I'm here. I'm here!
And over the last nine weeks,
they've wowed us
with some spectacular ceramics.
I just think they're brilliant.
Absolutely wonderful.
Everything from
garden gnomes...
That is inspired.
...animal table lights...
Wow. It's beautiful.
- ...to urinals.
- It's quite funny.
It looks like
it's nibbling on the pipe.
They've run
the blindfold gauntlet...
- Oh, my God.
- Goggles!
...and survived
trial by raku fire.
Oh, my goodness,
this is madness.
But each week, someone
had to leave the pottery.
- Now for Anna...
- Ooh, no.
- George's head is coming off.
- ...AJ...
Oh, man.
I'm gonna run out of clay.
- ...and Christine...
- It's just taking so long.
There's just so much,
isn't there?
...just two challenges remain
before one of them is crowned
Britain's best home potter.
Welcome to the final of
The Great Pottery Throw Down!
This year's Throw Down final
features three potters
whose unique styles have
set them apart from the pack.
I massively respect the fact
that you've chosen
to give the fairy brown skin.
I just never saw anything
like her in any of the books,
and it was important.
I think that is inspirational.
From the very beginning,
the emotional intensity
of Christine's work...
That is the most
beautiful thing.
- It's gorgeous.
- ...has blown everyone away.
It's incredibly powerful,
it's incredibly brave,
and I think
it's incredibly poignant.
Despite this, she has struggled
with a lack of confidence.
No, I can't.
Until the quarterfinal saw her
win potter of the week
for the first time.
Up to self-sculpture week,
I was quite nervous,
didn't believe in myself, and
when I got potter of the week,
that's when I suddenly
started to think,
gosh, yeah, I am on a par
with these people
and have as much chance
as they have.
Oh, Jesus.
After a shaky start,
youngest potter AJ
has gone
from strength to strength.
Your builds are getting
better and better and better.
Impressing the judges
with their exceptional
technical skill
and distinctive style.
Just got your character
written all over it.
AJ has been crowned
potter of the week
no less than three times.
Having done well
previously,
it does put the pressure on.
But I still wanna deliver
and impress the judges.
This whole experience
has been life-changing.
To win it would be
absolutely wild and incredible.
You look like
the most pottery potter here.
You've got clay on your face,
a paintbrush in your hair.
I'm just messy.
Despite her
sometimes chaotic approach...
Rejected.
...Anna has consistently
delighted the judges
with her innate
sculpting ability...
Wow. So you've hand-built these?
- Yeah.
- Oh, my God.
...and personality-packed
creations.
The detail in
the figurative work that
you've done, it's brilliant.
However, she has never won
a second challenge,
or potter of the week.
I'm definitely
the underdog.
Last night, I had
all these doubts and thoughts,
what am I doing here
with two amazing potters?
But if I look at my work
from the beginning
to where I'm at now,
I have came on leaps and bounds.
And now it's the final.
I'm here. I can't believe it.
It's mad, isn't it? Ah!
Good luck, Anna.
Good luck, Christine.
Aw, to you as well.
It's the final!
There goes the other leg.
- Promise me you're done.
- Yeah, I'm done, I'm done.
We are all
very excited, though.
Congratulations, finalists.
Now, for your final
main make challenge,
the judges would like you to
make a garden totem sculpture.
Now, the inspiration
for this piece is you.
Now, each part can be
a different shape,
style, and color,
and as Siobhán says,
the inspiration is you.
We want you to tell us
your history
from bottom to top
of your totem.
You can use whichever technique
you want to to make them,
throwing,
hand-building, sculpting,
but, remember,
this is the final.
We're looking for
really impressive structures
for the garden.
Potters, you have
eight and a half hours,
and your time starts now.
Oh. Good luck, guys.
Oh, my gosh.
Final. Final make.
It's just such a shock
to be here.
When I first applied
for the Throw Down,
I didn't even think
I'd get a response back,
let alone sitting here on
the final making a totem pole.
This is the biggest challenge
ever set on the Throw Down.
Right, where to start?
The potters have been given
eight and a half hours
and 50 kilos
of tea material clay.
This is gonna be fun.
Specially designed
to be robust enough
to construct
their giant totems.
It's very short, isn't it?
It's like shortcrust pastry,
isn't it?
As soon as you move it,
it breaks.
- Yeah.
- I don't know where to start.
