This programme contains
some nudity from the start.
SHE PLAYS HARP FALTERINGLY
It's week seven in the pottery,
and apparently the harp is crucial
to their challenge,
so I thought
I'd get some practice in.
So far, our six remaining potters
have tackled throwing,
coiling and sculpting to keep
their place in the pottery.
This week, though, they're going to
be working flat-out.
Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.
I'm still not sure how they're going
to make tiles out of this.
Last time,
Middleport had some visitors.
It was Greek Week.
Nice bum there. Oh, hello.
For the first time, we had two joint
potters of the week.
Rosalind and Rosa.
Matt thought his time was up.
I'm just going to go
outside for ten minutes.
But despite all her
attention to detail...
I am going to go for it.
..Greek Week ended in tragedy
for Rainna.
Rainna, it's you.
I'm going to miss you
so much, darling.
This time...
Oh, I don't like it.
..it's a case of 'grate'
expectations,
as a place in the quarterfinal is
at stake.
Oh, dear.
A production line of tiles. Whoo.
One fireplace,
and a great big chimney.
It's probably the biggest thing
I've made on a wheel.
But who will ignite
the judges' imagination?
Absolutely wonderful.
And who will Sue and Keith
be sending home?
Pretty nervous.
Are you frantic now as well, Claire?
I need a shower.
My knickers are wringing
and everything.
# Making time
# sh**ting lines
# People have their uses
# People have their uses... #
It's a super-early
start for our potters.
Just three days and two challenges
now stand between them
and a place in the quarterfinal.
Week Seven. I'm here...
..skin of my teeth.
We're so far into the competition
that I think
if you play it safe, the judges
are going to spot that a mile off.
There's no place
now for holding back.
The main thing that I was
told in the last task was that
my finish wasn't great.
I don't want to hear that any more,
so I'm going to be working hard
to make sure Keith or Sue can't
mention anything like that to me.
Yeah, feeling really good this
morning after last week's victory,
getting potter of the week. Yay!
Oh, glasses are out.
Business. Yes, they are, Matt.
SHE LAUGHS
Morning, potters. For your main make
this week, Sue and Keith
would like you to build a minimum
of 40 handmade decorative tiles.
They've got to be 3-D in design,
they've got to work as a set
because they're going to
go around a fireplace.
And we've got Rich here because
not only is he our kiln guy,
he's also a tile expert,
which is very handy for us.
What advice have you
got for our potters?
I've given you a harp to
cut your tiles,
but remember, clay has a memory and
it can warp and distort,
and anything you do now is going to
be laying the foundations
for your end result.
OK, potters, you've got two hours to
hand-build your fireplace tiles,
and your time starts now.
40 bloody tiles.
So, have to make 40 tiles in two
hours, which is really tight timing,
so I need to make sure there's
no room for mistakes.
To help them produce smooth,
uniform slabs of clay,
the potters have been supplied with
an essential bit of tile-making kit.
HARP MUSIC PLAYS
This is a harp that Richard kindly
made each one of us.
I'm going to get him
to sign mine later.
Yeah, I've used a harp before
but not a handmade harp
courtesy of Rich, so I'm really
pleased with this tool.
Yeah, it's a great tool.
It's saving a lot of time.
The potters' fireplaces must
consist of a minimum of 40 tiles.
SHE SIGHS
Whoo...
With just two hours
to pull them off,
they'll need to master efficiency.
It's going to have to be very much
like a factory line to get them out.
It's a lot of tiles.
HE LAUGHS
It was only with the arrival of
mass production
in the Industrial Revolution that
tiles became a popular
household fixture in the UK.
Before then, the tendency for slabs
of clay to warp and shrink
when fired made tile-making a
highly-skilled
and time-consuming process.
For thousands of years,
tiles remained
the preserve of the well-to-do.
Unfortunately for our potters,
they're having to do it
the old-fashioned way.
What I'm doing now is just
using my template to cut them
to an accurate size.
I just need to take my time
and not paw them up too much.
So, obviously, this bit's important.
So, making tiles, is it easy?
Cos it is just a flat surface.
I mean, essentially, the process
is straightforward
but as with any ceramics process,
there are pitfalls.
The clay can warp, it can distort
if it's not treated well.
So, they just have to be
careful about how they're handling
the material. And the thing is, with
the shapes, they'll dry differently.
If they've got fine points,
they'll tend to curl more.
So, it's a tough challenge.
While the other potters
strive for machine-like perfection,
Rosalind is taking
a more relaxed approach.
They're handmade tiles,
so we don't want them
looking manufactured, do we?
And too clean.
SHE LAUGHS
Hello, Rosalind.
Hi, Rosalind. Oh, hello.
