06x04 - Raku Hanging Planter and Frilly-Necked Vase

[bunniefuu]

Raku!

Raku!

Raku!

Raku!

It's week four,
and we've nine potters left.

And you've guessed it -
it's raku week.

Welcome to The Great Pottery
Throw Down. Yeah!

Raku!

They're everywhere.

Last time...

...the potters reached new heights
with a trio of birds...

I'm soaring, I'm flying,
I'm winging it.

...and grappled... Oh!

...with an old-fashioned
hot-water bottle.

This is embarrassment.

James's marvellous macaws...
They're almost perfect.

...saw him crowned Potter of the
Week. Oh, thank you. Thank you.

But it was Chris top he's falcons
that failed to soar.

Don't drop it.

And he became the third potter
to fly the nest.

Friends for life. Friends for life.

This time... I hate... I hate you
at the moment!

...it's week four, and our potters
are getting into their groove...

You make me dance now.

...transforming mounds of clay
into decorative hanging planters.

The best thing you've clone
in the pottery.

There's a surprise guest
setting a spot test.

I've never been so excited
in my life!

And our potters head outdoors...

It's burning me. ..to play with
fire. Come on, kiln gods.

But whose hopes of staying
in the competition...

Take it easy. Don't drop it now.

...will go up in flames?

Oh!

Oh, Jesus.

Our nine remaining potters
are back in Stoke,

fired up for their most exciting
challenge yet.

Yay! Week four!

Getting to raku week
is like some sort of boss level.

Raku is an ancient firing technique
where pots are rapidly heated.

It's just so exciting.
There's fire, there's smoke.

When they reach around 1,000 degrees
centigrade, the potters

remove their pots from the kiln.

What's the fun without a little bit
of danger? Do you know what I mean?

It's like the rock and roll
of pottery.

The pots go into a metal reduction
box, where they catch on fire.

I think all little boys
are slight pyromaniacs.

That's never really grown out of me.
Might go wrong,

but God, I'm excited.

With the box closed, the chemical
reactions create raku magic.

I have never clone raku,
but I have a lot of adrenaline.

I'm going to be dancing everywhere.

It's going to be a lot of movement
in my body.

This year, our potters
will be doing naked raku -

naked because the finished pots
won't feature any glaze.

Welcome back, potters,
to the pottery, and to raku week.

Raku!

Eh?! Yay!

You've made it to raku!

This week, the judges would like you
to make a pair of hanging planters.

Now, these are going to be
hanging from above,

so we want your planters to have
a statement finial underneath.

Now, these don't have to look
identical,

but we want them to look like
an obvious set.

We'd like you to choose
how you hang them.

That could be lugs
or holes in the planter walls,

but it needs to be practical.

Otherwise, your planters
won't hang properly.

And the trade description people
will be after you.

You have six hours to make
and refine your hanging planters.

Potters, get potting.

Let's go.

Happy raku.

The beauty of raku...
It's clay and fire, isn't it,

basically, at its most
simplest form.

So I'm so excited.

Yes! I love raku week.

The fire, being outside, the smoke.

It's the sheer alchemy of pottery,
isn't it?

So we've asked our potters to create
these planters with a lovely finial.

That's going to be a real testament

to the way they think about
this whole process.

Not just the design,
but the firing itself.

What raku doesn't like
is big changes of thicknesses.

Yeah. You don't want big chunky
finials into very thin walled pots,

because those two elements
will expand and contract at

different rates, and they'll just
pull apart. That's it.

Ancl then let's not forget
the design itself.

I really want to see that process of
raku integrated into their design.

I mean, this is a beautiful example
of naked raku.

What we're seeing here is
the cracking of the top layer

of glaze and slip, which has allowed
the carbon in,

and then they're going to put
paper stencils

on the outside of that
to create the design.

Ancl we just hope that those
paper stencils will leave enough

of an impression on that lovely
burnished surface of the pot.

Well, let's hope. Fingers crossed.
It'll be exciting.

I'll have everything crossed.

Hello, lovey. Hi, Fabiola.
Good morning. Morning.

I have to say, you look so pretty.

Vibrant colours. Oh, thank you.

Nice, isn't it?
Tell me about your design.

My design is based on the equality
of people.

For me, this is very important.

We have to love each other.
All of us, you know?

Fabiola's homage to love
will feature intricate characters

representing gender, religion
and cultural acceptance.

Her ambitious finials will be
thrown and altered to represent

clasped hands and a heart.

How are you attaching this heart?
It's going to have a long stem.

OK. So it's attached by this?

I hope it works.

So do we. So do we, lovey.
Exactly.

We hope it works, too.
Exactly.

When it comes to raku,

this bit, the making, is the most
important step of all.

Exactly. Getting that right.
Exactly.

We're off and running!
What could possibly go wrong?

Unless the potters throw
their planters with thin walls,

they'll be too heavy to hang.

I'm trying to coat it up nicely.

I don't want to use too much clay
because it would just make it big

and fat and heavy. But too thin, and
the planters won't be robust enough

to support their finials.

I am a bit worried about
the thickness of it

and whether it will survive
the weight of the finial.

So I've added an extra bit
of clay.

To ensure his planters
are perfectly balanced,

Jon's leaving nothing to chance.

So, these pieces of paper fit
together to make the whole pot.

So if I throw that piece,
it matches,

and then when I throw that piece,
it matches,

they should form
a relatively smooth form.

Hello,jon. Hi.
Tell us about your design.

We've gone mathematical.
So I've gone spiral.

Would we expect anything less, Jon?

The golden rectangle.
The golden spiral kind of idea.

Fibonacci. Fibonacci
and that kind of stuff.

So it's that kind of idea
of fractals,

obviously on a much bigger scale.
Obviously, obviously. Yeah, yeah.

Engineerjon is in his element,
combining precision and design

by carving a deep spiral winding down
the body of his planters,

complemented
by a teardrop pendant finial.