There's so much to do,
and I'm totally, like...
Here we are at the final. We've
set them the ultimate task.
A garden totem. Brilliant.
You've only gotta
look around us
to see what incredible impact...
Sorry, I don't know
what you mean.
...you know, totems can have,
and that's what
we're looking for,
something with bold,
brave impact
that tells us a story.
A totem is almost like
a three-dimensional scrapbook
of your life.
Definitely. Each element
needs to be part of that story.
But it's gonna be
interesting to see
how they piece those separate
sections together as they go up.
Each individual piece
is almost like
an individual challenge
in itself, isn't it?
It's hand-building,
it's coiling,
it's slabbing, it's throwing.
It's really exciting.
I'm genuinely
really excited about this.
I'm completely with you.
I just wanna see our potters
give us the best,
totems worthy of the final.
Yeah, bring it on.
Hello, Christine. How you doing?
I'm doing OK, thanks, yeah.
How does it feel
to be in the final?
Quite a shock.
Just never expected
to be at this stage.
You deserve to be here.
You showed us...
I'll start crying.
But you showed us
with your self-sculpture
what you can actually do,
and how you can
express yourself with it,
and it was,
well, potter of the week.
So, tell us, what's your design
looking like, then?
When I started designing it,
I was just thinking
about elements of my life,
and I then saw a theme
family, people,
and then education.
Christine will showcase
her love of teaching
with a slab-built
stack of books
and leather school satchel,
complete with stitching,
rivets, and strap.
She'll top her totem
with an abstract
sculpted finial of her parents,
while the base will celebrate
the large family
close to her heart.
That's gonna be coiled,
and then I'm gonna press faces
through it,
and that represents
all my family members.
- It's such a big build.
- It's huge.
Obviously all these pieces
are individual in themselves,
and it's getting
all those pieces
to work together aesthetically
when they're finished.
I've thought
about them individually,
but I've yet to do the drawing
where I see them stacked up.
Yeah, sure, OK.
Key to the potters' totem
is a strong foundation.
This is gonna be my base.
This is the big one.
A big base provides stability.
That's a whole lot of clay.
Helping to prevent
their structure toppling
under the weight
of their assembled items.
This is really important,
because this is the base
that everything else sits on.
But the larger their form,
the greater the chance
of the wet clay collapsing,
or their base cracking
as it dries.
So it needs to be
structurally well engineered.
While AJ takes to the wheel...
I thought
now that I've discovered
I like throwing big things,
I've got to throw something big
for the final challenge.
Whoa, well done, AJ.
That's incredible.
...Anna and Christine
have both chosen
to hand-build theirs.
I'm coiling the base.
I was looking for a former.
My sister checked her cupboards
and gave me the wok.
A former will help
support their base
until the clay is dry enough
to take its own weight.
I'm using a bin lid. It's a very
nice bin lid. It's friendly.
It's got a big open mouth
and big googly eyes.
Kind of wanting to talk
to my bin lid. Is that weird?
You've definitely lost it.
Celebrating her zest for life,
Anna's totem will sit
upon a giant base,
signifying
the strong foundations
provided by her parents.
She'll slab-build a backpack,
complete with map
and water bottle,
a nod to her travels
and love of adventure,
and show off
her sculpting skills
with a brightly decorated duck,
dedicated to partner Skip.
There's a lot
of different elements,
some difficult shapes to build.
I mean, spheres
are notoriously difficult.
I was hoping to throw this
in two parts.
- So two bowls.
- OK.
You've gotta think
of the precision
of each bit fitting together.
Yeah, I mean, throughout
this whole process, Anna...
the way you work with the clay
is fantastic.
And that is the reason
why you're here.
Are you surprised to be here?
I am. I'm very surprised
to be here in the final.
And I'm doing it
with two exceptional people.
- Oh, thank you.
No, Siobhán, no.
The other potters.
- The other potters.
- Oh, yeah, them.
- - Ugh. Whoa.
- Can I help?
Oh, yeah,
could you just watch over me?
Yes. Watching over,
watching over.
The potters have finished
building their bases.
Oh, well done.
- Thank you.
- Well done.
That's how big it is, is, is...
For those using a former...
Right, I think I'll put this
in the drying room now.
...the clay must firm up before
it can be safely removed.
It's going to plan so far.
The base is drying.
But for our finalists,
there's no time to relax.
