07x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Come on, Rich, it's a really easy
game. Just say what you see.

Gluggle jug man?
SHE SIGHS

No. But you are right, it is
a man with gluggle jugs,

because that's what our 11 remaining
potters are making this week.

Gluggle jugs, so-called because of
the distinctive glugging noise

they make when poured.

Last chance,
I know you can do this.

OK. Just say what you see.

Gluggle jugs going on holiday.

SHE SIGHS

You're going to kick yourself
when you find out,

it's been so obvious.

It's a goggle-wearing lug,

lugging gluggle jugs,
lugging juggler's luggage.

Welcome to the Great Pottery
Throw Down.

That's easy for you to say!

Have we finished yet?

Last time, the bottle kilns of
Gladstone towered over

a fresh group of potters...

Come on! Woohoo.

...as they threw themselves
into their first challenge -

a six-piece Sunday dinner set.

Will you please invite me
to your next lunch?

As long as you dress in red Lycra.

Not a problem.

And while Donna's
exquisite decoration...

I really need to pick up
my pace now.

...secured her Potter of The Week.

It's the best illustrated work
I've ever seen in the pottery.

...Shani struggled.
Oh, no.

But in the end, it was Andrew...

I haven't been able to paint
as many dogs as I was planning.

...who became the first potter
to leave the competition.

Oh, dude!

This week...

I'm coming, I'm coming.

...the potters take a deep dive into
the fishy world of gluggle jugs...

Gl-gl-gl-gl-gl-gL.

That was a good one.
That was a good one!

...and face a blindfold
throw down challenge.

Oh, I can't even centre
the bloody thing.

Who will reel in
Potter of The Week...

I love a muscly fish face.
..and who...

Oh!
..will flounder?

And I've got absolutely enormous
jugs compared to everybody else.

Well, let's stay on the...
..the challenge, please.

It's week two and our potters
are back.

Last, week I got
Potter of The Week,

which felt absolutely amazing.

But don't want to be complacent.

So I'm wiping the slate clean today
and starting this challenge fresh.

Another week. It's exciting,
feels a bit calmer

having been through it all before.
Just don't want to go home.

I'm really excited about this one.

This isn't just about hand building.

This is structural engineering

out of materials that don't
support themselves.

Week two, gluggle jugs, let's go!

Welcome back, potters.

For your main make challenge,
the judges would like you

to coil build a pair
of fish gluggle jugs.

You can choose whatever fish you
like and the jugs should be

a gift for your VIP - that can be
a very important person,

or very important people.

For example, my very important
people would, of course,

be these two and I suppose
the fish I would choose

would be a clown fish.

Charming.

Any advice for our potters, Keith?

Yeah, your gluggle jugs want to be
a good likeness of your chosen fish

and also they want to tell us
about your VIP.

But think carefully about how you
construct that into your form,

decoration and detail
of your gluggle jug.

And remember the all-important
air lock in the handle

that creates that signature gluggle
sound when the jug is poured.

We will be testing them
during judging.

Right potters, you have
six and a half hours to make

and refine your fish gluggle jugs
and your time starts now.

Here we go.

Here we go.

The potters have been tasked with
constructing their gluggle jugs

using the traditional hand building
method of coiling.

A lot of rolling coils.

I've put aside half an hour
for just rolling big, long snakes.

When I started out,
I hand coiled everything.

So I feel comfortable doing this.

I don't want to say confident just
in case it all goes wrong.

I'm not a frequent cotter.

A bit nervous about it.

This is all about engineering,

you've got lots of joins and where
you do joins,

there's often a weak point and
cracks can open up.

But we're not talking about that,
we're keeping it positive

about the whole business.

What a brilliant challenge -
gluggle jugs.

Yeah. I mean it is a design classic,
isn't it?

What we've asked our potters
to do is to make

one large one and one smaller one
and they need to incorporate

their VIP, their very important
person.

And this is a hand building
challenge

and very specifically, coiling.

The gluggle jug is quite
a difficult form to build.

Yeah. Because all of these fish have
to have a kind of fluidity

and a life to them.

I mean, something like this -
it's beautiful.

It's got a lovely,
lovely wide open mouth.

And, of course, what we're really
after is that iconic gluggle sound.

And we get that glug
from the air lock.

Yeah, this tail not only is it
an effective handle,

it traps the air in the back so as
the water's trying to come out,

it just glugs. Well,
let's give it a go. Hang on.

WATER GLUGS

It's great. Yeah, I mean this
challenge is all about

a jolly good glug.

Can you gluggle?
Gluggle.

Gluggle. Call that a gluggle?
What's a gluggle, then?

Glug-glug-gl-gl-gl.

So it's all in the neck action,
is it? Oh, yeah, yeah.

Hi, lovey. Hiya, how are you?

Hiya, Donna. You all right?
Hi. You look fabulous.

You look fabulous!
Thank you very much.

It befits a Potter of The Week.
Oh, I'm really happy.

That was really... Yeah. Yeah.
..awesome, thank you so much guys,

that felt really good.
Well, thank you for giving us

something worthy of
Potter of The Week. Definitely.

Yeah. So tell us about your
design, then?

So my design is actually based on
my husband, Rob.

He's half Chinese and I have decided
to do the koi fish,

a real symbol of power and strength
in the Chinese culture.

Donna and IT consultant Rob
have been married for 17 years.

Right, Rob, you're drawing me,
I'm drawing you.

And while she successfully passed
on her artistic flair

to their three children,
Rob's still a work in progress.

SHE LAUGHS

what?

Donna will add splashes of gold and
orange glaze to her large koi,

while the yin to its yang will
feature a monochrome finish,

creating a harmonious pair she hopes
will see her crowned

Potter of The Week again.

Were they all delighted at home?

Oh, it was awesome. My mum was an
emotional wreck.

Aw. And my husband, he was quite
emotional, I was really shocked.

Was he? Yeah, he's not an emotional
person.

It's, it's probably because...
Who knew?

...he knows that he's got to look
after the kids for longer!

Probably crying about that, yeah.

No!

But Donna's koi have competition.

You might have seen this before.

Doing the same as Donna over there.

This is for my girlfriend Joanna.

