It’s terracotta week for the ‘Throw Down’

Sunday: The Great Pottery Throw Down; (Channel 4, 8pm)
Siobhan, Rich, Keith and SallySiobhan, Rich, Keith and Sally
Siobhan, Rich, Keith and Sally

Change is better than a rest, or so they say. When it comes to The Great Pottery Throw Down, it’s encountered both and is still going strong.

In 2015 it became the second show to ‘steal’ the format of The Great British Bake Off and make it its own. The first was, of course, The Great British Sewing Bee, which tapped into a growing love of crafts that seemed to be sweeping the nation at the time.

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Some were sceptical that pottery would work in the same context – after all, anybody could go down to their local store (remember, these were pre-Covid days) and buy a needle, thread and fabric and have a go themselves. But pottery is a rather trickier hobby to undertake – not everyone has the time, money or inclination to set up a wheel and a kiln in their shed.

Nevertheless, the first run, hosted by Sara Cox, was a success and did indeed inspire some viewers to give the craft a go via local classes. The second series in early 2017 was also a moderate hit but, when Bake Off moved to Channel 4, the Throw Down disappeared for three years and many thought it would never return.

However, More4 decided to pick it up, installing Melanie Sykes as presenter and replacing one of the judges, Kate Malone, with Sue Pryke. The fourth run began a few weeks ago, and it was a case of almost all change again, with Derry Girls star Siobhan McSweeney taking over as host and Richard Miller, aka ‘kiln man Rich’, who’d previously been the show’s technician, stepping up to take over as a judge from Pryke.

During all this upheaval, one man has remained constant – Keith Brymer Jones. The ceramicist has been in place from the very beginning and, to be frank, it would be half the show without him. Every series needs a character, and Brymer Jones fills that brief nicely. Not only is he kind to the contestants and witty too, he’s an emotional chap – something you probably wouldn’t imagine to be true at first glance.

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But first impressions can be wrong or at least deceiving; as regular viewers will tell you, he cries whenever somebody produces a piece of work he admires – and that can happen several times an episode. We can’t imagine Paul Hollywood doing that at the sight of a particularly scrumptious cupcake or traybake.

This week expect tears aplenty as the remaining amateur potters tackle terracotta week. Brymer Jones, who’s renowned for his homeware range, will be intrigued to see what they come up with when asked to devise their own cookware.

There’s also a task close to Miller’s heart. He runs a bespoke tile company when he isn’t appearing on TV, so watching the group engraving tiles will be like a busman’s holiday.

Then, of course, it’s time to send somebody home. As the gang, including the judges, presenter, potters and crew, have been living together in a bubble during filming, they’ve formed a close bond, so when one leaves, it really is something to cry about.

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