04x03 - Fruit Bowls & a Blindfolded Throw Down

[bunniefuu]

Ah, hello.

This week,
we are being bold, bright,

colourful
and downright fruity,

as our last remaining
ten potters are working

in full Technicolor glory.

Ladies and gentlemen,
let the show begin.

Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw
Down.

My hat.

Last week...
- Oh.

...it was all about
bricks and buildings.

These are all my little
tiles.

Jodie's lighthouse earned her

- Potter of the Week.
- Absolutely brilliant.

But despite Alon having
structural problems...

...it was Irina that
failed
building regulations...

It's just a shame those
windows
were a little bit big.

...and was sent home.

- This week...
- Whoo!

...a fruity challenge...

My actual plums
will be slightly larger.

...to create a bowl full
of lifelike ceramic
fruits.

It's a nice pear,
innit, eh? Ha!

...and a Throw Down
classic...

- Bye, everybody.
- ...with a twist.

Come on, Susan.

I'm scared of the dark.

But who will be top banana...

I really like it. It's fantastic.

...and who will be
shown the door?

Whoo!

Henry!

Sorry.

It's sculpture week
in the pottery,

as our ten remaining potters
are back

armed with bowls
of fruit inspiration

and ready to face
one of the trickiest
and brightest challenges

fruit sculpture.

I'm making
bananas today.

I've handled a few bananas
in my time.

Last week was very close.
I'm lucky to be here.

I'm excited because
it's hand-building

and getting all the detail in
and making it
as realistic as possible.

I should be able to make
more fruit than I need

and then cherry-pick
the best ones.

"Cherry-pick."
Do you see what I did there?

Good morning, potters.

For your main make this week,
a fruity challenge.

Keith and Rich would like you
to make a beautiful fruit bowl

filled with five individual
lifelike fruits.

We want you to bring
the traditional fruit bowl
really up to date.

We want you to bring
something fresh and unique
to the judging table.

So we want
your fruit sculptures to be

the same size and shape
as your chosen fruit.

Okay, potters,
you have three
hours

to fashion
your fruit and bowl.

And your time starts now.

This week, I'm just going
to work as fast as I can.

That's gonna be
my time-management strategy.

To be honest,
this is just gonna be a case
of

crack on and get some tidy,
lifelike-looking fruit.

The grapes are really gonna
be tricky in terms of time.

Got my plums!

My actual plums
will be slightly larger.

So, Rich, we've asked them
to make fruit.
We've never done that before.

I can't believe
all of the fruit here
is actually ceramic.

I mean, that apple
is just incredible.

This is it.
The potters have to
select

how they're gonna build
the fruit firstly.

Are they gonna make pinch pots?
Are they gonna slab them?

And then they have to
think about how

they're gonna put in
that sort of texture

that will take the glaze and make it feel like

We know fruit
isn't always perfect.

I mean, take this pear.
It looks so lifelike.

They've managed to get the little
imperfections there, the little knots in the wood.

It's incredible.
And this is what we really,
really wanna see.

And then
once they've done the fruit,
they go into a bowl.

I'd like to see the potters really think about that bowl form

and move it away
from the
convention.

Think about how
that colour on that
bowl

is gonna really
set off the fruit.

The bowl
is definitely subjective

and open to interpretation
of their design

or what their story is
behind it.

The fruit
has to look like fruit.

Otherwise
they've missed the brief.

I wouldn't know that
that wasn't a real apple.

No, no.
Well, take a bite.

I think I'll pass.

It's an observational task
now.

Use your skills,
look at those little details,
and try your best, innit?

The judges have asked
for five fruits,

including
three different varieties,

and Suz has her fruity plan
all mapped out.

Three raspberries,
half an hour.

Three strawberries,
half an hour.

Fingers crossed,
if I make a couple of extra

just in case there's
some really not good ones,

some rotten fruit
that needs throwing out.

Also on Suz's to-do list

are wild cherries,
blackberries and an apple,

which she will present
in a foraging bowl
textured to look like wood.

I want the fruit to look
as realistic as possible.
That's what I'm aiming for.

And, uh, I want to feel
that I've completed it

and done it justice.

My fruits are very specific to what I grow in the garden.

I grow plums,
blackberries and
pears.

Adam's fruit bowl
will be spilling over
with 23 individual fruits,

including blackberries,
pears, tangerines and
lemons,

all inspired by the c*ck his partner, Daniel, makes

So we're, like,
the perfect
team.

He'll make the c*ck
and sit down in the sun,

and I'll putter away,
either doing pottery

or pottering in the
garden,
growing things.

- Morning, judges.
- Morning, Peter.

- How are you?
- Excellent.

- Would you like to look
at my designs?
- We'd love to.

- Okay.
- Ah!

When I was younger, my father worked in the space industry,

- and he used to
drag us--
- What, what, what?

My dad was an engineer.
We followed him around

- Australia, New Zealand...
- You travelled.