In Chinese, Japanese,
Korean culture,

koi they have a lot of symbolism.

This one with the lipstick on,
it's supposed to represent,

uh, long lasting love.

Daniel and Joanna met online
nearly four years ago.

Oh, that sounds nice.

First bonding over
a shared love of sourdough,

a taste even pet pooch
Gizmo enjoys.

Recreating the koi's
minimal markings with underglaze,

Daniel plans to stay true to
the species' appearance.

Apart from Joanna's lipstick,
that is.

Is she a fan of pottery herself?

Um, we've taken
a class or two together. Um...

Sexy class? Yeah, little bit of, uh,
Patrick Swayze action.

A little bit of... Little bit of,
yeah, oh, I know how that goes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I don't think she particularly
enjoyed it. Oh.

Yeah. So now you're going to seal
the deal by handing her a fish?

Two fish. Sorry. I beg your pardon,
two fish.

And Daniel's not the only
potter hoping his jugs

gluggle a message of love.

My very important person
is my husband, Noel.

Look at you. Hot couple alert!
Hot couple alert.



This was 1984. It'll be our ruby
wedding anniversary in 2024.

Wow! Yeah.

Animal science teachers Jan and Noel
share a passion for aquaculture.

There she is.

As he recovers from a recent stroke,
Noel likes nothing more than

to relax feeding his
beloved pond fish.

Come on, my babes.

Jan has model led her brightly
coloured jugs

on two of his favourites
and hoping they'll produce

a good gluggle, she's coiled
a pair of big bases.

And to stop it slumping
at the bottom

are my pottery towels
with my pegs.

You have to have belt and braces for
this, otherwise it'll go whoosh!

Soft, wet clay is
the cotter's enemy.

My biggest fear is just getting the
body up to the height that I want.

To have any hope of successfully
building up from the base...

Come on clay.

...their foundations must be firm.

The worst thing that could happen
would be this sinks and collapses.

Trying to avoid the dreaded droop,
several potters are using formers.

When you're raiding
the laundry room,

you can also raid the garden shed.

Pipe insulation.

Newspaper's brilliant -
it just soaks up water

and helps the inside dry out
really evenly.

This is my formers, I have made them
at home using chicken wire and,

uh, paper and cello tape.

My gluggle jugs are based on
a clown fish.

When I used to grow up in Sri Lanka,
clown fish was something that I,

I used to play with.

It's now I miss my childhood and,
uh, the memories.

I used to go fishing a lot
with my father.

A tradition Shani's husband
Martin's keen to continue

with eldest son Manny, who's already
following in mum's footsteps.

She'll celebrate their love of
angling with a pair of vibrant

clown fish leaping from
a base depicting

the rock pools she played in
as a child.

And I notice you've got
like a full former.

What's the plan
to get that back out?

I'm going to build it all up
and then when this is dry,

I'm just going to pull
the former out.

Timing that removal of the former...
Yes, yes. ..is going to be...

It's crucial, yeah. Critical.
Yes. Yeah.

Yes. Because you won't be able to
dry the inside of your shape

until that former is out.
Get the... get the former out.

That's it, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It's a problem Dave's
design avoids...

I'm coiling clay into these,
uh, made of plaster.

...as his former isn't
inside his jug.

My design is two fish where
the male of the species

plays a nurturing role
with the young.

And I was particularly thinking
about my son

and my son-in-law who are
lovely dads.

And I'm just so proud of them
both, you know?

Doting grandad Dave and his wife
Kate love spending time

looking after Vienna and Eliza.

Come on, this path isn't going to
paint itself.

Both of his gluggle jugs are
from the catfish species.

Instead of scales, he'll engrave
their scute,

a type of articulated arm our,

and carefully sculpt their
many whiskers.

They're quite thin. Yes.
And delicate.

Yes. I've had a few breakages there,
I've got to be so careful.

May the gluggle be with you.
Yeah! And also with you.

Come on. Thanks, Dave.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, I got one.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.

Ah!

What's in here?
Oh, halfway, potters.

You're halfway through.

Now I'm separating the tail
from the main body.

This is such an integral
part of the piece.

You need to have an airlock
or it won't glug.

I'm desperate for it
to gluggle properly.

I'll probably be asleep dreaming
about gluggling jugs.

If it doesn't glug, you've fallen at
the first hurdle,

do you know what I mean?
So I'm just very conscious

of getting a big air pocket here.

Hi, lovey. Hello.
Hi, Steven.

So, tell us about your design,
what are you making?

The actual fish that I'm using is
a mac... Mackerel!

With a fine head of hair.

Both my wife and daughter have the
same hairstyle a lot of the time,

so they have a top knot. OK.
Aw.

So both of my jugs are going to
have top knots.

Hold it steady, Bon.

Recently married, Steven and Zoe are
now busy building a home,

along with three-year-old Bonny,
who's always happy to lend a hand.

Was that loud?

Steven plans to add personality
to each of his mackerel,

sculpting the favourite
accessories and trinkets

of the two most important women
in his life.

Did you know of gluggle jugs
before, uh...

I didn't.
But I absolutely love them.

Do you? Yeah. They're just kind of
like... I mean I love them too,

I love the noise. Yeah.
Which is...

What's the noise?
Gluggle-gluggle.

That's not quite right - wait.

Gl-gl-gl-gl-gl-gl.
That was a good one.

That was a good one!

I want a pot that gluggles,
not a pot that tinkles.

I'm dedicating my jugs to my sister

and she loves sailing
so I'm making a corkwing wrasse,

a fish that lives in the shallow
waters around the UK.

Cadi and younger sister Kirsty
share a love of travel.

Sibling road trip to France.
Oh, yeah.

And are always planning
something new.

Man overboard procedure...?

Boldly decorated with intricate
weather patterns

and featuring semaphore flags,
used to communicate

with other vessels at sea,

Cadi's jugs will celebrate
the sisters' special bond.

They're going to be sitting on life
rings cos that's how my sister feels

to me sometimes in the dark days.
Aw! Aw, love.

And mine will have rain
symbols on it

and hers will have sun weather
symbols on it, giving me

a positive message in return.

Because good and bad,
we've just got each other's backs.

That's really lovely. Lovely. Yeah.
Yeah.