My next stage is rolling slabs
so that I can make two items.
One's a satchel,
and the other's a pile of books.
While Christine and Anna have
planned a seven-piece totem,
AJ's ambitious build...
I'm just putting in
some roots,
so it looks
a bit like a tree trunk.
...will be made up
of no less than nine.
I'm making eight pieces,
and then my finial for the top.
Yeah, it's gonna be
a long one today.
Sat upon a tree-trunk base
will be a double-sided teddy,
celebrating AJ's close bond
with younger sister Rosanna.
AJ's well-worn university boots
will be immortalized in clay,
as well as a dice, signifying
their love of board games.
Atop their totem
will be a signpost,
a nod to the roads
AJ has yet to travel.
I mean, there is a lot
of work in here, AJ.
A lot of stuff to do, yeah.
You have been
seriously ambitious.
I mean, have you got time
to get all of this done?
- - Perhaps.
- Well, look, good luck.
Yeah, I'm gonna need that luck.
Let's leave them alone
so they can do it.
- - Absolutely.
- Thanks. See you later.
Potters, that's two hours gone.
- - No.
- Yes, I know.
- - The look of shock on Anna.
- Right, need to speed up a bit.
I'm now trying to throw
two bowls.
Basically, these two bowls
come together as a globe.
A globe is one of the most
challenging forms in ceramics.
- How are you?
- Stressed.
- I'm throwing my globe.
- OK. Anything I can do?
- You could throw this.
- I really couldn't.
Not only must the potters
throw two matching bowls,
but to produce
a perfect sphere,
the dimensions of each form
must be identical.
That's exactly where I want it
now, so happy enough with that.
Just a few millimeters out
could mean
the end of the world.
You just hope that everything
you've considered works.
But they won't know for sure
until they attempt
to join their bowls
after they finish drying.
These are the legs
for my teddy piece.
The teddy has the most pieces
out of anything
because it's gonna be
double-sided.
One side of the teddy's
gonna be a lion,
which was my childhood toy,
and the other side is a rabbit,
which was my sister's.
Me and my sister have always
gotten on really well,
we're really close, so I think
this is like a cool symbol
of us growing up together.
Cute.
- Oh, my goodness.
You just love
being outdoors.
- - Is that me?
- Yeah.
I look like an old man.
Oh. Oh, my God.
Your face!
AJ was always exploring,
always getting into dirt.
When they started university,
they tried pottery
and just totally fell in love
with the feel of the clay,
and what they could create
with their clay.
And since then, they've been
coming home covered in clay.
Yeah,
and you could just see
the enthusiasm in their face,
just, yeah, pure joy.
We're very close,
and I'm so proud
that their love for ceramics,
and making things
with their hand,
and making mud pies,
has brought them this far.
They've made it to the final.
I'm just incredibly proud.
Um, couldn't be prouder.
Making me tear up.
- You OK?
- Yeah. Sorry.
I'm gonna give you a hug
after this.
Do you like it?
I love it.
It's really cool.
- It's very AJ.
- Thank you.
Done the throwing.
Now I've got this mad bird.
I use my hands a lot
in the making,
so I sort of can feel
what's happening with it.
This bird, it symbolizes
Skip and my relationship.
It's fun, it's silly,
but it's freeing.
And it's supportive
and it's... it's uplifting.
She's very loving,
very caring.
And she is happily unorganized.
Drops something on the floor,
and that's where it'll stay
until she either trips over it
or picks it up.
And that's Anna to a tee,
you know, just chaos.
Oh, my goodness.
Oh. Oh, Zimbabwe.
After first meeting in Africa,
Anna and Skip have been
together for over 20 years.
Ah, but now that,
no eyebrows and no hair.
That's your chemo time, yeah.
In 2009, Skip was diagnosed
with stage four lymphoma.
I was totally reliant on her.
Totally reliant on her.
But she never made me feel
that I was any weaker,
or any less of a person,
because I was going through
some troubled times.
She was always there,
always kind.
Always positive.
She is very, very talented, the
painting she does, the pottery,
and every day is a learning
curve for her, she says.
Every day
you're learning something.
So, to be in the final,
I mean, it's... it's brilliant.
Very, very, very proud of her.
I couldn't be more, really.
- Who's your friend?
- Ah.
- This is George.
- Hello, George.
George is freedom,
joy, contentment.
Did George take a while?