Our reigning potter of the week.
Do you want to tell us
about your fireplace tiles?
The design is a lily pond. Right.
This will be the top
part of the fireplace.
Frogs, dragonflies, lilies.
Do you have a pond in your garden?
I do have a pond,
teeming with frogs.
For her 3-D tiled fireplace,
Rosalind is going to hand-sculpt
a plethora of relief work,
celebrating her beloved
garden friends,
all finished
in a rustic green glaze.
They're looking a bit rough,
aren't they?
It doesn't matter, cos I want them
to look home-made. Yeah, sure.
They'll be OK. By the time I get
a frog or two on there...
SHE LAUGHS
..it'll hide any imperfections.
Jacob is also relying on the animal
kingdom to impress the judges,
but his 3-D element is
the stuff of myth and legend.
I've done a few dragons before.
It's one of my favourite creatures
to make.
I think there's just so
much... movement in them.
Jacob's Chinese folklore-inspired
fireplace will feature
a huge three-dimensional
jade-coloured dragon,
clambering up
and over 40 gloss black tiles.
Looking at what I'm doing,
I think I can get the 40 done
in the two hours.
I am a tile-making machine.
But mass production isn't coming
so naturally to Rosa.
I'm hoping to make up a few spares,
just in case I mess up
completely, utterly, then
I have some spares to use. But...
..let's aim to get
as many as I can get out of it.
Rosa is aiming for a deliberately
random graphic design,
in cool Scandi colours,
befitting her Danish style.
I wanted to make something
I wanted to have at home myself,
so I might do a set for one
of my fireplaces at home, even.
Here, the potters will have to
tile their own fireplaces,
and, as the judges are expecting
a perfect fit,
their calculations must be spot-on.
I've got a sheet there of all
the different shapes
that I then need to cut.
I asked Matt's advice
cos he's good at maths,
and he kindly worked it all out
for me.
Ronaldo is taking his maths to
advanced level.
He's embracing the Golden Ratio,
Fibonnacci's mathematical sequence
that describes proportions
throughout nature.
It's weird how I actually got
introduced to it.
So, like, I have joint problems.
I always had it since I was kid.
And then, when I went to college, I
was researching, like, DNA
and joints and stuff.
I found that the Golden Ratio
and the Fibonacci code
is in our body.
I then came across the golden ratio,
spiral, and, like, seeing how it's
in the constellations, and it's in
sunflowers, and everything in life.
Ronaldo's fireplace will pay homage
to Fibonacci.
It will feature precision 3-D
pyramids and interconnecting circles
arranged and finished
in perfect symmetry.
What I'm going to do is have this
design inverted at the bottom,
cos there's the same number of tiles
at the top and the base. Right...
And then, in the middle, I'm going
to have triple circle again,
then the quarter. Right.
So, when the pattern is all
put together,
there's going to be, like,
a triangle in the middle.
OK. As long as you've got
it in your head.
Yeah, I know what I'm doing.
And you're going to be able to
achieve that in the time
with every single tile you've made?
Yeah, if I get time to crack on
and do it. Yeah, you can, yeah.
HE LAUGHS
OK, potters, one hour has gone.
We're halfway through.
Oh, I don't like it.
You've got to make sure all your
tiles are made
in this part of the challenge.
Nobody wants a missing tile
on their fireplace.
h*-h*. Huh...
I tried to see how many
people have done.
To, fire, seks, otte, ti, tolve...
13, 14, 15, 16
35. So, yeah, all good.
Most of the potters are sticking
to the minimum of 40 tiles.
I'm doing 40 squares, cos I just
wanted to keep it really simple,
so that nothing can go wrong.
But Claire has given herself
double the workload.
I've 80 to do, so... It's not...
It's not looking good at this point.
And she's opted for a more
complicated shape.
I didn't want to go for just the
basic, simple square,
so I sort of thought I was maybe
pushing myself a bit
with this design, erm, but now
I'm kind of panicked
cos I don't think I'm going to get
it done, so...
Claire's hoping to achieve
a retro design with clean lines.
She's the only potter not adding
relief elements.
Instead, she's attempting to create
the illusion of 3-D diamonds
through precision carving
and glazing.
I'm going for, like, a retro,
modern design.
Oh, yeah, it is a very fifties look,
isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, excellent.
How many tiles are you
actually making?
So, I need 80 of these triangles.
80. 80, yeah,
and at the minute, I have 16.
Oh, OK, OK, yeah.
So, that's the pressure.
I see your dilemma.
Yes, my dilemma.
But Claire's not the only potter
going all-out.
I've given myself 102 tiles to make
because I've gone with a sort of
hexagonal design, which means
I've got to cut out
all sorts of different shapes.