My VIP's my older sister Whitney.

She went through a couple of health
scares this year

and pushed back,
refused to sort of give up.

Lavender's my sister's
favourite scent,

purple is her favourite colour.

And so I really wanted all of
this to be just about her,

what she likes.

With six siblings at home, Princess
and Whitney escape for some peace

and quiet whenever they can to
ponder life's big questions.

Who's the better sister?
I think I am.

Oh, wow.

Princess will tie her jugs together
with sprig moulded lavender motifs,

boldly decorated in hope of
answering

some of last week's criticisms.

The judges were quite stark in
their, uh, critique.

My naked plates.
Your naked plates.

I've decided to go
with brighter colours this time.

And hopefully, it'll give life
to my gluggle fish.

Well, this looks as if you've got
everything in hand.

I quite like it here,
it's very peaceful.

Thank you. Must be the lavender!

Edward's also keen to prove he can
learn from his mistakes.

Almost at 30, I'm actually just
going to pull it up

to gain the extra height so then
everything's slightly finer.

Because from last week,
I need to make my work finer.

I've chosen to do an ice fish

and it's a fish that builds
nests with rocks.

Edward and partner Nick, his VIP,
met five years ago

and have recently bought their
first house.

That's satisfying. Don't know what
you're moaning about.

I know, you can do
the rest of it, then.

Built upon a base of rubble,
representing the hard work

Nick's poured into their new home,

Edward will add delicate whiskers

to his ice fish that he's
constructing in a unique way.

My idea when I was trying
to figure out how

to construct it without collapse...
Yeah.

...was to make a vase shape and then
once it's leather hard,

pinch it together. OK.

Just really think about the
consistency, lovey,

because if you're going to
manipulate that clay

with all those coils,
cracks may appear.

Do ice fish have cracks?
Oh, yeah they do, yeah.

Oh, loads of cracks. Yeah.
I thought so, yeah.

Potters, that's four hours gone,
two and a half hours left.

Oh, my gosh.

With coiling now complete...

Ah, I am just trying to squash
it and manipulate it now.

Make it work, make it work.

...and the jugs firm enough
to take their own weight...

Now it's got enough of a structure
that it can support what's coming.

...for the potters who chose
to use formers...

Is that going to come out?
Yes, hopefully it will. Uh!

...it's the moment of truth.

Oh, gosh very stressed now.

I can't get my former out.

Goodness' sake, come on out.

Yes, it's the last one!

Oh, my God.

There is a crack. Uh...

Right, I'm going to have to cut it.

And Shani's jug isn't the only one
going under the knife.

I had a sinking bottom
and so I'm trying to fix that.

If I cut off a segment of it
to sort of make

a nicer U shape.

Now I'm building it
to bridge that gap.

As Princess and Shani's fish...

Ah, finally.
..undergo major surgery...

Right, now I have to stitch it up.

...the rest of the potters begin to
add the appendages

that will help bring their
fish to life.

I am putting on fins.

Pectoral.

Jan'll know.

After the... the gill plate
and the operculum,

you've got a dorsal fin on the back.

This is the caudal fin
and you've got an a**l fin.

These look absolutely wonderful.

But when I'm looking round
the room, I'm thinking I've got

absolutely enormous jugs compared
to everybody else.

Oh, well, let's stay on the...
..the challenge, please.

I'm just adding all the fins.

My design is a perch fish.

This is the fish that my dad used
to always catch

when he was growing up.

Think it looks like a perch?
You said you liked the...

I was going to say that looks like
a perch"s fin, yeah, definitely.

Sophie's always loved to paint,
and Dad, Jamie, is her biggest fan.

Wow.

Even if it sometimes
requires sacrifice.

This used to be my office.

My office now is in my bedroom

and I have to sit on
the end of my bed.

Sophie will produce a pair of perch

she hopes reminds
her dad of his days fishing at

the lake where he'd also find
little keepsakes,

treasures she'll immortalise in clay.

I'm just using my sprig moulds
to make the details

to go round the base.

Like little coins, jewellery,
found little figures.

Just to represent
that kind of story.

I'm very nervous, like, whittling
this down that it's gonna snap off.

It's a swordfish.

It's like a nice sort of strong fish
representing my brother.

He's about eight years
younger than me.

I'm trying to keep up with him.

You know he's younger,
faster, stronger.

So he'll be a big huge fish

and I'll be this tiny little
slightly portly fish.

Hey-hey!

Outdoor enthusiast Dan
loves the ocean,

and with a healthy dose
of sibling rivalry,

he and brother Richard regularly
set off on long-distance adventures.

To help them leap energetically
from the water,

Dan will sculpt the swordfish's
huge tail and sail fins,

and atop their gaping mouths
will sit their signature bills.

There are a lot of appendages

and a lot of bits poking out

and are you confident
they'll remain intact?

That they won't break off?

well, yeah.

That's what he was getting towards.

Here to help.

Yes, yes, I am worried about that,
yes, yes.

One hour left, potters,
one hour left.

OK.

It's just now, does it look
a bit wonky?

Is, is it just leaning
to that way, isn't it?

I'm adding on the sprig mould.

I'm just a bit disappointed
with this one,

because it's slightly collapsed.
Fingers crossed it glugs at least.

Trying to make it look like it's
jumping, try and get that energy.

I've just cut out all
the pond plants.

Aren't you gorgeous? Yes, you are.

The mouth here I pinched out
the sides a little bit.

And then I'm going to pull
a lip out of this.

My flags are life rings.

They're on and now I will give it
some scales.

I'm using the magic fork handle.

I think this is some kind
of family heirloom.

I'm carving in with a dental tool
where the scutes overlap.

This is probably gonna take me


It's just really laborious.

Just need to try and keep focused
and not let Dan speak to me.

That's a nice tool. What's that?

Where did you get that from?

Steven, did I do the scales wrong?

I did the scales facing down.

Oh, gosh.

Oh, no I have to do it again.
Oh, god.

I've got to be fast now.
How much time left, please?

Potters, half an hour left.

I'm just popping on the top knot

and then I'm gonna have loads
of hair coming off.

They are cubes that I've slab rolled
and that will form the rubble.

They look really expressive.