The one thing about the Fibonacci
spiral, it's perfect.

It is. It is.

Are you confident you're going
to get that perfection? Yeah.

I've got templates. The spirals
themselves will be Fibonacci.

The one down the pot isn't.

You can't do that
round the pot form,

but the ones that come off will be.
Well, good luck with that.

Whilejon's aiming for
mathematical precision...

I want one spiral
for one revolution.

...Helen's taking
a more relaxed approach.

It looks like a bowl, so we're
heading in the right direction.

Where I live, there's an oak tree
that's collapsed and it's split

completely in two.
It's a work of art.

It really is.
So I thought, "Oh, yeah, oak leaves.

"Let's have a go at that."

Celebrating her local Kent
countryside, Helen's design mimics

a cascade of fluttering acorns
and leaves.

The 2D leaves on the body of
the pot will be complemented by

3D sculptural oak leaves
around the finial.

So, is raku something
you've ever clone before?

I recently bought a raku kiln.

OK. So I can have a little go
in the garden.

We've got a guy in the village
who does raku days,

so you can go along
and it's a social thing.

Oh, OK. Do you live in
a pottery village? No!

She lives in a little pottery
village with pottery elves.

I am throwing it upside down.
That's quite a lot of clay for me.

Can suddenly get really
out of control.

Don't, don't, don't!

This is a bummer.

I've made it a bit squat.

I probably made it a bit thin,
and it just started sagging down.

And once it starts sagging,
it's a losing battle.

I have to wedge it again
and hope that it will work.

Come on, we can do this.
We can do this.

We can do pottery, right.
Yeah, of course we can.

So, my inspiration is the '80s.

I don't think it's ever
been done before, taking raku

into the '80s, so I'm doing it.

Rebecca plans to bring the ancient
Japanese art of raku into the '80s

with her geometric
multicolour design,

which is replicated
in the finials as well.

So you're really excited
about raku week.

Yeah, really excited.
Have you ever done it?

Yeah, I've done it
about three times.

And you still find it exciting?
Yeah, I love it,

because it's different every time.
Every time, things have cracked.

But... You know the old saying,
fourth time lucky? Yeah.

I'm taking my frustration out
from the first pot.

While George... I hate you!
I hate you at the moment!

...and Fabiola are hoping it
will be second time lucky

getting their pots up...

Oh! just be very, very gentle
because I slap her so much,

so she's not that happy with me.

...the rest of the potters
have finished theirs

and can begin
their decorative finials.

Caught you at a sensitive moment.
Fiddling with your finial. Yeah.

Fiddling with me finial.

Well, tell us about your design,
then,

that will include the finial.
I am doing two spaceships.

Of course you are.

And the plants will be the plumes
coming out of the engine.

Derek will marry his passion
for mid-century design

with his childhood fascination
of space travel.

The b*llet-shaped rockets
will have delicate fins

and classic ray-g*n shaped finials.

Are your finials going to be hollow
or is that...? That's hollow,

so the air can get in, because if
it's thick, clay would just explode.

Yeah. Going to have to be careful
with those. Very careful with those.

Not only must their finials
be hollow... At the moment,

there's air inside, but I'm worried
that once it comes out and I press,

it will break.

...it's vital that they match
the thinness of their pots,

so once attached, they will dry
at the same rate.

If that finial was really thick,
it would just cause problems

and it would definitely crack off.

But while Derek's sh**ting
for the moon... This is going

to be the start
of the chicken's neck.

"James is staying more
down-to-earth.

We have four bantam chickens.

They sunbathe,
run away from the children.

His generously rounded pots
will replicate the body

of his sunbathing birds,

and he's hoping his stylised
finial heads

will capture their unique
personalities.

This is Eggletina, the bigger one,
because she keeps escaping.

I don't know how they get out.

Apparently, they're doing it again
while I'm away,

so I've got to go back and try
and put some more chicken wire up.

Lois has also been inspired by home.

So the finial, I want it to, like,
echo sort of shell shapes.

I grew up by the beach,
and it's the best place

you can be, really. By the sea,
in the sea, on the sea.

Lois will add blue slip as a base
for her seascape, accentuated

with Matisse-inspired seaweed
and Dover sole markings.

Shells really are an important
thing to you. Yeah, they are.

When you hold your ear to it,
can you hear the sea?

Maybe. Should we try? Yeah.

Oh, you can! It works quite well,
actually.

Oh, yeah, it does, yeah. Wow.
Surprisingly good.

Lois has the sea in her finial!

No pressure, but she has the ocean.

Lois isn't the only potter...

I need to get on with my finials.

...hoping their planters
make a splash.

The first pot I got given
was an octopus-catching pot.

They'd drop it down into the ocean.

Lovely, warm, dark hole -
octopus jumps in there.

You pull it up later
and you get an octopus in it.

A bit of a play on it.
I'm going to do the octopus

attacking the bottom
of the octopus pot.

George is recreating the murky ocean
depths using blue-coloured slip

and stencilled tentacles.
He's chosen to hang his squid

and octopus using rope tied
around risky, delicate handles.

Raku, being an intense firing
process,

it's going to test the joins
like no tomorrow.

How many tickles does it take
to tickle an octopus?

I don't know. How many tickles?

Ten tickles.

But George's squid and octopus...

I'm really scared about
these dragon heads. ..might not be

the most precarious hanging planters
in the pottery.

Playing a bit of a gamble.

I'm using dragon heads as my lugs.

Right, OK. Wow.

So I'm really going to have to
get them stuck on well.

Just got to hope they stay on.

As a nod to her heritage,
Caitlin is adding

Chinese lantern-shaped finials
onto her bulbous-shaped forms,

but her planters will be relying on
the dragon heads holding up.

My mum is from Hong Kong,
and growing up,

she always had all these
Chinese dragons.

And they bring good luck
and prosperity.