...India and Sri
Lanka
and everywhere.

And, of course, as
children,
my mother would go off

to the local supermarket
and bring back the fruit.

So our fruit bowl was a bag of fruit.

I'm thinking, "Oh, this beautiful
fruit bowl is gonna be a paper bag."

Peter's
paper-bag fruit bowl
will be filled

with oranges, pears,
nectarines, lemons and
apples.

Seems to be a bit of a
spring
in your step this morning.

- I woke up this morning
and thought, "Bring it on."
- Excellent.

I've got something in me.

- Course you have.
- Absolutely.

That's why you're
here.
- That's true.

You deserve to be here.

I think you all should
start believing that.

Well, you do, don't you?
You think, "Hmm, really?"

Yeah, really, Peter.
Really. Yeah.

You're getting me
going already.
- No, don't.

You know,
it's only the morning.

The potters must build
all their fruits hollow.

Otherwise they won't dry
and could explode
in the kiln.

Most of them are using
the pinch pot technique.

Draw the clay up,
'cause I want it to be
lemon-shaped.

Pinch and turn, pinch and
turn,
pinch and turn all the way.

You make two half cups.
It's essential
that you score it well.

Um, put a really
good,
strong key in it.

If the joins aren't
slipped
and scored properly,

their fruits could crack
apart
during firing.

And just very, very carefully,

um, sealing along the joint,
just pushing the clay
together.

But not everyone
is feeling the pinch.

This is my guava.
I'm making them,
chopping them in half

and scooping out the insides
and sticking them
back together.

But what I've just realised
is I probably should note
where I cut them in half

'cause now I can't remember
where to stick it
back together.

If she manages to
assemble
her fruits correctly,

Hannah will display them
in a hand-built bowl

decorated with
tropical leaf imprints

which will then complement
her exotic medley

of guavas, pomegranates,
a papaya
and a couple of kumquats.

They're just fruits
of my childhood.

I grew up in Nepal
and Kathmandu,

and they're fruits
you get all the time.

Hannah's not the only one

travelling far afield
to realise her vision.

Last week, Jodie sought
inspiration from Morocco.

- Morning, Jodie.
- Morning.

But this time,
she's heading even further.

When you said fruit bowl,
um, instantly I thought of

the Polynesian culture
with their big, carved
wooden bowls.

And have you been
to Polynesia?

- No.
- Oh, right, yeah.

The way your mind goes,
of course,

when you say "fruit bowl",

- you naturally go to
Polynesia.
- Of course you do.

To display in her
Polynesian-style bowl,

Jodie is making
her staple five a day:

an apple, an orange
and a pear
and some blackberries.

It's a mini extruder.

It's just so my berries
are the same shape.

So I cut them
at the same length,

and then all my little berries
are the same size, hopefully.

Producing fruit
in all its natural glory

will require working with
the greatest attention
to detail.

They said they want fruit
that looks good enough to eat.

As the four
potters attempting

this hedgerow favourite
are finding out.

Each little ball
gets slipped and scored

onto the inside
of the blackberry.

Just going over everything really slowly, making sure

They're not
the perfect ones that you get
from the supermarket.

I'm trying to make them
so that all the ba*ls
are different sizes.

But as the pottery
starts to come alive

with a medley
of fruity shapes...

It's a nice pear,
innit, eh?
Ha!

...Henry has yet to make
a start on his fruits

and is instead concentrating
on his bowl.

I wanted to give myself
enough time to make spares

because I'm doing a lot of carving and stuff later,

so the chances for things
to go wrong is quite high.

I'm definitely not putting off the hand-building, definitely not.

As if I would do
a thing like that.
That's ridiculous.

Lee, meanwhile,
is hand-building

a whole bunch of grapes
one at a time.

The grapes are hollow. I'm just rubbing my spoon up them

to give them, um,
the hollow
interior.

But sometimes
you're too vigorous,
you go through the top of 'em.

Lee's bowl is inspired

by his favourite red wine,
Merlot.

His bananas, pear and lime
will nestle
on a rustic Merlot leaf

alongside his bountiful
bunch
of 25 individual grapes.

Oh, God.
Wish I hadn't chosen
grapes.

- Wow, what's that?
- A dragon fruit.

- Wow.
- So this fruit bowl
that you're making,

is there any kind of
design inspiration behind it?

It's a song,
"I Can Sing a Rainbow".

- Do you remember it?
- Yes, yes.

And I did a red and a yellow
and a pink and a green,

and as soon as
that got in my head,

then you've got a violet
and an orange and a blue.

And it's the song.
So this is a rainbow.

As well as
her dragon fruit,

Sal's rainbow fruit
includes
lemons, apples, pears

and an unusual tigger melon.

Her bowl is an homage
to her sister.

When we used to
go shopping, my sister and I,

if we saw something
we didn't recognise,
we'd buy one just to try it.