Matt's fireplace is an ode
to Manchester,
featuring 3-D landmarks and text,
decorated and glazed
in the colours of traditional
pub tiles.
He's going for a honeycomb design
to represent the famed
Manchester bee.
The people of Manchester are sort of
known for their hard work, like.
Oh, like a worker bee?
It's like a worker bee. It has a
very strong link to how quickly
and hard I'm going to have to work
in this first two hours as well.
OK, well, look, we'll let you carry
on being a busy bee. Thank you.
And we'll leave you to it.
We'll buzz off. Yeah!
THEY LAUGH
See you in a bit. See you.
Oh, man, I'm sweating.
I need a shower.
My knickers are wringing
and everything.
I need to make six more,
but that's it.
I'm getting there.
I'm almost on track.
42, 44, 46, 48, 49.
49. 49.
And my last count was 60, so
I'm well... I'm on my way.
I've got maybe two or
three more to do.
I'm going to do a couple of spares.
I think I've got time, so...
"Oh, my name's Chan
and I've got time to make extras."
I knew that was coming.
HE LAUGHS
Mel, you're going to give me a time
I don't want to hear, aren't you?
Yeah, I am.
I'm really sorry, Claire, but
at the end of the challenge,
all of your tiles have got to be
in the drying room.
And you've got ten minutes left.
Sorry, Claire.
It's all right, Mel.
I can hear Claire. It shouldn't,
but it's making me feel better
that she's in a rush as well.
I heard that, Matt!
THEY LAUGH
Are you on track, Rosalind?
Yeah, good.
Got no more tiles to make?
No.
And you're making spares?
I'm making spares.
For the hell of it?
Yeah.
Get them cut.
SHE LAUGHS
That is the priority right now,
the only priority.
But, with precious minutes
remaining...
OK, potters, you've got
five minutes left
till the end of the challenge... Ah!
..the potters must decide when to
stop their production line...
Good, good, good.
..and start transferring
their multitude of tiles
to the drying room.
How many have you got to make?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I don't know.
You're just hammering them out?
I'm just hammering them out.
There's 21 on this board,
and you've got 60 there.
I don't know what that means.
So, you've got 80, 81.
I don't know what to do.
Just keep throwing them out, keep
throwing them out.
Matt, have you finished all yours?
When I've done these,
I will have, yeah.
OK, brilliant,
so you're definitely on track.
HE EXHALES HEAVILY
Just.
Oh!
Have you got enough?
I don't know, but it's done.
I physically can't do any more.
Careful with those boards.
Yeah, I know.
Five, four...
My counting's gone.
..three, two...
Nice one, mate.
..one.
Ronaldo, leave whatever it is
you're doing in there. Hands up.
It's the end of that
part of the challenge.
I've never seen you so hot
and sweaty!
Whoof!
That was cutting it fine, wasn't it?
Well done, mate, well done.
Did you get them all done?
I got 100 done.
Wow! 100? Yeah. That's good.
That was absolutely wild.
Probably the fastest two hours
of my entire life.
Well done, everyone.
I think it was pretty ambitious
but I just got there,
which is a big relief.
It's time for the potters'
second challenge.
Sticking to the fireplace theme,
Keith has a test that will take
the potters to new heights.
Right, potters, your second
challenge is a throw down.
I'm going to give you a clue.
Santa comes down it every year.
You're going to be throwing
a chimney pot.
So, Keith. would you like
to show them how it's done?
It's a nice grog terracotta, this.
It's lovely to throw with actually,
really nice.
Plenty of water.
Get it nice and centred.
This is about six and a half,
seven kilos of clay.
I'm speeding the wheel up
to pull it out,
I'm using that force
to get my width.
When you're working
with something this big,
just let your hands sit there
and let the clay come through
your fingers.
Just...
..bring it up the side of the pot.
When you get to this stage
and you've got the height,
what I want you to do...
...is roll over that rim.
Take your time,
let the clay come with you.
Ooh, wow.
You are good, Keith!
KEITH LAUGHS
And then throw it in, underneath.
So, that's top half.
On your workbenches,
I've provided you with the bottom
half of your chimney pot.
Fit it to your bottom half
and then throw the rim on the top.
And you get one go.
We're upping the game. It's
week seven.
Potters, you've got one hour
to throw your chimney pots.
And your time starts now.
It's probably about the biggest
thing I've made on a wheel.
It's a bit daunting for me, because
it's such a heavy bit of clay.
I'll end up getting a groin strain
from it!
JACOB PANTS
Feeling pretty nervous
about this challenge.
We only have one chance.
The potters must apply just
the right amount of equal pressure
to shape their huge
chunks of terracotta.