Good luck to take it
through the raku firing.

Potters, you're halfway through!

Got to speed up a little bit,

but that's the story of
my Pottery Throw Down life.

The potters will need to
get a move on.

God, it's a bit of a mission.

They still have to trim and refine
all of their pieces...

I've got quite a bit of turning
of these.

This is heavy as. ..and carefully
attach their finials to the planters

so that they survive
the raku firing.

Very nervous about getting these
to stick on.

Because it's going through
such a harsh process,

any sort of joins are very risky.

It might explode. Might shift
or break off. I get ya.

Oh, God, this is heavy.

I hope they don't fall apart
and explode.

They've gone together quite well.

I can't tell where the finial sits
and where the main body does.

So I'm going to put the leaves on.

While some of the planters
are coming together...

I'm struggling a little bit.

The clay, because it's groggy,
breaks.

...Fabiola's celebration of unity
is threatening to fall apart.

Two hands holding a heart.

They were supposed to be 3D.
Not any more.

So I'm just going to carve.

It's a lot of work, and I need to go
and start burnishing.

It's super important.

Burnishing is key to ensuring
successful naked raku.

Firstly, a slip called
terra sigillata is applied,

which also has some added colour.

Terra sigillata, which is just
an incredibly fine-particle slip,

which means that
when you burnish it,

it will get
really nice and shiny.

I've used all four colours
so I can get that '80s design.

The benching battle has begun.

The potters must rub their planters
with a smooth item

like a pebble or spoon...

I've chose spoon gloves!

I'm throwing everything at it!
..pushing down grog in the clay

and bringing the fine particles
to the surface,

resulting in a wonderfully polished
finish.

Choice of weapon
is shiniest soup spoon

I could find in the canteen.

So I'm using this stone
and a spoon from the canteen.

I tried to make a cup of tea
earlier - I had to use a fork!

Can somebody tell the canteen
all the spoons are up here?!

We've found the spoons!

After having to improvise
a new finial design...

I'm going to start burnishing,

otherwise it's going to be too late
for me.

...Fabiola is changing plans
once again.

I stick my finials
nearly to the end.

Hopefully that will work.
In my head, it will work.

And Fabiola is not alone.

I need to judge when I put the
octopus on and have enough time to

make the octopus look nice,
but also save myself enough time

to burnish everything.

That burnished slit is the canvas
to all of their decorations.

Everything. Well, the gloves
are doing all right.

I mean, this particular naked
raku process, a couple

of things could happen if they don't
burnish them well enough. Yeah.

Firstly, the flame effects,
the carbonisation

could be very dull.

Secondly, there's every risk
that the resist-slip

and the high-alkaline glaze
could stick and not peel away.

Ancl not give them
the effect they want.

It's going to be a long afternoon.

There's more process that goes
beyond this. That's it.

But this is the bedrock
for all that comes next.

OK. This is going to start
hurting my arm.

You can't train for this.
You have to just go...

Potters, you've one hour left!

Oh, there's no spoons anywhere!

Oh! Oh! The pain! The pain!

Just burnish like mad.

I'm sweating cobs,
but I'm going for it.

But for those with construction
left to do...

Right, I need to do these heads
now because an hour is stressful.

...burnishing will have to
take a break.

A bit of slipping and scoring
and get it all together, I hope.

It's a bit tricky
because this is all mucky,

so I'm risking ruining
my lovely smooth, polished bit

by doing big hand marks
in the wrong place.

But I've just got to suck it up
and get on with it.

It would be an actual miracle
if these stay on.

I hope that the heart
is not coming off.

So... Can I help in any way?

All right.
But you make me dance now.

You always put that in my mind,
you know?

I know. Are we dancing
to the same tune?

Go, go, go!

I'm really, really trying to get
a bit of a sheen on this.

Ten minutes left, potters! Oh!
Ten minutes left!

I don't have much of an idea
when it's done, so we're just going

to keep going until the time
runs out.

Oh. Thanks for reminding me
that I've only got ten minutes.

I'm just putting my handle on.
Hoping a good push will attach it.

Into the hen house with you.

Fabiola, my love,
how are you getting on?

Yeah, I think I'm going
to make it. Done.

One small step for the pottery,

one giant step for Derek.

So, George, it's only you
we're waiting on.

Bye-bye, my baby.

Well done, guys.

Absolutely fantastic.

I'm getting a reputation
for working right up to the end.

George, have a shower.
Maybe next week.

I think I'm also getting
a reputation for having more clay

on me than in my pot.

Once dried, Rose will take
the planters

for their first bisque firing
to harden the clay,

ready for decoration
and their final intense raku firing.

I just pray to the kiln gods
that it will come

as it was - a nice heart.

The finials coming off
would be the disaster.

It's time for the potters to face
a flamboyant second challenge.

We're going to do an autopsy!

Pottery autopsy.

Welcome back, potters,
to your second challenge.

And it is a spot test.

Oooh!

And we have a very special
guest judge.

You may remember them
from series two.

Freya Bramble-Carter. Oh!

Freya, come on in.

Hi! Very nice to see you.

How does it feel being on this side
of the bench? Weird.

Great. But I know how you feel,
guys, seriously.

After appearing on The Great Pottery
Throw Down, Freya has gone on to

become a successful ceramicist.

Her beautiful sculptural vases
have been exhibited in prestigious

art galleries, and she has been
featured in the likes

of British Vogue, the New York Times
and House 8; Garden.

Judges, would you like to show the
potters what they will be doing?

Uh-oh. Oh, my goodness.

You don't have to make the body
of the vase.

We're just talking about
the really beautiful, elaborate

flourish on top.
So, Freya, take it away.

So you've been given this
free-thrown bottom.

You're going to coil-build
your structure on top.

Start with a thick coil.
You definitely wouldn't want

skinny coils flopping
as you build the pipe.

And right from the beginning,
I'm blending the inside as I go.

