and I looked at everybody else's

and there was such refinement
there.

I sit close to the bottom, but
hopefully not the first to go.

I cannot believe it's week one.

It was so emotional in there
and Keith, you cried twice.

I mean, it was tears galore.

L it's always tough on the first week.L.

One of the reasons why I get
so emotional

is because you see them working
their guts out.

So, Potter of the week.
Who are the front-runners?

I think there's quite a few,
actually.

We were really surprised with
rosalind.

To all of her designs

and I think that's a really

I also really like roses.

There was really lovely, creative
nature to what she was doing.

For me, Claire is up there. Very
strong.

You could go into a shop
and just buy that.

It looks absolutely spot-on.
Another one for me was Jacob.

His liverpool skyline,
absolutely lovely.

I can't believe we're having
this discussion already,

but somebody's got to go.

Who's in trouble?

For me, kit. I liked his design
concept, blue and white stripes.

What could go wrong? But it was
very messy and poorly ex*cuted.

And he came last
in the throwdown challenge.

Let's not forget, his eggcups
did look rather like wine goblets.

For me, it was Tom.

I liked the idea of the concept,

but I just don't think
he ex*cuted it well enough.

The handle on that cafetiere,
that treble clef doesn't work.

But he came second in
the throwdown challenge. I know.

We do have to acknowledge that. It's
a tough one, that's for sure. Mmm.

Potters,
ourjudges have made a decision.

Let's start with the good news. Our
very first Potter of the week is...

Claire.

Well done, Claire. Unfortunately,
we've got to the horrible bit.

One of you will be leaving us.

Sadly, that person is...

Tom.

So sorry, Tom. It's all right.
I knew it.

We're going to miss you, Tom!

Thank you! I'm so sorry. I did
not want to give you that news.

I'll stay if you like!

Laughter

thank you so much.
It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

The last few days have been
full of ups and downs.

I've had some really high highs
and I've had some real lows.

After the decorating stage,
I knew I was in a bit of trouble.

So even though I did
well on the throwdown,

I was still in line to go.

In the end,
it's just an amazing experience

and one I'll never forget.

I think Tom has got the ideas,

it's just that practical ability
to follow them through.

We ended up with a breakfast set
that frankly wasn't fit for purpose.

I'm really sad to be losing Tom.

And I'm genuinely shocked that I was
picked as the Potter of the week.

Claire's six-piece breakfast set

will take the first place
in our throwdown gallery.

I think the wh0le challenge
has been a workout,

particutarty deating
with all the emotions.

They always say big girls don't cry
but hey, they do!

I'm absolutely thrilled for her.
She's a brilliant Potter.

She's got the throwing skills,

she's got the in-depth knowledge of
glaze

and she's absolutely nailed it
this week.

I think I did scrape through.

Keith will be on my case if I don't
pick my game up.

Next time:

It's a hand-building challenge

and the most pieces we've ever
asked our Potters to produce.

I'm terrified.
Putting their skills in check...

This is my worst nightmare,
this challenge.

...as they try
and avoid any rookie mistakes.

Oh! And a tiny tricky triple
throwdown adds to the test.

Who will be crowned Potter
of the week? Absolutely spot on.

And who will be told game over?

I don't think the making skills
are strong as I was hoping for.