I love a muscly fish face.

I'm doing whiskers.

I'm not telling Keith
and Rich how many.

I'm keeping that a bit of a mystery.

Oh, of course there's only meant
to be one.

Sophie, how are you getting on?

Rushing a little bit.

Well, this seems like the perfect
time to come in and annoy you, then.

What are you rushing to do?

I'm just adding all the sprigs,
pebbles and, like,

the little found objects.

Bonny's got the same hair
but Bonny has got the dummy.

An ice cream,
a bum bag with a bottle of ketchup.

Can't eat anything without ketchup!

Potters, you've five minutes to go.

Oh, no.

Please bring your gluggle jugs
into the drying room.

Come on through. Thank you.

Think Dan's trying to sabotage me,
cos he's all finished,

and I've been having a yarn,
and now I'm panicking.

I've just got to put
the lotus flower on this.

Edward, how we doing here?

It's fine, I'm just trying to take
as much weight out as possible.

Oh, me too, babes, me too.

Oh, look at that. Happy me.

Oh, thank god.

Now, be a good boy.

Where is my wire cutter?

One minute left, potters.

Ooh.

Dear me.

Who's left? Donna, I haven't
seen you come down yet.

I'm coming, I'm coming.

Ten seconds.

Nice.

I'm walking calmly.

Eight, seven, six...

Cadi, please.
Please, back to your benches.

Three... and a half...

One!

Well done, potters.

Come on!

Well done, everyone.

Potters dismissed.

Well done, Dave.

They were amazing, that looked
amazing. Oh, and likewise.

Really enjoyed that today,
it was so much fun.

But at the end,
I was kind of rushing.

It's the lotus flower
I'm really worried about.

Fingers crossed it stays on
in the kiln.

Boing!

I am feeling really good.

So long as it comes out in one piece
or pieces you can stick together

with glaze, I actually am gonna
be really happy.

I did have quite a few bumps.

The former did not pull out,
so I had to do a surgery.

My main concern, it's cracking.

I'm thinking the way I've engineered
it should, in theory, work.

If it comes out, whoopee-do.

It's all I can hope for right now.

The potters' second challenge is, as
ever, a mystery shrouded in hessian.

I can hear everyone's hearts!

Potters, your second challenge
this week is...

...a throw-down.

The judges would you like
to make three identical bud vases.

All right, Keith would you like
to show them how to do it?

So, we've got our clay here
and we've got our wheel.

Now, you've got, obviously,
your usual tools.

A sponge on a stick,
a normal sponge,

the wire and the wooden template.

You've got towels here
to wipe your hands off with

and, oh... Oh, hang on a minute.

Look what I've found, Rich.

We want you to do it blindfold.

No.

Oh, whoops. Did I not mention that?

Oh, no.

So, just check where
everything is before you start.

So...
- Yeah...

Just checking.

Great. Get your clay on
the wheel. Centre the clay.

Open it up,

and just really imagine what
you're trying to do with the clay.

Pull it up,

make sure that that rim is nice
and smooth.

Now, this is where you have
to really concentrate

because you don't want that rim
to come out too much.

Feel that clay between
your fingers, cos that's

the only way you can sense
the speed of the wheel.

Now go in with your sponge on
a stick.

Where it all goes wrong!

Just really enjoy
the feeling of that clay.

Just close it up a bit.

Wants to be fairly narrow,

then I'm gonna get my
wooden tool just to finish it off.

Obviously don't wire through
the pot.

So just have a sense
of where that is.

Off you come.

And there you go.

That's what we're
really looking for,

that nice fluent shape
and that closed-in rim.

Wonderful. Thank you, Keith.

Potters, back to your benches,
please.

You have been given 15 minutes

to make three identical bud vases.

And your time starts... now.

Oh, my goodness.

Blindfolds on!

Christ, that's dark.

Just feel that clay.

It's so hard.
I'm going to try and centre.

Smooth it out.

Hello, Donna, it's me now.

Oh, hello, Siobhan.

How are you getting on?
Not well.

Are you noticing that your fingers
are a bit more sensitive?

Not really, no.

I'm realising how much I use
my eyes when I throw.

Oh...

Looking good, Princess.

Oh, God, why did you say that?

Well done, Sophie,
that's it, bring it in.

Edward.
Just trying to get a nice thin rim.

This is so much harder than
I expected.

Oh, good,
that's what I want to hear.

Nice, Dan. Yeah, looking good.

Loving your jug.

I'm worrying about where
I've left me rib.

It's all right Dave, it's next door.

I'L be back in ten minutes.

Trying to focus everything on
my fingertips.

Think about getting that
first one off.

God only knows what that
looks like.

Oh, I can't get it off.

OK. Right, got this.

This is number two.

Is it? Yeah.

Excuse me a second.
Potters, you're halfway through.

Ah!

Dan's on his third, wow.
Oh, Dan's on his third, good.

I think I've got the height on this

and I need to do the sponge on
a stick thing.

I've lost me wire.

Find things in the dark,
it's a bit like when your



Oh, this is awful.

Donna, you're on your second one
there. I'm on my second, yeah.

Daniel, how many have you done?

I'm on number two.

Second.
Just finishing second.

So, everybody seems to be on
the second one. Jan?

Just starting the third.

Ooh!

woo-woo. Go, Jan.

I don't think I'm actually doing
anything vaguely identical.

Dan?

Finishing the third.

Finishing the third!

SUBDUED CHEERS

Do you want me to plug out
his wheel? Yes! OK...

Five minutes left!

Oh, my God.

Don't ruin it now, Dave.
I'm trying!

Well done, well done.

Oh, this is definitely not good,
is it?

Oh! That's fine, it's fine.

Leave it alone. Urgh!

Ooh, I've lost the top.

They all seem to be
on their third one.

Sophie's on her third.

I'm really struggling to get
the height.

Steven's on his.

I think I've misshaped them when
I've been taking them off

cos it's so hard to get
the wire underneath.

I think my third one is quite
different to the first and second.

They look really good, Shani.
Keep going. Thank you.

Finding it more and more difficult
as I go through.

Princess, how are you finding this?
Weird.

What's weird about being blindfolded
and running your hands up

and down clay while
the nation looks at you?