Freya, you're looking for that
relationship between the coiling

and the thrown pot underneath.
Yes. You've got this femininity

and masculinity balance going on.

A lot of my inspiration comes
from that. Right, blending.

This is what you're really going
to use to join the thrown vase

to your coils.
I'm just going to stop here.

Yours will be a lot taller.
How tall would you like them to be?

Can they please be 30cm tall?
Towards the edge here,

you can taper the tip,
get it a bit thinner.

You can go in like that.

Wide, narrow.

We're looking for flamboyance.

Go for it. Go for your character.

You can be a bit weird. Whatever.
It's yours. All right?

They're all weird, Freya.
That's what we want.

And I'm going to look at the beauty
of your frill in any shape and form.

Big, small, in, out.

Shake it all about.

Thank you very much.
That was marvellous.

Potters, back to your benches,
please.

This is going to be
blind judged, so...begone.

Get out.

OK, potters,
you have been given one hour...

Oh! Oh.

...to make your flamboyant
vases,

and your time starts now.

Oh, that's a nice vase.

I like it as it is.

Not a throw down!

I've never been so excited
in my life.

I wanted something a bit different.

So, yeah, I'm really looking
forward to this one.

I wouldn't think of myself
as flamboyant,

so this is outside my comfort zone.

I'm trying to do quite long coils.

I'd like to do a lovely tall
trumpety hibiscus flower.

But as the potters begin adding clay
to flare out their pots...

I'm thinking more of like a tulip.

...jon has begun by subtracting clay
from his.

I'm going with an ovular
form on top.

So I've started to cut the neck

to create that ovular form
from the very outset.

So, try and create something
a little bit different.

I'd like, if I get around to it,
having extra little bits coming out,

so like petals of flowers
around the side of it.

That's the idea. We'll see.

She said flamboyant,
so...we'll do flamboyant.

Before the potters
can even think about

the shape of their flourishes...

Oh, wow. It's high.
..they need to build the height.

I'm doing them fairly thick,
especially near the bottom.

It's got to be quite strong,
otherwise it will just fall apart.

I don't want it too heavy because
then once you've created height,

the heaviness of it
will bring it down

and potentially collapse
at some point,

which you want to avoid, obviously.

So you've nearly got to 30cm.
No, it's not, look. Oh, my gosh!

30cm is so much more than
you think, guys.

I want to just spend half the time
doing that

and then half the time
making it look nice.

So an hour sounds like a long time,
but it isn't really.

You're going out already?
Yeah, yeah.

Maybe slightly faster than I was
planning on.

The grand design was
supposed to be ovular.

Greater out this side,
more vertical on this side.

Oh, yeah. S0me0ne's not really told
the pot that.

Is the pot misbehaving? Yeah.
It's not listening.

I keep putting them, putting them
and it doesn't go up!

It's only 18cm.Jesus!

She's going to say
30 minutes in, isn't she?

Potters, you're halfway through!

Halfway through!
It's not annoying at all, is it?

I'm not even close,
so I'm going to have to really

motor a bit. Hi, George.
How are you getting on?

I'm not sure I'm the most
flamboyant man out there.

That's actually
a really good question.

Potters, who is the most flamboyant
in here?

Fabiola. Yeah, Fabiola.

Yes! Yeah. And who would be
the least flamboyant here?

Jon.jon.jon, I have faith in you
and your inner flamboyance.

Well, it's certainly more droopy
than flamboyant.

I think mine has probably
pushed the brief to somewhere

it wasn't supposed to be going.

I'm just creating some indents

to sort of get a bit of a trumpet
going up.

Put that bit on there.
And then start shaping.

Potters, you've 15 minutes left!

Oh!

While most are now on a flamboyant
burst to the finish...

Mr Floppity-Floo.

...a few of the potters are
experiencing structural issues.

I should have done my coils
a little bit thinner as we got

to the top, so if I cut in...
But it will still just flop out.

Me and Jon's look the same now,
don't they?

Every time I touch it, it goes
a bit further down, really,

which isn't really what I was after.
It looks a little bit like,

you know, it works in accounting.

It's clone a spreadsheet.
What about the inside?

Look at the inside.
No, the inside...

Five minutes left, potters!
Five minutes left!

God, it's amazing how quick
time goes in here.

Now that's flamboyant.

Every bloody time.

Oh, my Lord.

It's looking a bit nice.

Going to try and put some extra
petals, and it's organic, so you can

get away with quite a few things.
Do one more tiny bit.

And you've got great height there.
About twenty...four.

You've got one minute left.
One minute? Yeah.

Potters, one minute left!
Oh, dear.

To gain 6cm. No, it's not going to
happen, is it?

Now it's just one minute
of smoothing down the clay

as much as possible.

I'm just trying to bodge
a bit of finesse onto this pot.

Every second counts.

Five, four, three,

two, one. Well done.

Tools down.

Flamboyance finito.

You could faff about with that
for about a week.

I think I'm the least worried about
it because it's already flopped.

OK, then, potters,
let's welcome back the judges.

Wow.

There's a lot of movement,
a lot of dynamic energy, I see.

Should we get started?
Well, let's start, yeah.

Let's start at this end.
Wow. I like the shape of this,

mirroring the shape.
It's really beautiful.

Really good blending on the inside.
Fantastic. Well done.

This one, it's got some throat.

I really like this shape.
It's subtly random.

You can still see some of the joins,
though, can't you? Yeah.

It doesn't look like it's been
blended much at all on the inside.

Number three. I'm questioning,
has it collapsed?

They've made something out of it.
Made a feature. Well, exactly, yeah.

I mean, it's a good way
of getting around a problem.

OK, number four. Hmm, interesting.

The inside is amazing.

The mark-making has really added
to the form, hasn't it?

It has. Number five. Tighter frills.

I like that.
I like these big trunks.

Almost remind me of roots to a tree.
Yeah.