Oh, the dragon fruit, uh-uh.
I don't like the way
they taste.

They taste like
dirty dishwater.

But they look fabulous,
don't they?

To pull off a minimum

of five different types
of realistic fruits...

Putting a bum in my
pear.

...the potters
must work meticulously.

I'm gonna put
each individual
seed

hopefully
inside the
strawberry,

which is gonna be
a lot of work.

It is quite a nice exercise,
actually, using the eye,

just really observing, um,

the shapes and the curvature
of the fruit.

It's a bit phallic, isn't it?

Shenyue is taking
a maverick approach

based on her new
green-fingered hobby.

This year,
because we've had lockdown,

- I decided to start doing
some gardening.
- Oh, right.

So I've decided to do
all green fruits

that you'd normally think
are vegetables,

- but they're
technically fruits.
- Right.

So I'm doing, um, peas,
I'm doing a spaghetti squash,

some green tomatoes
and some small, um,
green courgettes.

Shenyue's green fruits
will sit in a thrown bowl

featuring a sgraffito
design
of the ripening sun.

She'll glaze it bright orange to help her verdant fruit

stand out
in her centrepiece bowl.

I was even thinking of putting
a little bit, like,

a tinge of copper carbonate
as the accent

- just to give it
a slight sheen.
- Okay.

What do you think?

- Is it okay?
- We couldn't possibly say.

We'd like to
look into that bowl

- and think we're actually
gonna pick it up and eat it.
- Oh, right.

Well, you wouldn't pick up
a squash and eat it anyway,
so...

Yes.

Potters,
you have one hour to go.

And I now declare
the drying room open.

To complete
the challenge
successfully,

the potters must juggle
making their fruit
and their bowls,

which they had a choice
to either throw or
hand-build.

Feels good to get
on the wheel, to be honest.

This is just
what I'm used to.

- I'm stressed.
- Ah.

I'm stressed.
I've messed up three bowls.
- Okay.

And so that's put me
really far behind,
so I'm a little bit--

Doesn't look messed up.
Looks marvellous.

That one's not too
bad.

What fruit are you making?

So I'm making bananas,
oranges and peaches.

And is there an idea behind
why you're doing that?

It's so that I can arrange
them
in a very specific manner.

I think the banana
I'd put possibly, like,
here.

I don't get it.
What's it meant to be?

A man with a long nose.

It's, uh, based on me
and my brother, 'cause
we--

Is it?

Wow.

Henry's cheeky
choice of fruit

will sit upon
a yin-and-yang design bowl

which he will throw
and carve into the shape
of him and his brother

as a mischievous reminder of
their time playing with
fruit.

Whenever Mum
used to go shopping,
she'd bring it all home,

and then we'd arrange it
in really silly ways
to really annoy her.

And we'd do it
every single time.

Even to this
day,
I still do it.

I can't help
myself.
It's too funny.

I love that you're now
immortalising it in ceramic.

Yeah, exactly.
I want it to last forever.

So it can never go away.

Doing something
very modern, very different.

The idea is
to make these strips
and fire them separately

and then having
a small little bowl
in the centre.

A few berries inside.

The lines will
sort of draw your eye

to the centre of the
bowl
and really focus--

like, shine all the
focus
onto the fruit.

Alon is hoping
his modernist interpretation

will be
the striking centrepiece
the judges are after.

He's making a tiny fruit bowl filled with tiny detailed fruits

which will balance
on top of a fan

of interlocking
ceramic strips.

You're gonna be
very reliant on it

retaining its shape
to sort of slot together.

- Um, not--
- Are you, or is it sort
of...

- Just to sort of understand--
- Yeah.

The only thing that needs
to match together would be

a bump in the centre of each
and the divot on the bottom.

- So they'll literally sit
one on top of the other.
- Right.

And be able
to maybe even twist.
- Okay.

If it twists,
that'd be pretty cool.
- Okay, yeah.

I was just struggling
to understand

the engineering behind
how all these pieces

- would come together
post-firing.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because I spent a long time
messing up bowls on the
wheel,

that has put me behind
quite a bit,
unfortunately.

Duh.
- Worried about
the time now.

- Taking ages to finish these.
- Time is never a friend

in a challenge like this,
is it?

Half an hour to go, potters. That's half an hour to go.

So much to do.

Everything, uh, going well?
We're on track?

I am. I'm on track.

- Well, don't stop working.
So proud of you.
- Thank you.

The potters must focus
on finishing their bowls

if they are to bring their creative inspirations to life.

It wants to look
like a paper bag.

So I split the rim,
and then,

as the wheel's rotating,
I just push them together.

On some paper bags,
they have a perforated strip

where they tear
the individual bags.

It'd be nice if they see
things
they don't expect

and go, "Look what
he's done there."

- That's my bowl.
- No way. You rebel.