What... What's happening?
I just get cramp. I just hit
my arm, and it goes away.
You've got cramp.
Is that because
you're working so hard?
This is it. There's not a lot of
time, and there's so much to do.
I'm very worried about time.
I've got a globe to join.
I've got a satchel to make.
There's a lot of this to do.
Faces of family.
They're not gonna
look like family,
but it's just gonna be
a representation
that, you know,
it starts with my family.
Look at your little face.
Growing up, it was very much
the three of us.
I always remember
going out skateboarding,
and she'd always jump
on the skateboard with me.
She was great as a mum.
Oh, wow.
Granddad there.
My dad. He was
a larger-than-life character.
He was immensely proud
of his family,
and I think
I've inherited that from him.
"Enough love."
Whenever I hear somebody go,
"much love" or "one love"
or "enough love,"
I always think of him now.
My dad got ill in November,
just at the start
of the second wave of Covid,
and we got called in
and we spent, you know...
we were lucky, we spent
the last few days with him,
but it wasn't
a nice thing to see.
When my granddad passed, Mum
did stop pottering completely,
which is totally unlike her.
Pottery is my mum's happy place,
so seeing her lose that
was difficult.
I think I was shell-shocked
from everything
that had gone on, you know.
I'd lost that joy of making
for me.
And I think
going on the Throw Down
has given me
some of that joy back.
Now, reaching the final,
I couldn't be prouder of her.
My granddad, he'd be screaming.
I think he would have loved
seeing his daughter...
...his daughter...
...on the Throw Down.
Yeah, I think he would.
I think he'd have been
very proud.
Potters, I don't want to be
so final about it...
but you've two hours left.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, I'm annoying.
Putting the rucksack together.
This is the satchel.
I'm working as fast as I can.
I've got to
at least try and make it
look like a satchel
at the moment,
because I can't leave myself
with too much to do
at the decorating stage.
I'm trying to make
the front of my boots.
I'll be glad
when this is finished.
This is probably
the most time-consuming piece.
They're really heavy, actually.
They're not made for walking.
I'm thinking
of taking this off the mold
'cause it's beginning to crack.
- - Be careful, Anna.
- Um...
- - It's beginning to crack.
- Do you want me to take it out?
- Yes, please.
- Oh, jeez.
- - Ah.
- Oh, there we go, there we go.
- - Have you got hold of it?
- A great big crack at the side.
- - OK, we can fix that.
- Yeah.
It needs support.
- - Ooh.
- Right, that's it.
Does it look OK?
It just needs
some support.
Oh, Jesus.
- AJ, you legend.
- You did it.
- That's not too bad.
- It's salvageable.
That's patchable, absolutely.
Thank you, AJ. We can fix this.
Potters, just one hour left.
- How you getting on?
- It's just taking so long.
There's just so much,
isn't there?
Oh, man.
I'm gonna run out of clay.
I've made the tree stump,
the house, the boots, toy,
and I'm just working
on the plant pot.
Next, I'm going to cut holes
in everything.
This is the size
of the pole that
all these things sit on.
I'm just marking
sort of where the hole is.
I'm going
bigger than the pole
because I've got to allow
for shrinkage.
I'm a little worried about
putting holes in everything,
'cause it sort of makes
the structure a lot weaker.
How you getting on?
I've still got
quite a lot to do.
What can I do to help?
Some moral support
would be much appreciated.
You can only do what you can do.
- - That's very true.
- Um...
A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.
- - What does that mean?
- I don't know.
- I think it's rude.
- Thank you.
For Christine, Anna,
and their globes...
Ooh. The scary bit.
...it's the moment of truth.
This is gonna be the world.
That's a hell of a globe,
isn't it?
That's got to be trimmed down.
I'm trying to make it rounder.
At the moment
it looks more plant pot shaped.
It's extremely difficult to get
the seal right, the join right,
and then I've got to make it
nice and rounded.
I wish I was a flat-earther.
Potters,
that's ten minutes left.
- Ah!
- Last ten minutes.
Oh, my goodness.
These are rocks.
Yeah, I'm hoping this will
give it a bit of support.
The rings represent
how many years I've been alive.
I'm hacking away at that.
The plan was I was gonna put
a wee bottle in there.
This is the finial for the top.
It's a sculptural piece
of my parents.
I'm gonna mold
the figures first,
put the heads on, and then
just a quick hollow out.