Trying to remember to breathe.
It's essential
they achieve the exact dimensions,
otherwise their join will go to pot.
A bit wide,
so I'm trying to bring it in a bit
now, which isn't great.
Potters,
you've got half an hour left.
I can do this.
I just need to crack on.
With their tops done...
..it's the moment of truth.
They have just one chance
to flip and fit.
I'm still a bit scared.
I hate this part.
Hello, Matt. I've got you
at a tricky bit. Hey.
Yeah, the good bit!
Oh, great. That was good timing.
MELANIE LAUGHS
I thought that was
going to come off!
Check that!
Oh, right. You've definitely
measured that, then.
It's perfect.
It's a good fit, that,
isn't it? Isn't it!
Matt's got his on,
out of nowhere, so...
I need to speed up, get mine done.
You're going to be having a brew,
aren't you?
Just one sugar, please!
Pressure!
That's fine.
Oh, my goodness!
I'm scared!
No, no, no!
Yes! Yes!
Oh, that's it.
ROSALIND LAUGHS
I've never done this ever before.
Oh, you did great.
That sizing's pretty good.
The aim is to produce a sleek
chimney, with an invisible join.
It's going all right.
It's not as seamless
as I would have liked it to be.
That's looking like a chimney pot.
Just going to start doing
that weird neck thing now.
Try and remember what to do.
This is the bit that
I'm worried about.
Folding it round and over.
It just feels weird,
it goes against anything
that you want to do on a rim.
It's cool, isn't it, clay.
I don't understand why it doesn't
want to go in some places.
I'm stopping now.
There is a very real danger,
if I keep on touching it,
I might ruin it.
You've got ten minutes left
on the challenge, just ten minutes.
Oh, no!
I'm going to cut it and start again.
This is serious.
Come on boy, pressure's on.
Get in.
It's looking a lot better.
Are you still going, Rosalind?
Yeah,
just tidying it up a little bit.
Claire's got the hairdryer out.
Whatever it's called!
Matt and Jacob have already finished
but for the rest of you,
you've got one minute left.
Just a final sweep of those pots
and it will all be over.
Leave it!
Leave it, leave it. I'm done.
Oh, my back.
Looking good, Claire.
I think I got confused, Jacob.
I thought I was doing
the toilet challenge!
THEY LAUGH
OK, potters.
Time's up,
I'm sure you're thrilled to hear.
Well done.
APPLAUSE
Yay!
You know it's on who's done
the widest top, don't you?
Yeah, yeah.
I'm going to win!
Keith and Sue are looking
for an elegantly-shaped chimney,
with a seamless join
and a nicely-turned rim.
Hi, Rosa.
How are you feeling?
I did it!
You did!
You did do it.
You've managed to keep that height
there,
as you put the two pieces together.
I mean, the join you can hardly see.
There's a slight inconsistency
with the rim there a bit.
If you can just spin the wheel,
slightly.
I just want to see how regular
it is.
Yeah, so, we can see the form
is slightly misshapen.
Yes, slightly off-centre, isn't it?
It's a very tall chimney.
It's looking really sturdy.
I would be proud to have that
on top of my house.
Yeah, I would. Thanks.
Lovely. Well done, Jacob. Thank you.
I kind of struggled a bit,
especially doing the rim,
so I had to cut the top off.
Once it starts flaring out,
the best thing to do
is probably just cut it off.
So, you resolved it and you ended up
with a really nice-shaped rim.
Yeah.
A really, really good effort.
Just turn the wheel on, just slowly.
Oh, do you have to?
LAUGHTER
Show all its wibbly-wobbly bits!
I always want to see
your wibbly-wobbly bits!
We can see that it's slightly
off-centre.
Full of character.
It's full of character, yeah.
I feel so embarrassed now.
when I look at all the other
lovely chimneys behind me.
Oh, don't say that. It's wonderful.
Never, never feel it...
Never feel...
Never feel embarrassed, Ros!
Thank you. It's brilliant.
Brilliant. Well done. Thank you.
This is a wonderful effort.
Really, really generous on that rim
on the top.
I'm liking the detail.
That's slight sort of inclination
you've got there under the rim.
It's really nicely joined
underneath.
Nice. Thank you.
Yeah. Really, really good.
Really, really centred.
Yeah.
There's hardly any kind of kink
there.
Absolutely wonderful. Very smooth.
There's a slight dip there.
It would have been nice
to belly that out.
The join, you can hardly see
the join at all.
You can see it on the inside.
No, it's fantastic.
Hello!
THEY LAUGH
Sorry, I don't know,
I just had to that!
You should be very proud of this.
I am. Thank you.
The judges will now reveal
whose chimney is worst
and whose is top of the pots.