I've got my fruit
made
or roughed out,

and I'm gonna
panic-throw
a last bowl

because I'm not 100% happy
with the one that I had.

Last five minutes, people.
Last five minutes.

Remember, everything has to be
put into the drying room.

The last couple of weeks,
I haven't managed to finish off what I wanted to do.

So this is
a really fine feeling,

uh, being at this stage
and knowing that I'm there.

Stay calm.
Everything's gonna be
okay.

One minute, potters.

Ooh.

Alon's on his way
with his propeller wings.

Be more like Alon.

Suz is ready!

Suz is ready! Yay!

Ah!

Last ten seconds. Ten...

I can't run.
Me strawberries'll fall off.

Nine.

Sweet jeez.

- Okay. He dropped his pear.
- I made spares.

I have it, I
have it,
I have it.

- I think it's dead.
- Three, two, one.

Congratulations.

Well done, well done.

Okay, potters,
time to take a break

while your pieces will be
in the drying room to dry.

And we will see you later on
for the second challenge.
Potters dismissed.

I had a really bad throw day,
and that put me behind a bit,

but I got all of the pieces
I needed made,
so I've got something.

I am so over fruit.

In general, fruit's all right,
isn't it,

but on this scale,

I think anyone
would've had enough by now.

For the second challenge
of fruit week,

the judges have pulled out
a returning favourite.

But as always,
for this next task,

the potters have been
left in the dark.

Potters, I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited about this one.

Your second challenge
this week

is a throw down
using one of
these.

Okay, Keith, would you like to take
to the wheel as I shall blindfold you?

- Oh.
- Oh, no.

What I want you to do
is make a wine carafe.

Now, before you start,
really plan out
where your tools are,

because when this goes down,
that's it.

Your hands are your eyes.

It is amazing,
when you put the blindfold
on,

how much more sensitive
your fingers
and your hands become.

It's not so much
a technical
challenge.

It's more
of a sensual
challenge.

And you're just
pushing out that
base

and then
collaring in that
neck.

Gonna find my wooden tool.

Just taking that excess
clay
off the bottom.

Wire it through,
and then create that
lip.

Again, you're just feeling
with the thumb
and your forefinger.

Gently turn it over.

Now, when you've done
this part,

lift up-- Ooh!

Lift up the pot
and take it off the wheel.

But that's not the
end
of the challenge.

Oh, no.

What we're now
going to ask you to do
is make

four identical
beakers
to go with it.

Again, on with the mask.

Nice and
controlled,
and this is where

your knowledge of pressure
and touch and feel
really comes to the fore,

because, you know,
they're quite
small.

And it's not so much throwing.

It's just a matter
of squeezing the clay
in the right place.

And do they
have to be a certain shape?

You want a nice taper
on it if you can.

Just try
and take that water
out.

That's completely off-centre,

but, you know, it's all about feeling when that clay is centred.

Look at the concentration
on your faces.

And there you go.

This one's a bit pants.

But these
are all consistent,

and that's what I'm really looking for in those beakers.

Okay, potters.
Take yourself
and your fingertips

back to your
benches,
please.

Remove the hessian and put on your blindfolds, please.

Bye, everybody.

We have very generously
given you 30 minutes

to make your carafe
and four beakers.

And your time starts now.

What a lovely sound it is,
just that slap onto the wheel.

Just get used
to the
sensation.

Oh, hopefully I can just
get this, get it up.

Just really try
and visualise that shape
in your head.

I'm scared of the dark,
so this is great.

Just think of that shape.

That nice, bulbous shape
going into
a slightly thinner neck.

Oh...

Peter's got
some good height.

Oh, come on, Susan.

Ah, this is
so freaking tricky.

Alon's going up.

Just had to push
all the clay together again

to try-- to try again.

I've done the carafe.

Peter's really gone
for it, hasn't he?
- He has.

Little bit concerned that
I've rushed it a little
bit.

I've never made
a wine carafe before,

let alone blindfolded.

I don't really know
what I'm doing, to be
honest.

I'm gonna go two
hands.
I'm gonna go rogue.

There you go.

Ooh. That didn't feel good.

Oh! That's not bad.

Oh, no, I've dropped my wire.
Do I have to get that myself?

I'm afraid so.

There we go.

- Okay. Now I've gotta
get back to my stool.
- Uh-huh.

Please tell me that's centre.
Nope.

Am I the right way round?

You're...

I mean,
you're at the wrong desk,
but, you know...

Okay. We're halfway through.

Fifteen minutes left.

No pressure, but Peter
is on his last beaker.

Well done, Peter.

Alon, you have a carafe

and one beaker nearly made.

- Keep focused.
- Oh.

Come on, Suz, get that carafe off. Well done, well

My word!
So Peter has finished.

- Wow.
- Well done, Peter.

- Whoo!
- Well done.

Yeah, keep the blindfold
on,
though.

I thought so, yeah.

Last ten minutes, people.