Nothing weird about that.
As you were.

Dan has finished.
Course he is!

You have one minute left, potters.

Oh, my God.

It's gone all wobbly.

Oh, that's not gonna go in there,
is it?

Ah, it's stuck!

Do you need more water on it?

Uh... no!

Well done, Dave.

Yes!

I feel like I should be able
to get this off.

Ten seconds left.

Where is it? Oh, come on.

SIOBHAN, KEITH, RICH:
Five, four, three, two, one.

My God!

Well done, that is the end of
the second challenge.

Remove the blindfolds.

LAUGHTER
Oh, my God.

Look at the state of these. Wow!

Whoo!

Keith and Rich are looking
for three identical bud vases

with beautifully formed rims

and a consistent fluid form
throughout the set.

Hi, lovely. Hiya. Hi, Dave.

How did you find that?

It was really hard
but I really enjoyed it.

Do you like being blindfolded?

You know, I can't comment on that.

Well, look, they're
a pretty good height,

aren't they, don't you think?

Yeah, you've made good
use of the clay

and actually, they're all
matching perfectly.

Pretty good effort. Yeah.

Well done, Dave.
Thank you very much.

That is an experience not
to be repeated.

Yeah, found it really difficult.

Well, look you've got some
good height on there. Hmm.

I'd suggest that that one's
probably your best one.

That was the first one.

Just looks like you've
not been able to repeat it.

I'm amazed at the consistency
of the bodies.

I mean they're
marginally different to

the shape that Keith threw. Yes.

But they're all very consistent.
They are consistent.

Thank you.

Really, really good effort.

Well, these rims are
finished off really nicely.

That one not so much.

I knocked it with my elbow when
I was trying to... Ah.

...move the board.

Well, on these two, there's
a really nice fluidity of the form.

Hm. Yeah, really good.

Thank you.

How did you find that?
Oh, I loved it, it was really fun.

Well, look the first thing that
springs to mind

with them is that they're
really considered.

You were really thinking about
that thickness.

Yeah, great consistency between
the thickness of

the rims on all of them,
the widths of the base.

It's exactly what we were
looking for, isn't it?

Yeah. Good effort, yeah. Thank you.
Well done. Well done.

Obviously, they're
slightly different, each one.

Yeah, I mean you can see what
you're going for, though,

and it's got a good clean feel about
the throwing.

And there's definitely a lot
to be pleased about there.

Well, you've got an eclectic bunch.
Yeah.

They're all completely different.
Yeah!

Obviously, there's a bit of
distortion there. Yeah.

Did you find taking them off
the wheel quite hard?

It was the wiring, yeah.

It looks like you could've
maybe gone in with the rib

a bit heavier at the base. Yeah.

Cos you've got quite a lot
of clay left there. Yeah.

It's the first time |I've done
blindfold throwing sober.

I normally do it with wine.

If only we'd have known.
That's a much better format.

Well, look,

you've got a lot of clay in the rim
which you could've used

to make that neck a bit
more delicate. Yeah.

And you could almost see
the history there.

That one's quite pensive. Yeah.

That one's concentrating,
"Oh, I think I've got it,"

and that one's just sheer
blind panic. Yeah.

The accuracy of the
width of the base

and the turn in that shoulder,

that's exactly
the same height on all three.

Yeah. Really not a bad effort
at all, is it? No, really good.

Thank you. Brilliant, Cadi.
Thanks, guys.

They all look very similar,
together, as a group.

Yeah, almost inseparable.

Just not quite what we
were looking for. Yeah!

It would've been lovely to see that
come in slightly more. Yeah.

But well done.
Yeah, well done.

Cheers, lovey.
Thank you so much.

Hi, Jan. Hi.
LAUGHTER

This poor little thing.

Was that your last one?

And I had to pinch off a bit

because it was going
all over the shop.

That's the thing, isn't it?

It's always good to have a go.

You know, feel the fear,
do it anyway,

and then you can make us all laugh!
Sorry!

Cheers, Jan. Thanks a lot.

Keith and Rich will now rank
the potters from worst to first.

In 11th place is...

.Jan.

You may be 11th,
but you did make us laugh.

Oh, so much.

And in tenth place, Donna.

In ninth, Steven.

Edward is eighth, Daniel is seventh,
Shani is sixth,

Princess, fifth,

and Cadi takes fourth.

In third place...

Dave. Well done, Dave.

So, in second place...

...Sophie.

So that leaves first place, Dan!

Well done, Dan.

That's the second week that
I've won which is fabulous.

Yeah!

Feeling good after that.
That was really fun.

So, I'm 11th, again.

I think I'm making
a habit of coming last!

Coming eighth doesn't leave me in
good stead for tomorrow.

I know I'm in the danger zone.

I need the fish pull me up.

I really need it to turn out
exactly as I had planned

or it could be adios for me.

It's day two.

The gluggle jugs have undergone
an intense bisque firing,

and are now ready for decoration.

You've made something,
you've put love into it,

and then you've just gotta wait
and see what dreadful things

have happened,
or what amazing outcomes there are.

Mainly you think about
the dreadful things.

There's really, really fine details
and sort of a load of, like, rocks.

I hope they've survived.

I did have quite a bit of
a struggle you know because,

I couldn't pull the former out.

Big one I had to chop it in
the middle, so,

a bit nervous to be honest, yeah.

Oh, wow! They're alive!

Is everyone's OK?
Oh, my God, yes!

I am so relieved.

It's survived.

I am over the moon.
I'm really pleased.

I was worried about
some of the appendages.

Everything, like,
the water and the lotus flower

have all stayed on.

Did your little spines stay on?

Yeah, they're all on.
Your little...?

I was looking for fragments.
Everything has survived.

But not everyone's made
it out in one piece.

Ed, what's happened?

Oh, bit's fallen off the bottom.
There's cracks everywhere.

Oh, no! Yeah, I've messed
this one up big time.

So I've just gotta make
sure they're extra pretty

and maybe they glug

because my construction's
really bad.

Welcome back, potters.

As you can see, your
gluggle jugs have been bisque fired

and are ready to be decorated.
Rich, any advice for our potters?