In sixth place...
..is...
..Rosalind.
OK.
Rosa is fifth.
Ronaldo fourth, and Claire third.
Leaving Jacob and Matt
vying for the top spot.
So, in second place is...
Dun dun-duuun!
Jacob.
Well done, Jacob. Thank you.
So, in first place, Matt.
Yay. Well done, Matt.
Brilliant.
I'm really happy.
Well done, you.
I've always known
about my robust rim!
I'll beat you one day, mate!
Fourth place out of six people
is OK.
Maybe third or first
would have been better!
I'm feeling a little bit sad
that I didn't do a better job,
but I'm hoping I can rectify
all that with my tiles.
The potters' fireplace tiles
have been in the drying
room for an hour and a half...
Go, go, go!
..and should ready for the
next stage of their main challenge,
bringing their designs to life, by
adding the detail and 3D elements.
They look good, mate.
They're a bit soft still, but...
You just to work it a bit.
Got loads, mate!
I want the potters to display a real
mix of mark-making techniques.
You know, this is a good chance
for them to show off their skills,
isn't it,
not necessarily two-dimensionally,
but also into 3D as well.
Absolutely.
You know, a lot of people
think of tiles
as just being a flat,
square surface.
No, we want these tiles
to really come alive.
We want them to spring out
of the fireplace.
I want to see lots of surface
decoration there.
I want to see a lot of depth
in their designs.
But they can't be too delicate.
It's a fireplace.
It's got to be practical.
Rosalind has big
ambitions for her fireplace,
embellishing nearly every one
of her 40 tiles
with sculpted animals,
foliage and texture,
to recreate her garden pond.
I'm getting on
with the old froggies.
There's going to be
bulrushes, dragonflies, lilies.
If you want to wow the judges,
you can't just keep playing it safe.
You've got to push the boundary
a bit.
All of Rosalind's
decoration will be crafted by hand,
but for their 3D geometric designs,
Ronaldo and Rosa
are using sprig moulds
to achieve a precision finish
on their shapes.
My design is based on simple forms,
so I've got a lot of different
circles and different shapes.
I need to make ten,
so I'll probably do about 14,
because they can easily become
damaged as you are handling them.
Just doing the dragon's head
at the moment,
and that's going to, kind of,
once in place, go up here.
And then the body's going
to wrap around down here.
Two arms, two legs,
tail at the bottom.
Jacob's Chinese 3D dragon head and
body will adorn 13 of his 40 tiles,
but to pull off his celebration
of Manchester,
Matt is dealing with 102
tricky hexagonals.
I'm just adorning my tiles
with images.
So, I have got one
for Northern Soul, the Suffragettes,
votes for women sign.
Obviously of plenty rain in
Manchester,
so the start of a cloud there.
As the other potters'
designs build up and out,
Claire's sticking with a flatter
finish.
So, your design, talk me
through it,
cos I know Keith said it
was very sort of '50s.
I'm thinking it's sort of deco.
Where is the stuff that's raised?
Is anything raised on yours?
No, I am incising instead,
I'm going for the optical
illusion kind of effect.
OK.
Yeah, hopefully it works out.
Potters you're halfway through
this part of the challenge.
You've got an hour and a half
left, sorry!
Oh, no!
Somebody wind clock back
when they're not looking.
I'm panicking now. I need to get
going a little bit quicker.
Don't make any mistakes, keep
it clean,
keep it crisp, keep it tidy.
In previous challenges, the
judges have criticised Ronaldo on
his finish, and this week he's
determined to produce the precision
and neatness of his Fibonacci
design.
And how are you all for time?
Time is tight. I haven't put the
sprigs on yet.
I would like to tidy them up more.
But whether I can or not,
it's a different story.
You're trying to get that finish,
are you?
Yeah, just for you.
Finish is key.
Oh, dear.
Have you got half a dragon, Jacob?
Half a dragon, yeah.
I'm a bit panicking.
I've got ten tiles that I haven't
fully completed yet as well,
so I'm going to run in there now and
do that.
Getting there, getting there,
slowly.
It's a big old dragon, this.
TILE FALLS
BEEP
Oh, no, Ronaldo!
No, it's fine, sorry, that's a spare
one.
OK, potters, you've got just under
ten minutes to the end of the
challenge.
And then you'll be able to go off
and have a night on the tiles.
THEY LAUGH
Sorry!
It's starting to look quite
pleasing.
I don't know how I've done it.
Thank you, Lord.
I think I'm almost there,
so made good time, made good time.
The potters have one last chance to
tidy up their tiles,
before they're
fired for the first time.
I'm just kind of finessing edges.
Are you frantic now as well, Claire?