This is the top piece.
It's based on the signpost
at John O'Groats.
It represents
where I'm going next in life.
Ooh, that's a hell of a flame,
isn't it?
Slightly larger
than anticipated.
It's the fastest thing
I've ever made.
And remember, potters,
everything has to be
in the drying room at the end.
- Ah.
- Ooh, no.
George's head is coming off.
Ooh. This is not good.
Great, Christine.
You're doing brilliantly.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Wait up for me. Hold on.
OK. It's fine. It's fine.
I'll catch you on the way up.
OK, George, you baby.
Come on, Georgie.
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven.
That's ten seconds left.
Is everything in?
Five, six, and the finial.
Yeah, we're in.
Back at your desk.
Four, three, two...
one...
And there we have it!
Well done.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Whoo!
You certainly deserve a break
after that. Potters dismissed.
- Can I lie down?
- No.
- Well done, guys.
- That was epic.
It's now going into the kiln,
I am worried
about the dome cracking.
I'm worried
about the bird as well,
because he started to crack.
I'm worried
about everything, really.
I can't believe
that I've made
all those things in one day.
The earth is quite dodgy.
So I need to bring my A game
when I decorate.
I've done the basics
of what I set out to do.
It was brilliant,
last day making.
Still got to decorate
all of that.
It's the final of
The Great Pottery Throw Down.
And lurking under the hessian
is the second challenge
that'll help decide
who's crowned our winner.
Oh. Now I'm scared.
Hello, potters,
and welcome to your very final
second challenge.
Whoever wins this
will reign supreme.
You will be creating... a crown.
A crown? Oh.
And who better
to tell us how to do it
than our very own Rich Miller?
- - Take it away, King Richard.
- Right. Right.
You are going to be
piercing a crown.
Oh.
You've got a slip cast
porcelain dome.
Initially,
I'm just gonna measure out
all of the angles, just separate
it up into a grid, essentially.
This is one of the trickiest
challenges we've given you.
With piercing, sometimes called
the devil's work,
because it's a bit
of a devil to do,
it's all about being precise,
and tidy, and accurate
with everything.
- Well, it is the final.
- No pressure.
The idea with piercing
is to create something
intensely ornate,
and that's what makes a crown
the perfect subject.
I've roughed out that design.
I'm now gonna start
cutting away,
and this is where it starts
to get interesting,
because once you start
cutting that clay,
you can't put it back.
You all look sort of
a bit terrified.
No second chances.
And you'll notice
I'm leaving the pieces in.
It just supports the structure.
Now I've cut that out, I'm just
gonna start removing pieces.
This is where
you have to be really careful,
because you're taking away
the structural integrity
of that dome.
You'll be in trouble
if you remove too much material,
because the dome
will start collapsing.
To fettle it off,
just use a damp sponge.
I would urge serious caution.
If the sponge is too wet,
it will just collapse.
Also you have
slabs of porcelain.
You can create gems if
you want to, and stick them on.
We're looking for nice,
precise cutting,
a good geometric design
that works right the way
round the form,
and something really decorative
and fitting of the final.
This will be judged blind,
so, judges, please,
have a cup of tea.
Potters, you have one hour
for your very final
second challenge.
- OK.
- And your time starts... now.
Ooh.
OK, what do we do?
What a bizarre challenge.
Completely unexpected.
The pressure's on for this one,
to come up
with something special.
It's throwing me off.
- - For sure.
- Bit shaky.
I'm just trying to calm myself
down while I'm gridding.
So I did plan. That's my plan.
I'm kind of going for tears,
they're my tears,
dripping all over the crown.
I'm not gonna do
any planning on paper,
because it's not crown-shaped.
I'll plan on the piece itself.
Christine, have you got
your design all done?
I'm just drawing it on now.
Oh, dear.
My lines aren't even good.
But while Anna and Christine
are busy
applying their designs...
They've already started.
Help.
...AJ's are yet
to leave the page.
I actually don't know
if I'm spending my time wisely,
but I just can't start something
without having a plan first.
It's just not in my nature.
Come back to me in a week.
Ooh. You're cutting already.
Do you like it?
- Not my thing, really.
- No, isn't it?
Symmetry and precision
doesn't really play
to any of my strengths.
Are you beginning to enjoy it
while you're doing it?
I'm enjoying the cutting.