Could have clone with a little bit
more finishing

on the inside. And slightly
more on the join.

OK, number six.

Wow.

We've got a few sort of
stress cracks around the rim.

You can kind of see where some of
those... It collapsed a bit there.

It's quite orchidy,
with one side lifted up.

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Number seven.

It's really nicely finished off
on the inside, isn't it?

Yeah. They've really made a
conscious effort to tidy up the rim.

The blend is quite well
in most of it. Well done.

Number eight. I love this shape.

It's very flamboyant.
Very flamboyant.

It looks almost like a shell
or something. Yeah, yeah, it does.

It doesn't have the height
of some of the others.

It's holding itself well.
Yeah, no, I kind of like it.

Last but not least... Almost
reminds me of, like, a goose neck.

And this is, like, the beak.

The small frills and big frills
are quite nice,

the variation. Fantastic.

The judges will now order
the potters from worst to first.

OK. Ninth place is this one.

You got really good height.

However, the integrity of
the building,

it looks like it collapsed
a little bit.

Eighth place was this one.

Oh, Caitlin. Did it collapse?

Thought so. Seventh place, this one.

Jon! Jon, you've given us
your flamboyant side. Who knew?

Did you have problems
with it falling outwards?

Yeah, it was going to be ovular,
but not that ovular.

In sixth place is Derek.

Fifth is Rebecca.

Fabiola comes fourth,
and it's George in third.

This is two.

Well done, Lois. You've blended it
really well on the outside,

and this proportion sits well.

OK, so the winner is this one.

James! Well clone, James.

You've blended it beautifully on
the inside as much as the outside.

And these touches here are just
really quite beautiful.

Yeah, we particularly liked those.

The asymmetrical kind of design
was really lovely, wasn't it?

Yeah. Well done, James.

You're our favourite flour is her.

And thank you so much, Freya.

You've been absolutely fabulous
and fantastic.

Well done to all you, potters.

You deserve a break now.
So, potters, dismissed.

Came first in the second
challenge.

I think all the potters are keen to
knock me off, definitely.

It's all to play for still.
With the raku firing,

anything can happen. I've been
seventh before, but it's nice to get

the most flamboyant one.

I think gravity helped. Shows you
can step outside your comfort zone.

I was quite pleased with
the height of it, but yeah,

it didn't look good.
So really ups the pressure, eh?

If you come last,
you've got to really do well

in the next challenge.

So, yeah, I've got my fingers
firmly crossed.

The potters' hanging planters
have had their first firing.

Now it's time for decoration.

Ooh la la!
What is in there?

But until they peek under
the hessian, the potters won't know

if their planters
are still in one piece.

Welcome back, potters.

Your hanging planters have been
bisque-fired and are now hiding

under the hessian,
ready to be decorated.

We've given you resist-slip
for those burnished areas

of your hanging planters.

Now, this will protect those areas
from the reduction process

in the kiln.

So make sure you use it -
and use it carefully.

You've got paper to use
for masking on your planters.

Now, the areas you mask off
are very likely to go black

after the raku firing,

so try and incorporate that
into your design.

You have been given
one and a half hours

to decorate your hanging planters,
and your time starts now.

Ah!

Oh! Yes! They're super good.

They're strong.

They're alive.

Oh, jeez, there's cracks.

But the heads are on.
I can only be thankful for that.

Oh...bugger.

Oh, Derek, what has happened?

I've lost a finial.
Oh, no. Oh, no!

Oh, no.

It's only mine that's done it, so...

That obviously doesn't
bode well for this.

It's just that difference
in drying. That's hollow,

and that's really thick.

Obviously pretty disappointed,
but I'm not giving up on it.

You could put that on top
and leave it and the glaze

might glue it together.
You might get away with that.

Might get away with it.
Positivity. We'll get there.

It might mean I can make
a couple of pots. Absolutely.

We're testing our potters
with a unique decorating technique.

The burnishing they did earlier
not only ensures a smooth finish,

it also helps this procedure
perform its magic.

All right, let's do it.

A magic involving
a resist-slip and a clever glaze.

Whoa! Whoa, that's thick.
That is thick.

First, our potters apply
the resist-slip...

I need to make sure that
I cover it all.

...a temporary barrier protecting
the burnished surface.

Oh, get out.

Then the potters will apply
their paper stencils

to create their design.

Anywhere the potters place
their paper stencils will go black.

This is a bit different
to the raku we normally do.

It's a totally different process.

And I had just gotten to terms
with the old raku and now

I have to learn a new raku.

I'm going to have a nice
pale yellow background

with some black leaves
scattered around.

I want to get a really nice outline,
rather than a black blob.

To achieve a crisp silhouette,

the paper stencils need to be glued
with the utmost care.

You want it as stuck down
as possible.

You don't want a wee foot
sticking up in the air,

because then the glaze will go
underneath it and then that will

blur the lines a little bit.

So then it will be the black dragon
and the black head,

and then the blue background
with the raku effects,

like they're in the water.

After his broken finial...

I've got tweezers, so I'll be like
a chef, going like this.

...Derek can't afford
any more mistakes.

I really want to get
that crackle effect.

So these are quite sparingly put on.
I'm giving it every chance

for the raku to be the star
of the show.

I want the remaining one
to look really good

because otherwise, I'm out of here.

While Derek is hoping
his minimalist design will be enough

to rescue his rocket... So these
are supposed to be feathers.

We'll get as many on as possible.

...not every potter
is being so restrained.

They've got a variety of shapes.

Just making sure that
it looks '80s.

But the more intricate the design...

Oh, it's too fiddly. I hate this,
I hate this, I hate this.

...the harder it will be to stick on.

Oh, come on.

That one's disintegrated.

These are really fragile,
so they're quite hard to work with.

Oh, come on!

Oh, God, I messed up with this.

Too much paper on my hands.
What are you doing to your people?

Well, you know... They're upside
down. Do you know what I'm doing?