We've given you three hours
for decoration

and we'd like to see you use every
minute of that time effectively.

And remember, we're looking for
a good likeness of your chosen fish.

This is a chance
to enhance that lovely detail

and really bring those fish to life.

Great, OK. Potters, you've
been given three hours

to decorate your gluggle jugs,

and your time starts now.

Where's the white?

Bar's very busy at the moment.

To help them bring
their jugs to life...

what do I want?

...the potters have a huge
selection of underglazes

and oxides at their fingertips.

Do we want satsuma or tangerine?

Is that yellow, yeah?
That's yellow.

Right. let's get going.

The cui-ui,
it's a pale grey-ey blue,

and then it's got red detail,

so now it's just a case of
working through, really,

really carefully and slowly,
and trying not to muck it up.

What I'm doing is just trying
to not over complicate,

I have a tendency to throw
everything at the decoration.

While Dave attempts to reign in
his artistic ambitions...

I have given myself quite
the colourful task.

...to say a big thank you for
all the sisterly support,

Cadi's throwing caution to the wind.

So, my gluggle jugs are
based on a fish called

the corkwing wrasse.

I'll give the colours
a couple of passes

cos I really want it
to be really bright.

But Cadi's corkwing wrasse
might not be

the most colourful fish in
the pottery.

There are so many different
colours of clown fish.

Mine is orange,
black and a bit of yellow.

So, how are you thinking
of incorporating the colour with

the surface decoration?

Uh, well I'm going to paint him
like the illustration shows.

Yeah...
Sorry, not very good artworks.

It's fine, love.
They're brilliant, honestly.

You don't need to put yourself down.

Do you do that in life in general?

I do sometimes, yeah.

Yeah, look,
you're here for a reason.

You're one of 12 out of
God knows how many people

that applied for this.

And you're here because
you're very, very good.

OK? Thank you very much. Yeah.

Here you are!

Oh, dear. What are we like, eh?

Crying over fish, for God's sake.

I know! Thank you.

While Shani's vibrant colours
reflect her husband

and son's love of fishing...

I have done three layers.
I want it absolutely bright.

...to illustrate the harmony in her
marriage to husband, Rob,

the yin to her yang,

one of Donna's jugs features
a monochrome design.

This is my black and white koi carp.

Bit worried about doing just
black and white.

Sometimes it can look quite flat,

so I'm gonna add some water
to the black

to make some lighter tones.

And hopefully that will give each of
the scales more depth.

Edward's also risking
a muted colour palette

with his ice fish dedicated
to partner Nick.

It's semi-translucent,

so glaze is a white with
a little bit of grey.

But I also just wanna play
with some oxides

cos that's like my favourite
thing to do.

I prefer the unpredictability.

And he's not alone.
It's cobalt.

Steven and his hairy mackerel are
also embracing the unknown.

Oxides are good
for creating organic colours.

It'll really sit into the scales
and give 'em a bit of depth.

While Sophie's hoping to recreate

the muddy lake where
her dad found his treasures

when out fishing for perch.

I've added this red
iron oxide quite thick,

cos red iron oxide can
kind of burn away quite a lot,

but I wanna create
a really sort of earthy texture.

And Dan's keen to add extra energy to
the scales of his swordfish siblings.

I really like how the oxide
is sitting in the texture.

I'm going to put loads of layers
of underglaze on.

So you're going oxide first,
underglazes over the top?

Blue, yellow, white,

with a bit of
copper carbonate underneath.

That'll burn through, hopefully.

Fingers crossed.
Yeah, fingers crossed!

Well, I look forward to seeing them

and I hope that oxide
behaves itself.

Yeah, it's risky, isn't it?
You never really know.

I wonder how much time
they have left.

Oh! Halfway through, potters.

Halfway through.

Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Are you sure she's not speeding
up the clock?

Just trying to get colour on now.

These fish are the actual fish
in my pond.

We put them in as babies
ten years ago,

and now they're all having babies.

So we're gonna have to have
a bigger pond.

Hello. How's your hairy mackerel?

Yeah, they're getting on all right.

You're painting the lovely
blonde hair on your little girl.

Yeah. It's not at all terrifying.

I want to put some more detail into
the scales. Some shadows.

Definitely easier to do
with the colours

than it is with the black and white.

I'm gonna try and make sure
I don't add unnecessary decoration.

I'm gonna leave
the scales mostly uncovered.

I think there's a point where
you can go a bit too far.

Instead of doing
a lot of scale shapes,

I'm doing a lot of weather symbols.

My sister's the sunny one.
I'm the rainy one.

whenever I've felt really rainy
and cloudy, she'd be the sunshine.

I'm painting my lavenders
purple and green.

I really want the purple to pop.

I have yet to meet a purple fish

but I really wanted to incorporate
my sister as much as I could.

Hello.

It's one of its whiskers.
Uh-huh. Yeah.

There's an old Irish saying,

"The whisker doth not
the fish make."

It's not a well-known saying.

Guess what, potters?

You have half an hour left.

Oh, my God.

Jan, no cursing.

I need to just make sure
the life rings pop,

and the flags,
the flags have to be right.

Trying to work as quickly as I can.

I really wanna get all of
the detail into the scales.

But I am gonna be down to the wire.

I've got to highlight
all the stripes in black.

The red lipstick represents
long-lasting love

and long-lasting relationships.

It's coming on,
on each fish there's six fins.

You've just gotta remember
the details on all of them.

And I keep noticing there's
one that I keep missing.

I want it to look slightly dirty
at the bottom,

like the bottom of a fish pond.

Oh, magnificent.
Lovely flowers and the pebbles.

Not only must the potters finish
decorating their gluggle jugs...

This is cobalt.

I'm just giving it blue teeth,
because why not?

But to ensure they're fit for use,

they must also be dipped in
a second transparent glaze.

I'm taking both.

Welcome to my glazing shop.

Oh, whoa! Careful, careful!

I'm gonna leave this
bottom unglazed.

Just to give that that really matte

and natural-looking effect
to the stones.

Right, guys, you should be
cleaning your bottoms now.

Yeah, it's all good.

Oh, I broke this off!

Damn, damn, damn.

I knew it was gonna fall off
at some point,

and it's a really,
really good time to do it.