Come on, then.
Hurry up.
- Ah.

That's three left, Suz.
Come on.

Focus, kids, focus.

How you doing, Henry?

Uh, I don't know.

I have no idea.

I'm done.
So Sally has just finished.

- Well done, Sal.
- Whoo!

Well done, Adam.

- Don't fiddle.
- Uh-oh.

I need to do two more
cups.
Ooh!

I'm losing so much clay
by my centring.

- Jodie.
- Last one.

Where's that sponge?

- Alon.
- One more cup left.

- Last two minutes.
- Oh, my rim.

Tell me
some good news, Suz.

One to go.

Shenyue's last one.

Come on.
Excellent. Well done.

Come on!

Come on, Suz.

Come on, Henry.

I've lost my wedge.

Ten seconds, Suz.

Nine.

Eight.

Hannah's done.
Well done, Hannah.

- Five. Four.
- Oh...

Three, two, one!

Please take off
your blindfolds.

Oh, it's so bright.

Oh, blimey. Not so good.

- Oh!
- That was horrendous.

Mine are full of water.

Ten carafes
and 40 beakers,

all thrown blindfolded.

But whose carafe
will be top of the pots?

Your carafe here
is quite tall.

The lip could've been
a bit more generous.

- It could've been
a bit wider.
- For sure.

As a set of beakers,
they're not bad, are they?

Good, consistent form,
reasonably
straight-sided.

It's a pretty good set.

Yeah, really
great.
- Thanks very much.

You could've had a bit more
of a fluent, bulbous
sort of shape to the carafe,

and you could've
made it slightly higher.

I would say these two
are a pretty good match.

That's got the same form
but a slightly thinner rim.
That's the odd one out.

Yeah.
Probably could've spent
a bit more time

- over what you were doing.
- Yeah. Yeah.

The carafe looks
really sturdy, doesn't it?

It's quite stable.
- And it's quite
a fluid shape.

It would've been nice
to see a thinner neck.

It's not ideal
to have water left
in the bottoms of your pots,

because as they dry,
it's likely
that the base would crack.

You've got that difference

between the belly of it
and then the neck.

That's quite nice.
You could've brought this out
a bit more.

And I really like
that upright form.

I think it's really lovely.
It shows an element of
control.

You've got great height,
so you've really made the most
out of that ball of clay.

Perhaps the beakers
are a little bit big
for the size of the carafe.

Seems bigger
in the dark, right?

Ah, yes.

That's what I tell
everyone, anyway.

So, the carafe.
- It's fairly big, isn't
it?

- There's a lot of volume.
- Then we've got the
beakers.

We can see that one's
distorted
as you took it off the wheel.

- There you go.
That's all right now.
- Yeah.

So let's look at the carafe.
Okay, it's a bit
on the thick side.

There's not too much shape
to it,

and the height could've
been
slightly bigger as well.

And the beakers.
We've got four different
sizes.

It's blindingly obvious
that I rely on my sight.

I can see what
you've done there as
well.

Oh, I didn't realise
I did that.

You've left a lot of clay
on the side of the walls
there.

The beakers, you can see
they're slightly different
shapes and sizes,

but the form
is reasonably consistent
across the four beakers.

We've got four different
forms
with the beakers

and perhaps slightly different
wall thicknesses and different rim

You do have
a little hole in this one.

That's your one, Siobhán.

A nice height on the carafe.

On the beakers,
the rim size is the same

and the wall thickness
is the same.
They're the same height.

Shenyue, you've thrown
a really great set of beakers
and a lovely carafe.

- Well done.
- Aw, thank you.

The judges must now rank
the carafes and beakers

from worst to best.

So, in tenth place,

could've seen a little bit
more consistency,

although you really,
really did try hard on this challenge, is Suz.

Well done, Suz.

In ninth place,
bit of a small set, Jodie.

In eighth place, could've seen
a little bit more use of time,

is Peter.

I wonder why.

In seventh place is Lee.
Hannah is sixth,

Adam fifth, Alon fourth,

and in third place, Sal.

So, in second place,

a really lovely,
shapely carafe, is...

Henry.

Well done, Henry.

Well done, Shenyue.
Your very first win.

I'm really proud.
Didn't think
I was going to win.

Um, so I'm really chuffed.

Second is good for me.
I'm happy with that,
really happy with that.

I didn't want to come last,
but I am last, and
justifiably.

Decoration next,
so I'll have to pull

another rabbit out of the hat
with that, so fingers crossed.

The potters'
sculptured fruits and bowls

have been drying
for a few hours

to make the clay
leather-hard
and ready to refine.

Please be dry,
but not too dry. Just
the perfect amount of dry.

In this challenge,
their pieces
haven't been fired

prior to
the decoration stage.

Instead, the potters
will have to apply

their glazes
straight onto the clay--

a tricky process
called raw glaze.

So, potters, your fruits
are now ready to refine
and to add colour.