Yep, I wouldn't be me if I wasn't.
Needs a lot of fettling.
I hope I have time for that.
These are the last set, and then
if there's, like, two minutes left,
going to go over everything,
do a final fettling again.
But, yeah, I need to rush now.
OK, potters, you've got one minute
left, one minute to get every single
piece that you need in the drying
room, no surplus to requirements.
OK, little guys, please don't curl,
please don't curl.
Well done, Jacob.
All right, nice... nice and easy,
cos it's breaking! Ah!
Gosh.
This is splitting in half!
Yeah, I know, they're soft
in the middle, I think.
Ten, nine,
eight... I think I'll get another
one... OK.
..seven, six... Quick!
..five, four,
three, two,
one.
Watch your back, now.
On the shelf. Thank you.
All right, well done everybody.
That's the end!
Oh, my goodness, you guys,
you've made over 200 tiles
between you!
That is incredible, well done.
Well done. Oh, Rosalind!
Oh, gosh, that was
a bit hairy at the end!
It was a bit like on
one of those films, you know,
when the shutter's come down,
and you're going to run under it!
I just got it in there in time.
and get ready for the next stage of
their main challenge.
So, it's decorating day. I'm
excited to see the tiles,
but a bit apprehensive. I hope
they've fired flat.
The slightest mistake that happens
could put you in
a whole heap of panic. So, I'm
going to just go in there,
try to be calm, and hopefully
nothing goes wrong.
I'm really worried about
the firing process.
I think that the dragon that I've
done might have broken off
or the tiles will have cracked
and stuff.
Morning, potters. Welcome back.
Your fireplace tiles have
been bisque-fired
and they're ready to decorate.
Over here, we've got the oxides
and the glazes.
You've got three hours. Your time
starts now.
Remove the hessian.
Everything's come out in one piece.
So, I'm happy.
They're still warm.
I can see there's a bit of warpage
in some of the tiles.
They're actually a bit tidier than I
thought they would have been.
So that's a plus.
Well, that's flat.
LAUGHTER
There's quite a bit of warpage
there. Are you OK with that?
I'm OK because it's a bit like...
You know when there's
a concrete drive...? Yeah.
..or there's a beautiful handmade
brick drive? Yeah, yeah.
I'm after that handmade brick drive.
You want... you want to have those
different facets going on. Yeah.
What about the glaze?
What are you doing?
I am going for one green Victorian
breaking on the surface.
Oh, of course.
So they're all glazed in the same
colour? Yeah. Excellent.
Yeah, because, obviously, that glaze
should break really nicely
over all the relief work.
It should do. Yeah.
Should do.
Rosalind is the only potter sticking
to one block of colour.
Yes, I'm planning to use
three colours.
If I go mad, I might use four.
Yeah, four different styles
of tiles.
So, yeah, it means four different
types of glazing as well.
Matt is not only using a range
of glazes,
he's also adding graphic text to
his tiles -
something he's never tried before.
I've not practised it, but...
Right OK. Yeah, yeah.
..I'm pretty hopeful.
It's just a sort of replication of
the tiled pubs around Manchester,
and this lettering at the top is
sort of similar to
what you would get in and around
Manchester. Right.
I suppose with something like this,
obviously, the stencil's going over
a fair few tiles, isn't it?
You've got to really make sure
that they all match up.
Yeah.
KEITH CHUCKLES
I'm starting to realise the full
technicality
of this... this whole make, but I
think if I've got enough time,
then I think it'll look pretty good.
Matt's not the only one trying
something new.
Fiddly work. Fiddly work.
Jacob is also pushing
his boundaries.
All my tiles will be, like, black
and then a jade-green dragon
on the top. So there's no real
contrast, then,
in terms of colour, is there?
Erm, I think... I think there
will be.
I'm using copper carbonate in
a transparent,
on a low percentage so I get, like,
a green hue.
Yeah. That jade... And have you
worked like that before?
Have you used that copper before
like that?
I've never used it like that before.
So, it's all new territory for me.
OK. But I'm just kind of using
the knowledge I've got, I guess.
Yeah.
HE LAUGHS
Choosing the correct colour glaze is
only half the battle.
I should get a more even coat by
dipping it.
To realise their designs, they also
need to decide the best way
to apply it.
I just thought it would be a better
way just to get a neat glaze,
and it needs to be quite thick
as well, so...
..I just thought I'd dip.
It might be easier to brush
them on, actually,
because this is taking a long time.
Oh.
This is better.
I'm really trying to be neat.
It's not my strongest side.
So annoying, isn't it? My hands are
so steady normally.
So, it's really down to a steady
hand and being a good painter,
which I don't know if I am.