One minute left, potters.

GOOFY EXCLAMATION OF PANIC

I don't know what to do.

Please, please, please!

Five, four, three, two, one.

Nope.

Step away from your gluggle jugs.

Congratulations.

Whoo! Come on!

Yay!

The potters' finished work
will now be handed over

to Rose for its final gloss firing.

Hiya, Dave. Hello.

The next time they see their
gluggle jugs, they'll be judged.

I was really happy with how
the decoration went.

I feel elated now because I can't
do anything else about it.

My work there is done.

Excellent, excellent.

I'm just a little bit worried
that some of the other people

have got these really beautiful
brightly coloured fish,

and I'm wondering,
"Gosh, should I have gone

"for something that was
a little bit more exotic?"

Thank you, Shani.

I'm aiming for those orange colours

and black stripes to pop out, "Wow!"

I hope I have achieved that.

Everyone else's work was
fantastic, so...

I am still worried if I might be
the one who is going home again.

That was a lot.

Yeah.

So many mistakes

and bits falling off,

so I'm probably in the firing line.

It's judgement day.

The gluggle jugs have undergone
their final 24-hour firing.

Now, it's time for the
potters to discover

if they've made it out unscathed.

Nervous.

I just want to see how
they've come out.

It's that anticipation of waiting.

Oh!

My make wasn't great.

I'm hoping the glaze will seal all
the issues and all the cracks.

Fingers crossed,
it's gonna be a good day.

That's what I'm telling myself.

Oh, my gosh, guys.

They look great!

Cadi, yours is lovely.

In one piece, yes!

Donna is just the decorating queen.

Look at that.
Dave's, yeah...

They do all look great, don't they?

Yeah.

They're awesome.

Potters, you've turned our pottery
into a lovely aquarium.

Let's start with the judging.

Donna, would you please bring your
gluggle jugs up to the judges?

How are you feeling about
your gluggle jugs?

I'm really happy.

They're exactly as
I hoped they would be.

They're great, Donna.

They're really, really good.

Your level of decoration
is wonderful.

There's a real depth to them.

And this could've so easily
gone wrong for you,

it being monochrome

but they just work really,
really well.

The quality of the build
is outstanding.

The energy you've built
into the fins,

it almost feels like
a crashing wave.

And then you come to the decoration,

and that's got the same
attention to detail.

You've shaded the end
of each scale.

It's beautiful. Thank you.

You almost wanna kiss them.
They look that good.

Shall we see if they gluggle?
Yes, please.

GLUGGLING
Oh!

LAUGHTER

Who knew you'd be so anxious
about a gluggle? I know!

Yeah, no, that's great.

Thank you.
That was awesome. Thanks a million.

They're really, really colourful.

Bright and cheerful and playful.

There's lots of little details
I really like.

The little twinkle in the eye,
it just gives it a lift

and makes it feel
a bit more alive somehow.

They're quite heavy,
to say the least!

But they do really
work well as a pair.

So, does it gluggle?
Let's have a look.

It's anybody's guess, really.

GLUGGLING
whoa! Wow!

That's fantastic.
Thank you very much.

There is a beautiful softness.

They feel like they're underwater.

In terms of the decoration,
it feels very true to species.

But I just wonder if it really
speaks much of your VIP?

The other thing is,
the bases are quite flat.

There could have been
a bit more uplift.

But shall we see if it gluggles?
Hmm-hmm.

GLUGGLING

You've got a good gluggle there.

Thanks.

Well, Sophie,

it's bloody brilliant.

I was really concerned
with these bases.

Iron oxide can get really,
really dark.

The fact that you've pared that back

and not glazed it,
that works really well.

And the relationship between
the two is wonderful.

My one criticism

is whether the handle is
completely fit for purpose,

cos there's not much space

to get your fingers through
in there.

Right, let's see how it pours.
Yeah.

GLUGGLING

Whoa, that was you at lunchtime,
wasn't it?

No, it's great.

There's a really lovely
structure to that.

I just love that shape.

There could have been
slightly more subtlety

in the colour application,

but I'm loving those
sgraffito marks.

And the fact that
your barbs have stayed on

is just testament to your build.

I mean, you've got a slight
hairline crack on one of them.

But considering they're
such thin additions,

you've done a fantastic job.

And you've got lovely openings.

He doesn't say that to just anyone!

No, you've got a lovely lip there,

but it's only a gluggle jug
if it gluggles.

LOUD GLUGGLING
Oh, good! Wow.

You should really be proud of that.

Thank you very much.

You can see that this one
has sunk down slightly

and lost some of its volume,

because this one feels
very generous,

Very curvy.

But they just carve
a really striking profile.

And the colour scheme works
really, really well.

Oh, thank you.
Better than your last effort.

I know! I was like,
"Keith said more colour."

Seriously, this lilac really pops.

It's just whether they gluggle.

CONTINUOUS GLUGGLING

That's glugging all right!
Wow! Wow. Gluggle!

That's a really good gluggle.

These extremities were always
going to be a bit of a challenge.

Yeah, it was. And I can see you've
just lost the very edge of that one.

But I was so worried about
the copper,

and the fact that you were applying
the underglaze over the top,

but actually, the copper has created
a really deep, lustrous surface.

The opening of the mouth
is magnificent.

I mean, that'll be
a really lovely pourer,

so shall we have a go?
Yes, let's have a look.

INSTANT GLUGGLING
There we go. Phew.

No, it's great.

The first thing I notice is
the copper oxide.

It's worked really, really well.

If I was overly critical...

Well, I'm a judge, so I'm gonna be.

...I'm not sure if that
looks like hair.

It looks more like a sea anemone
or something. Hmm.

Yeah, the hair on your mackerel,
you've got it all wrong.

I just love the playful
nature of them.

I just wanna chuckle
every time I see them.

They're really beautifully made.
Right, let's see how it pours.

Yeah, do they gluggle?

PRONOUNCED GLUGGLING
whoa!

Strong gluggle. Wonderful, Steven.
Thank you.

I think the copper is beautiful.

The mark-making that you've created
underneath that oxide is exquisite.

It glitters, it shimmers, it shines.

Like you would imagine a fish
like that would. Absolutely.