Taking the heads off,
the legs off, everything off,

because this paper is very thin.

So they'll turn black
when they come out?

I hope so. I really hope so.

Ancl I really hope that they stay.

If we won't see the people there,
we'll be...kaput.

Potters, you've half an hour left!

Oh! Oh! Better put a wiggle on.

Oh, no! I'm worried
I've made all my legs too long.

I'll just have to do
a bit of amputation.

So, how's it all going?
I think it's going OK.

My fish...

The template was a bit big
so I just tore it to try and...

Oh, I love this, like, on the cuff,
on the hoof adaptation!

Yeah. It's jazz pottery, man.
You wanna see...

Oh! This paper,
because it's very thin,

I'm leaving them
without arms or legs.

So I'm going to change
for the thicker one to see

if it hopefully will stay.

I think that's fine.
I think I don't want to overdo it.

I don't want to under do it.

I think that's...
That's what I wanted to do.

With the paper stencil
firmly stuck down...

I really do hope it comes out,
because I think I'll love it

and I will actually put it
in my house.

...there is one final stage
to complete -

applying an alkali frit glaze.

This clever glaze should protect
the potters' designs

before cracking off
in the reduction box,

revealing the finished pot
underneath.

George, how many coats of glaze
are you doing?

No idea, Helen. Glaze is meant to be
doing the overprotecting, isn't it?

So I think we want a good amount
of it. Yeah.

Put a good old dollop on there.

And for Derek,
getting the glaze right...

As long as it sticks on, it's fine.

...could be make or break.

Is there any way you can stick it?
Look, you've got PVA.

I'm going to try and do it like this
to stick it with the glaze,

and just lift it out very carefully

and put it in the box
very carefully.

Ancl if it works, it works.
Ancl if it doesn't, it doesn't.

There's always a chance.
It's not over yet.

Raku day!

Now we're getting down to the nitty
gritty of what raku

essentially is - the firing process.

So I think people
are really excited.

I don't think anyone can really
prepare for it,

because anything can happen
in raku.

Will they come the way I want to?

I don't know.

But I have never seen anything
like this.

I hope that I can show my message
through my plants.

I've got one that is possibly
not going to work.

Obviously, if the finial
comes off, that's not great.

Hello, potters.

Are you nervous? Yeah.
This is going to be a fabulous day.

The raku kilns are ready
for you to load and fire up.

Our technicians, Kevin and Rose,
are on hand to help.

All I want to say is the raku firing
process is really intense.

So take care, especially of those
statement finials.

You decide when to take
your planters out of the kiln.

So really think about
the temperature

you're going to go to.
We're really keen to see

all of your surface pattern
come to life.

Lois, Derek

and Fabiola... Oh!
..you're up first!

You're up first!

Now, please, don your gloves,
goggles and aprons,

and let the fun commence.

Before they can face
the volatile raku firing,

it's safety first. Oh, these are
quite fancy, aren't they?

Thank you so much. OK, let's do it.
Let's do it.

Three potters will raku-fire
their pots at a time.

You ready, Derek?
I'm ready, Rose.

Let's go, then. Come on.
Fire it up! Fire it up!

Oh, my God.

Lois... It's not going to be easy,
is it?

...Fabiola... Yes! Yes! All right.

...and Derek. Be careful. Yeah.

We're going to be OK.
..are now in the driving seat.

Let's go. Door on,
and let's do this.

Raku is one of the shortest,
most intense firings in ceramics...

Oh, h*!

...reaching over 1,000 degrees
in minutes.

What temperature do you want
to go up to?

I think 950 and then have a look.

The higher the temperature goes,
the more tension will be placed

on their planters as they rapidly
cool once removed from the kiln.

924. 920! It's going pretty fast.

This thermal shock could cause
their vulnerable finials

to crack off.

It will be interesting to see
how Derek sorts his finial out.

It's just whether he can get it
out of the kiln,

into the reduction box
in one piece.

But take out the planters too soon,
and the glaze

won't have melted and sealed
to the slip underneath.

We're nearly there. Hold your nerve.

And any areas with unsealed
glaze will turn jet black

once placed in the reduction box,

and their painstaking stencil
decorations will be lost.

A bit more. A bit more?

They're not glisteny yet,
so we're going for a bit more.

Now we have to wait for the
glossy part, which I don't know

which one it is.

Right, have a look.
Yeah, that's glossy.

That's good? One of them's
falling over. A shelf has cracked.

But your pot's still intact.
All right. Good.

Right. Can we turn it off?

But the firing is not over yet.
Take a breath.

Let's go.

The potters must delicately
move their planters

to the reduction
box, being careful not to knock

the alkali frit glaze or the slip.

Just be mindful to
keep the slip on there,

so watch how you pick it up.

We've got to go finial
and hope they don't fall off.

It's in one piece.

Well clone. Same again.

Once the planters have ignited,
the reduction box is sealed,

starving the pot of oxygen and
starting the carbonisation process.

Well clone. Yes!

If the potters have completed

all stages of the decorating
technique correctly,

their rims and finials
should be jet black,

and they should have
a coloured smoky background

featuring their black design.

Oh, the kiln shelf has gone.

So I just hope he can get it out.

Everything crossed.

Yes! Well done. Well clone, Derek.

Oh!

Is it all in one piece?
Come on, Fabiola, take it easy.

Don't drop it now.

SHE GRUNTS

Oh, Jesus.

I mean, anywhere that that glaze
and slip has come away

is essentially going to go black.

She's just going to lose all that
design that she's put on there.

That was hard.

Oh, the kiln shelf's gone
completely.

The other bloody finial's come off!

Derek's finial and kiln shelf
have both been victims

of thermal shock.

The kiln gods have not been kind
to Derek. No, no, no.

It's my lucky week!

Oh, bad luck, Derek.

Well, somebody else
has to have a go now.

Whoa!

Rebecca, are you ready?