Now, this is the thing:
raw glaze.

I think it sounds painful. Rich, what does it actually mean?

You're decorating directly
on to leather-hard clay.

That means you've got to be
additionally cautious,

'cause with raw glazing,
there's really
no second chances.

Once that glaze is on,
you can't wipe it off.

Okay, potters,
you have three hours,

and your time starts now.

Aha, the fruits!

- Look at 'em all go.
- Straight in.

I'm so disappointed.
I was like,
"Oh, that's not mine."

Yes, it is. Rubbish.

I've got a plan
which involves

a whole lot of
getting my wriggle on.

I've never, ever done
raw glazing before.

It's a new experience.

You know, they're wet.

And we've got to apply
a colour.

Loads to do,

not least of which is
all these tiny little holes.

I don't even know
if my decoration plan for
these kumquats is gonna work.

Before the potters start
to raw glaze and add colour,

they must first
give their fruits
realistic texture...

I taped together
the end of paintbrushes,

so hopefully we can get
as lifelike as we possibly
can.

...using anything
and everything
to make authentic markings.

- Suz, I love you.
- Love you too.

She gave me a little twig.

And it has saved
my texturing life.

What's going on here, Adam?

So couscous and quinoa--

- Is it popping
or just coming off?
- Yeah, it is.

Well, it's expanding,
so it's coming out
of the holes.

- Sorry, are you all right?
- Do we need goggles?

I think we probably
do.

But look at the effect
it's added to it.

It smells lovely,
doesn't it?
They smell like popcorn.

- A little midday snack.
- It does smell like pop--

Burnt popcorn,
with a touch of something
else.

Burnt spaghetti.

- Burnt spaghetti. Mmm.
- Yeah. Mmm.

In a bid
to impress the judges,

Suz is not only adding
texture and realism
to her foraged fruit,

she's doing the same
to her rustic bowl.

So I want it
to look almost like
it's a piece of found wood,

and it's been loved
and cared for.

And it's split,
and there's a cord
through one bit

where it's been pulled tight.

Wanting to get on
as quickly as I can with
this

and make sure
I get everything finished

in time for the judges
at the end.

As Suz tackles
her to-do list,

Jodie is starting
to add the detail

to her Polynesian kava bowl.

I'll put a nice oxide on here to try and get,
um, the texture coming through.

Too much colour, and it'll detract from the colour of the fruit.

And yeah, I just wanna
show off the texture.

As Jodie carves
into her bowl,

Henry is cutting his bowl

into silhouettes
of him and his brother.

Quite like how it looks.

You've got us shouldered up,
which is quite nice.

And then this sort of
funny one of us.

He's getting me in a headlock,
and he's giving me a noogie.

Potters,

it's going "berry" well.

You are halfway--

Oh, good Lord. Have you
been there the whole time?
Halfway through.

With their pieces refined,

it's time to start decorating
and bringing their fruits
to life.

Oh, I need
a big load of yellow.

Raw clay absorbs liquid,
so predicting what colour

the glazes will turn out
once fired

is a bit of a guessing game.

If that clay is too wet now
when I apply those colours,

they're gonna go wishy-washy,
and I want detail to come out.

I've never done this before.
We have no idea what it's gonna come out like.

Looks like a mad
lipstick pink, but, uh,

yeah, I'm hoping
it'll look really dark
when it's been glazed.

I wanna really dark
sort of almost blackish
cherry.

So what colour
does that go?

Um...

- Who knows?
- Who knows?

It'll be a surprise.

And to add
further complication,

real fruits are rarely
one true colour.

The pear
that you'd think is
green

is actually mostly this sort
of
mottled kind of brown colour.

I don't want it to look
the same all over, basically,

so if I sponge a bit off
in some places,

then it'll just
vary the colours.

Is there any green left after Shenyue doing her "fruit"?

Oh, I don't know.

Because they're all green,
it's gonna be quite
challenging

to make them not look boring.

Potters,
you have one hour left.

One hour left.
How are you doing?

Yeah, I have glaze
on every object
now.

Now I'm starting
to decorate this bowl.

I do have quite a plethora
of things on my list

in the last hour--
oh!-- to do.

Having spent
most of the stage
on her bowl,

Suz has still a lot of
work
to do on her fruit.

So I'm aiming for three
layers
of underglaze on the fruit.

Some of them have only had one.

I think I've got enough time
if I push myself a bit.

Striking the right balance
between time spent
on their fruit and bowl

is essential to pulling
off
a stunning centrepiece.

Ooh!

Ooh, I like that.

I'll put some
purple
spots on in a minute,

- and then we're good to go.
- Nice.

So the bubbles are gonna be

climbing up the outside
of the bowl,

and they're gonna symbolise
the bubbles inside a
c*ck.

I'm carving lots of suns,

and that will symbolise
the sun ripening the fruits.

