''The Great Pottery Throw Down'' is a British television competition programme first broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

from 3 November 2015. It is a contest in the style of ''

The Great British Bake Off ''The Great British Bake Off'' (often abbreviated to ''Bake Off'' or ''GBBO'') is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, atte ...

'' and ''

The Great British Sewing Bee ''The Great British Sewing Bee'' is a BBC reality show that began airing on BBC Two on 2 April 2013. In the show, talented amateur sewers compete to be named "Britain's best home sewer". A spin-off of the format of ''The Great British Bake Off' ...

'', but with

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

Format

In each episode, a group of amateur potters compete to complete two pottery challenges. In the "main make" challenge, contestants undertake a substantial multi-stage creative task: subject to given specifications, they must design a ceramic creation, build it from raw clay, and decorate it; the finished products are fired in the

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

and presented to the judges for evaluation. In between stages of the main make, potters are given a "second challenge", a smaller-scale task testing a specific pottery skill, on which they are ranked from worst to best by the judges. At the end of each episode, the judges designate the best-performing contestant as "potter of the week". The contestant with the worst results is dismissed, and all others return for the following episode; the winner of the final episode is the overall winner of the series.

Broadcast history

For the first two seasons, the presenter was Sara Cox and the expert judges were

Kate Malone Kate Olivia Malone (born 29 January 1959, in London) is a British ceramic artist known for her large sculptural vessels and rich, bright glazes. Malone is a judge, along with Keith Brymer Jones, on BBC2's ''The Great Pottery Throw Down'' presente ...

and

Keith Brymer Jones Keith Brymer Jones (born June 1965) is a British potter and ceramic designer, known for his homeware Word Range with retro lettering and punk motifs. In 2015, he debuted as an expert judge alongside Kate Malone on BBC2's ''The Great Pottery Thr ...

. Also appearing in the first three series was "kiln man Rich", Richard Miller, who acted as the show's behind-the-scenes technician. After being cancelled by the BBC in 2018, the show returned in January 2020 with a third series on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

More4 More4 is a British free-to-air television channel, owned by Channel Four Television Corporation. The channel launched on 10 October 2005. Its programming mainly focuses on lifestyle and documentaries, as well as foreign dramas. Content When ...

, with Brymer Jones continuing as a judge, new co-judge Sue Pryke, and

Melanie Sykes Melanie Ann Sykes (born 7 August 1970) is an English television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted ''Going Out with A ...

as new host. A fourth series started on Channel 4 in January 2021 with Brymer Jones returning along with new host

Siobhán McSweeney Siobhán McSweeney (born 27 December 1979) is an Irish actress and presenter. She is best known for her role as Sister Michael in the teen sitcom ''Derry Girls''. Early life McSweeney was born in County Cork, Ireland where she grew up in Aherl ...

and Richard Miller stepping up to become a judge; Miller was replaced as kiln technician by Rose Schmits. In July 2020,

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Ne ...

secured the rights to distribute the show in the United States, where it premiered on 17 September 2020. In December 2021 it was announced a fifth series would begin airing in January 2022, with Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller returning as judges, and comedian

Ellie Taylor Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing on '' Show Me the Funny'' in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' (2011–2017), ''Fake Re ...

joining Siobhán McSweeney as a host. The show's first Christmas special aired on 26 December 2022 and starred Jenny Eclair,

James Fleet James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' and the dim- ...

Jamie Laing James Robin Grant Laing ( /ˈleɪŋ/ ; born 3 November 1988) is an English presenter, television personality and investor. He is the founder of the confectionery company Candy Kittens and best known for appearing on the reality television serie ...

and

Sunetra Sarker Sunetra Sarker (born 25 June 1973) is an English actress and presenter, known for her roles as Nisha Batra in '' Brookside'', Anji Mittel in ''No Angels'', Zoe Hanna in '' Casualty'' and Kaneez Paracha in ''Ackley Bridge''. In 2014, she took p ...

as contestants.

Series overview

Series 1 (2015)

Potters

Results summary

Colour key: : Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Potter walked from the series : Potter got through to the next round : Potter was one of the least favourite : Potter was one of the favourites : Potter was a series finalist : Potter was the series winner

Episodes

: Potter was eliminated : Potter walked from the series : Top Potter : Winner

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Series 2 (2017)

The second series began on 2 February 2017 on

. Some episodes had a guest judge, including

Emma Bridgewater Emma Bridgewater is a British ceramics manufacturing company founded in 1985 which is named after Emma Rice (''née'' Bridgewater). It is run by her and her husband Matthew Rice. Noted for their polka dot design among others, the company "Emma B ...

(episode 1) and

Johnny Vegas Michael Joseph Pennington (born 5 September 1970), better known as Johnny Vegas, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He is known for his thick Lancashire accent, husky voice, overweight appearance, angry comedic rants, and us ...

(episode 7).

Potters

Results summary

Because the judges were unable to agree, no-one was eliminated this week. As a result, two potters were eliminated the following week. Colour key: : Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Potter walked from the series : Potter got through to the next round : Potter was one of the least favourite : Potter was one of the favourites : Potter was a series finalist : Potter was the series winner

Episodes

: Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Winner

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Series 3 (2020)

After almost a three-year hiatus, the third series began on 8 January 2020 on

with new judge Sue Pryke and new host

Potters

Results summary

Episodes

: Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Winner

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Rainna injured herself during the Throw Down and was unable to complete the challenge.

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Series 4 (2021)

In 2021 the series returned to the main Channel 4 network, on Sunday evenings. Broadcasts started on January 10, with Keith Brymer returning as a judge, and with Rich Miller moving from running the kilns to become the second judge. Siobhan McSweeney joined the series as the main presenter. Rose Schmits took over running the kilns.

Potters

Results summary

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, filming ceased for 7 days to ensure the safety of the potters and crew. As a result, the judges decided not to eliminate anyone. Colour key: : Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Potter walked from the series : Potter got through to the next round : Potter was one of the least favourite : Potter was one of the favourites : Potter was a series finalist : Potter was the series winner

Episodes

: Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Winner

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Series 5 (2022)

Potters

Results Summary

Colour Key : Potter won Pot of the Week. : Potter was one of the judges' favourites of the week. : Potter was safe and was through to the next week. : Potter was one of the judges' least favourites of the week. : Potter was eliminated. : Potter was a finalist. : Potter won the series.

Episodes

: Potter was eliminated : Potter won Pot of the Week : Winner

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Series 6 (2023)

Potters

Results Summary

Ratings

Series 1

Series 2

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Great Pottery Throw Down, The 2015 British television series debuts 2010s British reality television series 2020s British reality television series Arts and crafts television series BBC television game shows BBC reality television shows British television series revived after cancellation Channel 4 reality television shows English-language television shows Pottery Television series by BBC Studios Television shows set in Staffordshire