As I'll ever be. Yeah!

Now you behave yourselves
while you're in there.

No matter how experienced you are...

Are you going to go to 1,000?

It's what I do at home,
and see what happens.

...the Raku process
is always a challenge.

Going in!

Come on, kiln gods.

We'll keep going up to the thousand.

The back one's not got a shine on it
yet. 999.

OK. Yeah.

Oh, my chicken.

Yay! Thank you very much.

Now, this one, not so easy.

You've got the big one, pincer it.

But as well as finickity finials
to contend with...

How the hell am I going to
get hold of this?

...Caitlin's dragons have given her
even more to worry about.

Because I've created life
20 times difficult for myself

by putting these dragons
on the sides.

Pray for the heads.

The higher you push it, the more
the thermal shock will be,

so the more risk of my handles
and my fins and bits coming off.

I've got to hold my nerve.

That is so heavy.

Oh, God.

Yay! We did it!

You ready? Yeah.

Oh, no!

Oh, well, it is what it is.

I mean, we are over a thousand.

Oh, let's go for it, then.

Oh, it's hot, isn't it?

It's burning me.

Have you got hold of it?

Got it. Go on, Becks.

Take it easy, George.

Everything's intact so far.

Yes, George.

That's it. Great.

Good stuff.

Yes!

As long as my heads stay on,
there's still hope.

We did Raku!

After the intense firing,
the potters must now begin

the delicate process
of quenching their pots...

This may take a bit more scrubbing.

...and chipping off the slip and glaze
to reveal their stencil designs.

Oh, look. Yeah.

Look at my fish!

I'm really surprised.
I love this.

Oh!

Well clone, mate!

Oh, my God.

Oh! Oh, look at that.
Oh, look at that.

I know, it's flaming
like the fiery dragons.

Oh, I'm so chuffed.

Oh, it's just beautiful.

I mean, you can kind of see
the outline of the limbs,

but I probably could have
got that a bit better.

Oh, that came off nice.

Oh, very pleased with those.
It did work.

But not everyone has had
such a pleasant surprise.

Oh, it's broken.

Sugar.

The finial is broken.

And a broken finial
isn't Fabiola's only problem.

It looks black.

Your slip came off. I think your
green's been exposed to the smoke,

so it's always going to be that sort
of blacky greeny colour.

All right, so I have to
live with it.

I think so, unfortunately.

Oh, it's just carbonised.

The slip's fallen off.

It's been a bad week
at the office, guys.

But the week's not over yet.

The potters have one final task
to complete...

I'm using chicken wire
to help hang it up.

...before they present their
hanging planters to the judges.

This is not my vibe,
doing this weaving.

And those with broken finials
are going to have to improvise.

So I'm just trying to attach
my finial.

So using my holes, my plan B holes,

but hopefully I can still try
and suspend them from the heads.

We're trying to make some
rudimentary cradle from spare rope,

tying these through the holes,
so it's kind of stuck on it.

It might wobble a bit
when it's hanging up.

Unfortunately, the kiln gods
didn't help me this time.

I think it's better to leave it.

You could've tied that on,
at the bottom.

No. No? I don't think so.
I don't think so.

It came out, it came off.

We'll leave it and we'll just
give it to the judges.

It's judgment time for the potters'
raku hanging planters.

James, would you please
bring your planters up to be judged?

They look like they're
at the butcher's.

I'll have the small one, please.

Oh, James, that's great.

It's really great. Thank you.

The weight's fantastic.

That's really nice to hold,
a dead chicken.

It's just beautifully made.

It's got such character,
and it is beautifully finished.

Paper stencils have worked.

Yeah, but they're not too obvious,
are they, Rich? No.

They just create depth and subtlety
to the surface,

which is what this form
of raku is all about.

Ancl then we've got the chicken wire,
which is just sublime.

It works really well.
The whole thing just really fits.

Dead chickens with flowers in.
Who doesn't want that?

Well done. Thank you. Cheers, James.

Well clone, James. Well done, Eggman.

Well, they're not a bad weight.
Really?

They're not a bad weight. OK.
No, no.

But you've got some lovely,
lovely mark-making here.

Your seaweed on this,

it's subtle, but it's there.

The burnishing is beautiful.

The slip application
is really consistent,

and you've got some really lovely
naked raku effects.

You know, you've got a good
consistent wall thickness

right the way into the finial,

and consequently
you don't seem to have

any kind of structural issues
at all.

Got away with throwing it
upside down.

Yes. Job clone.

It works really well.

They are a little on the heavy side.

Yeah. But the finials
have stayed on,

and you've got a nice,
lovely reaction.

You obviously got a good level
of burnish,

and I love the subtle sort
of colour changes that you've got

from those multiple slips,

and the paper stencils,
you've got quite a good clarity.

The colours you've chosen,
your hanging cords,

feels '80s, doesn't it?

They all feel like they're
in keeping with the theme.

Well clone, Rebecca.
Thank you very much.

That heart on there,
it's really nice.

It makes that structure really work.

Obviously, the big issue in the room

is quite a lot of
that slip-resist...

Oh, yeah, it came off.
..fallen off, yeah.

Because of that, you've lost
quite a bit of your design.

This one is almost totally black,

and obviously your finial
has fallen off.

It would have been beautiful.

The line of the pot would
have been really, really lovely.

It's just a real shame about
that slip and glaze, really. Yeah.

Cheers, Fabiola. Thank you.
Thank you.

So these are my mid-century space
rockets, with detachable nose cones.

I mean, it's a shame.

I mean, those finials are
really solid.

They are. And you've got
that solid lump of clay

on this hollow structure
of a planter.

The whole process of raku
is so severe

that you're going to get that
difference in cooling down,

that thermal shock.

Actually, overall the design
is beautiful.

A really nicely applied slip,

some beautiful naked raku effects.

Ancl I love the way they work
together.