I really like doing
different kinds of printing

and using other things
to make surface design
on ceramic,

so I thought
it was a good chance
to use this paper method.

I think everybody else thinks I'm bonkers.
"You're doing what?"

I say, "Doing a paper bag."

I'm worried about them
'cause they're sort of

bowing this way.

- Oh, okay.
- And I don't know why.

Think they'll stack up
together nicely if it
works.

Good, good.

Fingers crossed.

I'm really happy with
how that bowl has come out.

The only thing is
it's a bit small,

and I can't fit
all of my fruit on it.

Henry!

Sorry.

Five minutes left.

You've got
five minutes left

to have everything
into the drying room.

Make sure they've
all got decent holes in.

If the potters
don't add a hole

to each and every piece,

allowing the air to escape
during firing,

they risk
a fruity expl*si*n.

Big holes
in all your fruit.

Uh, I just need to check

that I don't think
I have one in this papaya.

- Has anyone got
their pin tool?
- Final ten seconds.

If you need help,
let me know.
- Jam holes in stuff.

- Any one?
- Yeah.

Ten, nine--
Oh, Polynesia's gone in.

Henry, come on.

Six.
Mind your bananas.

Five, four,

three, two, one.

Well done.

Oh, my days.
That was intense.

Well done!

You know,
in the previous week,

I think my main issue
has been my decoration,

but I managed to pull that
off,
so, yeah, I'm really happy.

I put my holes in my fruit,
so I know that
they're not gonna explode.

Did I? Yeah, I did.
Did I? I did.

Oh, no.
I don't know if I did.

Maybe my plums
don't have holes in.

The potters are back
and are about to find out

if their pieces
of fruit and bowls
have survived the firing.

I have no clue
what's in that kiln.

Could be fragments
of strawberry
on everyone's pieces.

Oh, my God!

- Ooh!
- Oh, yes!

- Yeah, nothing exploded.
- Amazing.

Is that all
gonna fit in there?

- Uh...
- You're popping 'em
in your pockets.

It's like you're stealing
fruit
from a fruit stall.

Ooh, ooh, ooh.

That moment when you see
your fruit and the bowl,

if it's all
as you expect it to be,
it's such a sense of relief.

I mean, utter, absolute,
pure joy.

Ten bowls

and 87 pieces of fruit
all ready for judging.

I absolutely love
it.
I think it's fantastic.

Yeah.
I mean, it feels like
a real centrepiece,

and the colour just sets
the fruit off beautifully.

This is absolutely
brilliant.
It looks so organic.

I'm gonna have a
look
at the pomegranate.

I think what it has got

is a lovely
subtlety
to the surface.

Yeah.
- The way
you've applied the glazes,

it's created
a really beautiful texture.

And then the bowl.
The way that you've applied
that design

is honestly-- it's
wonderful.
I mean...

- Shall I take it--
- It's a good weight.

- It's a really good weight.
It's really, really good.
- Wow. Yeah.

- You should be proud
of yourself for that.
- Thank you.

As a centrepiece,
I think your design
is really successful.

You really get that
sense
of this sort of bag

that's just spilling out with this bounty of fruit.

I take it this is an apple?
- That's an apple,
yeah.

There's quite a lot
of brush marks on there
that you can see.

The bag itself, I love the perforated edges that you get

when you get one of those paper bags from the greengrocer.

Absolutely brilliant.
Why did you glaze it?

A bag is usually matte,
isn't it?

It is, and I thought,
"Shall or shan't I?"

- Right.
- And then I panicked
and I glazed it.

- Okay. Okay.
- And now I'm wishing
I hadn't glazed it.

There's quite a lot
of fruit here.

Twenty-three bits of fruit.

Wow, Adam!
That's brilliant!

What you've done
with this lemon,
the surface of it...

It feels like a
lemon
straight off the tree.

And the colour's great.
It's not too glossy.

The smallest of your fruit. The blackberries.
- Yeah.

I just love
that blushing of red

because you often get that
when you take it off the
bush.

And it's that level
of detail that we were
really looking for.

- So, the bowl.
- Yeah.

You tried to do
that bubble effect,
didn't you?

Yes.

Your bowl
is slightly overshadowed

by the beauty
of your fruit.

Oh, thanks.

The colour of the bowl acts as a perfect backdrop for the fruit.

And look at this dragon fruit. In terms of the glaze application,

it feels a bit flat.

It doesn't have
that kind of organic feel

that a piece of fruit
would have.
- No.

But that bowl
and that design
that you've done for it

really, really works.

Thank you.

That colour,
the contrast between
the green and the orange

just works
incredibly well.

Courgettes. That stalk
is beautifully sculpted.

Well observed.
- Yeah,
it just really feels like

that's just
been snipped off

and it's ready to go
in the cooking pot.

I'm loving these. I think this is really, really good.

Those peas in that pod there.
The fact that the end is slightly distorted--

Because that's how they do grow.
And then we've got the bowl.