For Claire, the finish is
essential to create
her 3D illusion on her triangles.
Obviously, this needs to be
very precise
or it's just not going to
look right.
But whenever you're under pressure,
that's not just as easy.
I don't want to run out of time
today at all.
I'm literally going to just slap it
on it.
I've made this glaze myself.
I've just mixed in 3%
copper carbonate.
I've no idea how this is going to
turn out. Pretty nervous.
I don't have time to fuss.
It's going on.
I put wax resist over the lettering,
and then I can just dip the tiles
and then, where there is wax resist,
it won't stick.
It's like being at school, isn't it,
painting with a candle?
They look quite nice, don't they?
It gives you a little insight of
what's to come.
All right, potters, you've got
ten minutes left.
Oh, no!
That is it. Get a move on. That's
all the time you've got left.
Ten minutes.
I'm shocking myself, managing to
actually finish it up.
Just relax because it's going to
go worse otherwise.
# La, la, la... #
I've just got to put on an extra
layer on to some of my 3D pieces
and then just neaten up
some of the edges.
Oh, goodness.
Can you imagine if I knocked them
all over now?
Oh, no, don't even say it.
Have you got them all off
the floor there?
Yeah, are they all here now? Rosa?
I can't talk. OK, fine.
MELANIE CHUCKLES
Ten... No, no, no, I'm not ready.
I'm not... nine,
eight... Just talk some more!
..seven, six, five,
four, three, two, one.
That's the end of your challenge.
Rosa, would you like to put
that tile down?
That is it. Well done, everybody.
So it's time to take those tiles
down to the kiln to be fired.
The firing will take 24 hours.
Only then will the potters be
able to see their tiles
in full technicolour.
Although it's not perfect, but I
feel like I ex*cuted it
really well so, yeah, I'm feeling
really good about myself.
I think it's the first time that
I've really, really felt like that
after one of the challenges.
It's out of my hands now,
but I'm nervous to see what
comes out the kiln.
After a 24 hour glaze firing,
the finished tiles are now ready
to adorn the fire surrounds.
How is your jigsaw
coming along, Matt? Good.
It's nice seeing it all
come together.
It is, isn't it?
It's very satisfying.
The colours of yours are great.
I'm happy that its not all black,
but it's not what I expected it
to look like.
I've ruined them, really,
with the glaze.
Shame.
Oh, this is so messy! I don't know
how this is ever going to look nice.
I don't know what I'm doing!
I wish we had a bit more time
so I could kind of perfect them
a bit more.
It is really satisfying.
It just ties all the tiles together.
Wow, I am never going to be a tiler!
Six fireplaces and 342 tiles
are now ready for judging,
after which, one potter
will be sent home.
Hello, potters! Your
fireplaces look fantastic.
This is the last judgment
before the quarterfinals.
You know Rosalind, what we asked
for was a tiled fire surround. Yeah.
And you have surrounded the fire
with beautiful illustrations.
So, out of the 40 tiles,
almost every single one
has got some kind of relief pattern
on. Yes.
That's a fantastic achievement.
You know, there's a story here,
you're telling us about
the pond in your garden,
and I think that works really well.
What I really love is this detail
that you've got into this frog here.
I mean, it's not just
the textures on the surface.
You've kind of captured the
character of it, haven't you?
You know, all the details
in each tile,
you've captured in
a very realistic way.
The only thing that I would say
is the glaze application
could have been slightly better.
Yeah, I agree.
You know I really like
the simplicity of it.
There's no sort of real pattern
to it,
it's really nice that, you know,
it sort of bounces around.
There is some rhythm to it,
which I think is really exciting.
What works really well are these
pops of green.
What happens here with your eye is
you start here with that green,
and it travels to that one
and then down here and it
draws your eye in,
which is exactly what an artist
would do with a composition.
I'm really loving the
big relief circles there.
I think they work really, really
well. And last but no means least,
the tiles fit the fireplace,
which is no mean feat.
Thank you.
You set yourself up to deliver
the golden ratio.
To deliver something that's really
geometric,
you've got to be really crisp,
and if it's mathematical, it's,
you know, it's got to be
really precise,
so I think that was a really tough
thing for you to start with.
Colours are there against the black
and I think that works.
It is just the degree of finish,
unfortunately.
And there's that word again,
isn't there? Finish. Yeah.
And Ronaldo. Finish and Ronaldo.
I was a bit concerned that
your dragon
was only on one side of
the fire place... Yeah.
..and that the other tiles
were going to be quite bland,
but actually, you've got a
bit of pinholing here. Yeah.
And, also the tile colours
are quite uneven,
which actually lends itself
to the whole aesthetic. Yeah.