Definitely admire the binding job
as well.

That's a great rescue.
Thank you.

I mean, it's a miracle
that all of these oak leaves

are in one piece and have survived
the process. It's great.

You can tell that they've perhaps
gone on a little soft

because it looks like you've lost
some of the definition

between the separate leaves.

Ancl the first thing I noticed
when I picked this up

is the burnishing.

It's just fantastic.

Really, really smooth.

It's a bit on the heavy side.

Bit of a m*rder weapon. You wouldn't
want to drop it on your foot, no.

The general structure is wonderful.

I like the finial

and the way the whole finial marries
in with the body of the planter.

The slip has worked far better
on this one.

You had to get that perfectly
around this spiral.

But actually, the raku effects
have been kind

because you don't actually notice
how crisp the edge is, or not.

So, yeah... Thank you, raku.

This is such a lovely idea,

really nicely ex*cuted.

Had a bit of a finial issue
on this one?

I can't... I can't believe the head
stuck on and the finial came off.

But where you've got the bodies
of the dragons,

it's like they're under water.
Yeah.

It's a really lovely way
to use the technique

to really demonstrate your concept.

That whole idea of
the water dragons.

I just think it's a really
well thought out idea.

What does it say on the bead?

It's the Chinese symbol
for happiness. Lovely.

So, yeah... You should be really,
really proud of them, Caitlin.

Well done, Caitlin. Thank you.

They're gorgeous.

They're really lovely.
They're fantastic.

That blue is absolutely exquisite.

Ancl you can really sense the squid
on the bottom of the pot,

and they work really, really well
together as a set.

It's just that transition between
the three dimensional

and the flat two dimensional surface

that I'm perhaps not
quite so sure about.

But I really admire the bravery
to go with a lug like this

and put it through the raku process.

Ancl the fact that they've come out
is definitely testament

to your construction.
Yeah.

Those had to be really well
stuck on.

I really commend you for that.

In fact, I think it's probably
the best thing

you've clone in the pottery.

Yeah. I think it is. Yeah.

Oh, I've had the most amazing day.

I'd love to be Potter of the Week,

but I think competition
is just too strong.

It was nice to see them laughing.

It's pottery.
It's just playing with mud.

So it doesn't matter
if it's highbrow, lowbrow.

It's all fun.

Big theme-park roller-coaster
of a clay.

But in the end, I'm really happy.

It's been such fun.

I could stay, I could go.

Anything is possible right now.

I'm optimist.

I'm an optimist and I don't think
I will go home this week.

I just want to be optimist.

Now the judges must decide
who is Potter of the Week

and who is going home.

So, another successful raku week.

How do you think they got on?

Well, they all did incredibly well,
really.

This is one of the most difficult
techniques in raku to master.

And we had a very interesting second
challenge this week as well.

Yeah, great to see Freya back!
Ancl Jon!

Ancl who knew?jon!

He was the most flamboyant.

So who's in line for
Potter of the Week?

Well, James - the build of them
was sublime,

the message was fantastic.

He just thought about every aspect
of the design and the concept,

and it was beautifully put together.

What about Lois?

Lois has had a great week.

She didn't have any
structural issues.

They worked really well as a set.
Yeah.

Who else did really well?

For me, I think Caitlin
did really well.

Oh, yeah. You know, the intricacy
of the design concept

that she had
and the way she ex*cuted that

worked really, really well.

So who do you think is at risk of
leaving the pottery this week?

Well, one, Fabiola.

She came fourth
in that second challenge.

Ancl quite frankly, she hasn't had
a good week in the raku kiln. No.

A lot of her work was burnt out
by that carbon.

The build wasn't brilliant.

Fabiola's concept was so positive,

and it was a shame that
the kiln gods were so unkind.

Derek lost a finial.
Yeah.

Again, it's that sort of attention
to detail with the build

ancl that lack of understanding
of what that thermal shock

is really capable of doing.

Oh, I don't want
either of them to leave.

You make the decision.

I will be glaring over here.

OK, potters.

Well done for this week.

I know the judges
were really, really impressed

with all of your work.

And I'm delighted to say
that this week's

Potter of the Week is...

"James.

Well done.

Well clone, James.
OK, then.

Now the really horrible bit.

The potter who is leaving us is...

...Fabiola.

It's OK. It's all right.

Oh, Fabiola.

Oh! It's fine!

I'm going to miss you so, so much.
I'm going to miss you, too.

But I had the most amazing time.

My husband and my children...

...they're going to be over the moon.

They're always proud of me.

And what else do I want?

Thank you so much for everything
that you've said to me.

I will treasure forever.

We're going to miss you.

I'm going to do my pottery.

I'm going to continue dancing.

I'm sorry to see you go!

I really bonded with Fabiola,

and I'm going to miss her so much.

She was just a little ray
of sunshine.

You've dodged a b*llet. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. Again. Yeah, yeah.

Oh, skin of my teeth, I think.

But still here!

So that's good. But really sad
about Fabs going.

And well done, James.

Well clone!

It's a really good feeling
to be Potter of the Week.

Two in a row now.

James! Well clone, mate!

Well done. It's the recognition
which is really nice.

It's a really nice feeling
when people go,

"You're actually pretty good
at this!"

We're all kind of like,
"Oh, it's James again."

But he is incredible.

He's an incredible potter and we
can't take that away from him.

Not another dancer goes...
Yeah, well...

As Fabiola leaves the pottery,

james's planters take their position
in the Throw Down gallery.

Next time...

He's a naked oboist.
Right.

...it's a beast of a week
for the potters...

It's genuinely disgusting
and scary.

...as they face
a monstrous hand-build...

Oh, my God. ..and a gargantuan
throwing challenge.

It's like a flipping car tyre!

Oh, but it is a big boy!

Who will conquer their demons?

Oh, James is finished!

Oh, bugger off, James!

And who will beat a hasty retreat?

I can't get it off.