I love what you've
done
to the rim there.

And the decoration that you've chosen, that sgraffito

if you'd actually
made
a mistake with this,

it would've ruined
the whole effect.

It's got
so many techniques
in one piece.

- Really fantastic.
- Thank you.

As an overall concept,

it works really, really well.

The grapes--
the proportions are
fantastic.

It would be too easy
for it to feel like
a really static bunch,

but actually it feels like
it's hanging properly,
like a bunch,

- and you could just
pluck one off and eat it.
- Absolutely.

And then we come
to the fruit bowl
itself.

I love this idea. It's a shame that this happened here.

It's that thing of realising
that clay's constantly moving
until you fire it.

As an overall look,
the fruit bowl is
brilliant.

To do that kind
of geometric pattern is
really, really hard to do

because you have to
get
the spacing right.

Cor, that's a big orange.
But the texture is great.

Some of the apple is a bit
on the old shiny side.

It's almost like an apple
that Snow White would pick up
in the Enchanted Forest.

It's just a bit too stylised.

Alon, would you like to bring
your fruit and bowl up?

Do you need help
bringing it up?

Um, I think... maybe.

Yeah?
- We'll do it in pieces,
sections.

Oh. Please be careful.

A bowl in pieces.

Let's just look at the fruit first, shall we?
- Yeah.

That is sublime.
The finish is that...

- Shiny, black.
- ...rich, dark sort of finish

that you get
with a really nice,
ripe, juicy blackberry.

It's so well observed.
It looks like a
blackberry.

The attention
to detail is amazing.
It's really, really nice.

So, the bowl.

For me, it doesn't
really work as a
bowl.

I mean,
the
construction...

...is rather unsafe.

What we asked of you
is that the bowl be
in proportion to the fruit,

and I quite like the fact that you've kind of flipped that on its

But there comes a point where you have to
make sure that the construction is sound.

So your cherries...
- Oh, they were a
disaster.

Well, I'm glad
you said it and not me.

Yeah, I don't think I'd be eating one of these cherries.

Yeah,
it's unfortunate, that.
- So, the apple.

I mean, there are
a few issues
with the colour.

You can kind of see
a lot of the brush marks,

so the application
of the glaze hasn't worked.

I just wanted
to get the fruit off,
because the bowl

is absolutely beautiful.

I mean, the texture
that you've put in there
is just fantastic.

It does look like
a piece of wood.

If your fruit
had looked like your
bowl...

...you'd be
on a winner there.

- This is it, definitely.
- There you go.

I love the fact that you've brought something personal

Maybe a bit too personal.

Nicely constructed.
It's a good size.

You know,
exactly what a banana
would look like.

It's perhaps a little shiny.
Maybe the transparent glaze,

you got a bit too much
on there.

The bowl.
You know what?

I really like this
bowl.
I really

It's fantastic. It says
everything about you
and your brother.

The noogie
on the head there,
and, you know,

you're both
arm-in-arm here.

It's absolutely
wonderful.

I, uh, got a couple
of tears out of Keith,
which was a massive compliment.

And it almost set me off. I could feel it coming.

But it didn't tip me over the edge. Not this time.

I took a risk and clear-glazed the bag,
which I shouldn't have done.

But I did do it.
So, you know,

I've gotta sort of suck it up
and get over it,

and hopefully
I'm still here tomorrow.

I would probably put myself
quite low in the rankings,

so whether I've done enough
at the end of the day

to merit staying or not,
we'll have to wait and see.

So, in fruit terms,
here is the sweet news.

The Potter of the Week
this week is...

Shenyue.

Congratulations, Shenyue.

And now
for the bitter news.

The potter
leaving us this week
is...

Suz.

- I'm so sorry, Suz.
- No, it's all right.

Come on,
give us a hug.

Sad to be going.
Sad to be leaving
all the other potters,

'cause we've really bonded as a group,
and they're such a great bunch.

You're now my clay family,
whether you like it or not.

We're so sad to lose Suz
this week.

Her bowl was exquisite,

but it just felt like
the fruit was so left behind.

It just really
wasn't up to scratch.

Having to stretch myself
to do these challenges,

you know, I've realised that I can--
I can do more than I thought I could.

As Suz leaves the pottery,

Shenyue's winning
fruit centrepiece

takes its place
in our Throw Down gallery.

I just got Potter of the Week,
which is really cool.

I did put in quite a bit
of work this week,

and there was no time
for faffing about,

so I think that has paid
off
a little bit, yeah.

So I am surprised,
but really happy.

- Next time...
- Good luck, little dude.

- ...the heat intensifies...
- Sounds like a jet engine.

...as the potters tackle
naked raku.

- Do you think
they'll survive this?
- I blinking hope so.

Okay, be careful, please.

And there is a twist
to the elimination.

Just snip it all
off.
- Oh, my God.