And the dragon, although it isn't
the dark green that you wanted,
I think it works really well,
that it's not that dark green,
because if it had have been,
it would have been lost against
that dark background. Yeah.
But my only concern is,
what about me dusting?
That is going to be a dust trap,
isn't it? Yeah!
Feather duster will get in
all the nooks and crannies!
Does it really? It does!
My first impression, it looks
very bright and really striking.
It is a real sort of focal point
of the room, isn't it?
It's bright, yeah.
SHE CHUCKLES
My first impression is,
it's quite flat.
Where's the 3D element?
Well, I was going for the optical
illusion with the diamond lines.
OK. So it kind of looks as
if it's sitting out.
I didn't get that.
I didn't see that at all. No.
No, I didn't get that,
but on a positive note,
you did set yourself an incredible
task of cutting these...
..80 tiles, isn't it?
It was quite ambitious, yeah.
Yeah, it was, yeah.
But you've managed it
and they do all fit really, really
nicely into that fireplace.
MUSIC: Coronation Street theme tune
I feel like we've just
walked into the Rovers Return!
I think you've done
exceptionally well,
because the challenge was to make
40 tiles. and you've done how many?
102.
But not only that,
you've done hexagonal tiles.
Trying to do a square tile
is one thing,
triangles are really difficult,
but trying to do hexagonals,
you know, that's another challenging
aspect of your piece of work here.
So I am really impressed with
what you've presented to us.
I love the writing on the top.
It's fun, it's great,
it works really, really well.
You're the only one that's actually
attempted or thought about graphics,
which is fantastic. That was
another level of challenge for you.
Some of things that I'm really,
really liking is the relief
that you've got, especially
on the hearth,
that "Votes for women" relief there
is absolutely wonderful,
You've really understood
what that glaze
can do to the relief. Really nice.
Thank you.
It went really, really well,
didn't it? Yeah.
I was waiting and waiting
for some negative comment.
I don't really know what to say.
It just... it just feels nice.
Before the judging, I might
have thought I was on sort of
dodgy ground, you know. But after
the judging
and hearing the comments,
I think there's a good chance I'm
going to get into the quarterfinals.
It'd be really lovely.
I don't feel very safe right now.
I don't know.
Even though the judges might
not be pleased,
art is kind of subjective.
Everyone has their own preference.
So you just need to, like,
accept that not everyone
will like your work sometimes.
Potters, because it's the
quarterfinal next week,
it's been a really tough call
for Keith and Sue,
but they have made their decision,
and it's the good news first.
So the potter of the week
this week is...
..Matt.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Congratulations, Matt.
Now, then, for one of you,
the fire is about to go out,
and the potter leaving the pottery
this week is...
..Ronaldo.
Sorry, darling.
Thank you so much, man.
Sad to see you go.
Yeah, it's time to go, but...
..to go amongst these guys,
these are really good,
so I want to see everyone go
through, you know what I mean?
Work hard and enjoy it.
This whole experience has
been great. I enjoyed it.
I think this is, like, one of the
best experiences in my life.
Give us a hug!
Thanks, man. Yeah, well done.
Thank you.
Really sad to see Ronaldo go.
I mean, it's just before the
quarterfinals,
you know, he almost made it.
He stayed in until week seven!
You know, that's a real achievement.
You know, and, like, there's one
or two things he didn't quite hit,
we've always had
an issue with his finish,
so, you know, I think it was time
for Ronaldo to go.
I have plan to put some tiles
under the mirror in the
bathroom at home,
so I'm going to make some and
they're going to be absolutely
perfect,
I'm going to make sure the edges
are nice and refined
and I'll probably send Sue an Keith
a picture and say, "Hey, have a look
at these."
HE LAUGHS
Sad to see him go. I kind of felt
like it maybe should have been me.
I'm still here!
I'm in the quarterfinal!
Matt's winning fireplace
enters the Throw Down Gallery,
as he claims Potter of the Week
for the very first time.
It couldn't have much better,
could it?
I'm pretty blown away by it,
to be honest.
Well done, Matt.
Well done, mate.
Absolutely buzzing.
Matt winning potter of the week,
I think he definitely...
you know, it was well deserved,
cos his fireplace was amazing,
but I'm coming for his title
next week, definitely.
Next time...
I like your knob, Jacob.
Thanks, mate.
..it's the quarterfinal...
Serious game face.
Oh, dear!
..and pit firing.
Oh, it looks amazing in there.
It's great, isn't it?
Things get emotional...
I was really... disappointed.
..as the cracks show.
Oh, no! Oh...
But who will survive?
Ah!
LAUGHTER
And who will be heading home?
Now it's the bit that
I absolutely dread.
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03x07 - Episode 7
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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.