There are a few oversights in
the build, perhaps.

I do feel that the rocks were always
gonna be problematic.

The inside could be tidier.

There's quite a lot of rubble on the
inside as well as on the outside.

Shall we see if they gluggle?

GLUGGLING

Wahey. There was a gluggle there.

Oh, I think we've got
a bit of a leak.

Ah. You've got a stress crack here

because the way you
approached the build

was always a bit risky.

There's a lot to celebrate,

but there's a lot of room
for improvement as well.

The decoration is fantastic,
it's really bold.

Thank you. There's a very sort
of caricature feel to them,

and the fact that they're
slightly lopsided,

actually, that really works.

But, I don't know what's
happening here really.

Yes, I had to do some surgery, so...

What is incredibly successful
is your decoration.

It is immediately recognisable
as a clown fish.

The blues work very well. Yeah.

I like the fact that this is
part of your story,

that sharp-edged rock pool.

But I would just worry that those
edges would get chipped

if they were being picked up
and put down regularly.

The finish could do with
a little bit more improvement.

Right, here we go.

GLUGGLING
Yeah, it's a good gluggle.

Thank you, Shani. Thank you.

Well, it's fantastic. Thank you.

It's really, really wonderful.

I love everything about them.

I love the flags on there
to tell your story.

And this is inspired,

because what you've managed
to do is give us that life ring,

but it's really lovely and rounded.

You know these are practical items,

and you've really
thought about that.

Yeah, Cadi, they are
extraordinarily beautiful.

Thank you. And what a fitting
tribute to your sister.

The quality of the build
is outstanding.

The decoration, extraordinary.

I mean, using this amount
of colour on a single object

could have been a car crash.
KEITH LAUGHS

I know, yeah. But you've
managed to create something

that just feels joyous.

We gave you three hours to decorate,

and it looks like you spent three
weeks on them.

There's so much in there.

Shall we see if it gluggles?
Yes, please.

I really hope it gluggles.

GLUGGLING
Oh... What a relief!

Cos the rest of it's brilliant,
if it didn't gluggle...!

Urgh! Yeah.

Fantastic. Yeah, really well done.

Thank you.

I was blown away by
the judges' comments

and the joy was leaking
out of my eye ba*ls.

Amazing.

Maybe I should stop being
so hard on myself.

Possibly, if I let rip,
maybe it turns out OK.

That felt absolutely amazing.

When you see Keith emotional
about your work,

you feel like you've done
something really awesome,

and it feels pretty special.

Well, that was interesting.

I had a hole in my base,
some stuff fell off.

I was quite pleased
with the glazing,

but I don't think that's enough.

They liked the colours, wow.

It was absolutely fantastic
when I saw that,

but they commented about
the sharp edges.

So, you know, I don't know.

Hopefully I won't be
the one who's leaving today,

but I will see.

Another fantastic week
here at the pottery.

How did you think our potters got on?

They were amazing.

The thing about a gluggle jug,
it's such a classic design,

and yet all our 11 potters managed
to give us something really unique.

Cadi's work. You rea...
Look at... look! Oh!

Oh! I just... Amazing.

I loved those. They just had it all.

The quality of the build was there.
but the decoration, oh, my word.

It was fantastic.

It's when ceramics just
hits you in the heart like that.

Yeah.
There's... there's nothing better.

She must be in line
for Potter Of The Week, then.

Yeah, absolutely. Definitely.

And Dave is up there.

He's got a real affinity
with the clay

and he's got a talent
for telling us his story

throughout what he makes.

Being a father,

and the relationship between
fathers and their children,

what a lovely thing to celebrate.

Donna, how do you think she got on?

Donna just has these immense
observational skills,

particularly with the decoration.
Yeah.

Her use of underglazes is
just incredible.

And that detail of the splash of
the water on her large fish,

it was brilliant.

And the on the other
end of the scale,

who is in danger
of leaving the pottery?

One of them has to be Shani,

because her finish, yet again,
wasn't great.

Fortunately, the decoration really
saved the whole build.

It's a really, really bold design.

Edward didn't have
a great week, did he?

He was our only potter whose
jug leaked, and...

Bits fell off.

He'd decorated the
pieces beautifully. Yeah.

But actually, why would you
put rocks at the bottom?

You know those very fine details
were always gonna be problematic.

So, Shani and Edward?

Yeah. I'd say so. Oof.

Potters.

The judges have made their decision.

First, the good news.

This week's Potter Of The Week is...

...Cadi.

Yay!

Thank you. Well done!

Great job, Cadi. Well done.

And now the really hard bit.

The potter who will be leaving us
this week is...

...Edward.

I know.
Oh, love!

Honestly, it's fine.

I knew when I was glazing it,

it wasn't to be.

I had a great time.
HE LAUGHS

Being on the Throwdown
has been exhilarating,

exhausting,

and I'm really proud of myself,
how far I've come.

It's all good.

It's been amazing getting to know
all the different potters.

I'm so pleased for Cadi,
cos she really deserved that.

It was stunning.

Well done, lovey. Yeah, brilliant.

So unexpected.
Brilliant, yeah, great.

I am absolutely
over the moon for her.

Obviously, I would have loved
to have got it again,

but I'm really,
really happy for her,

and it was really well deserved.

As Edward says goodbye
to the pottery...

...Cadi's gluggle jugs take second
spot in the Throw Down gallery.

I'm so happy!

They absolutely loved it,
it was so lovely.

To get Potter Of The Week
is really brilliant!

Maybe I should pour a bit
more love for my sister

into what I make in the future!

Seems like it went quite well!

Oh, my God, oh, wo...

Well, I thought it was coming.

I'm so happy for her.

But I thought I would be leaving.

I really must think about
improving my techniques.

I can do this, you know?
I can do it.

Bring it on!

Next time...

Yeah, you got it!

...it's double trouble...
Check it out.

...as the potters take on
Staffordshire flat backs...

Struggling. It's such a hard task.

...and a shaving scuttle throw-down.

That's not deep enough, is it?

Who will pop out a perfect pair?

You should be really proud of them.
They're fantastic.

And who will struggle
to keep it together?

Don't know what I was thinking!

Get my whole blinking head in there.