That's good fun.
I like using a sharp knife.
I don't think
you should be given a scalpel.
I don't think I should be.
Did we get a note about that?
They're very foolish,
aren't they? Yeah.
I've gone for it with the knife,
but I can't hang around.
I've got half of a plan
at the moment,
so I just knew
I needed to get carving.
Just need to decide
on something.
Right, I can start
marking it out now.
There's maybe large
cutout sections with the knife,
and then a lot of small holes.
How are we doing here?
I've started cutting.
I need to stop my hand
from shaking.
- Do you want me to shout at it?
- No.
Do you like
this sort of challenge?
Yeah, but, you know, it has made
me nervous. I don't know why.
Could it be
because you want to win?
Um, I'd like to win at least
one of these second challenges,
Have you won any of them before?
- No, I haven't won any.
- Oh.
Yeah, so that would be
quite nice.
- OK, well, the pressure is on.
- Yeah.
Potters, you're halfway through.
30 minutes gone.
- - 30 minutes left.
- Halfway through is concerning.
This is not looking very good
at the moment.
I've got most of the top design
cut out now,
so the plan is, complete that,
do the bottom one,
and then clean it all up.
Next stage is to start
poking pieces out
and seeing what I've got.
OK.
This is actually
the nice part of it.
I'm still thinking,
oh, good God, what am I doing?
But I'm actually quite enjoying
the process of it now.
You've gotta keep your eye on if
the rest of the crown's moving.
If it's not, then I know
I'm OK to push it out.
But it is a bit scary.
Time to push into it.
Um... Ugh.
Darling potters of the pottery,
you have ten minutes left.
There's quite a lot to do.
I've got to get these out
and then tidy up.
If there's any time at all
after that,
maybe put, like,
something on there.
Gonna put a knobbly thing
on the top.
Three little teardrops
all sort of in one.
Like tears of a crown.
I kind of like it. Very messy,
but I like the shape.
Can definitely
get it smoothed down.
Whether or not
I can get the gems I wanted
stuck to the bottom
is the question.
I'm making jewels.
When I was a small child,
I just dreamed
of being a princess
and wearing a crown,
and these are my tears
for never owning one.
I can feel it
getting softer.
I'm trying really hard
not to push into it too much,
'cause I might collapse it.
- Ugh.
- Potters, last minute.
Last minute remaining.
This is the final part,
so I'm sticking these gems on.
I don't know how important
the topper is to the piece.
I think it definitely does
make it look more crown-like.
Just trying
to keep myself calm.
If I panic,
my hands will shake even more.
I'm gonna stick with it.
I want my topper.
There. Almost done.
I've actually enjoyed it,
despite myself.
We've gotta get some gems on.
Oh, no. It's not staying on.
Do we get a pillow
to present it on?
Potters, that's the end
of the challenge.
Step away. Down tools.
Stop it. Put down the crown!
Time just goes so fast.
I didn't quite finish putting on
my gems, but at least I tried.
The judges are looking
for beautifully ornate crowns,
pierced to perfection.
It's like holding
a newborn baby, isn't it?
But who will be crowned
the winner
of the final second challenge?
Ooh.
- - OK. We start over here?
- Yeah.
This potter's chosen
to leave the top quite enclosed.
I don't know whether
that's just a time thing,
or a conscious decision,
but it makes it feel
kind of quite top heavy.
But I love the symmetry
about it.
- - It's incredibly regular...
- Yeah.
...in its pattern.
There's a few splits
at the top of the teardrop.
But nothing really
to write home about.
It's nice and regular,
and it's still standing up.
OK. Wow. It's clever.
It looks like
there's been a lot taken away,
and yet, actually,
these main structures here
really hold the form up,
don't they?
I love the way
this has been taken out
at the bottom here.
It feels like
it's just balancing
on the top of that base rim.
There are a couple
of adornments missing.
Oh, dear, yes. I don't think
that's a design feature.
I think they obviously
ran out of time.
Shame, though,
'cause, you know, on the whole,
that's got loads going for it.
Absolutely. Wow.
- Whoa.
- There's a lot going on here.
There is. That is an incredibly
complex geometric design.
Love the way
that this central star
feels like it's being suspended
by those small points.
The cutting is very tidy,
very consistent.
The curves have
a nice fluidity to them.
Really, really good.
Shame there's not something
on top.
The judges will now rank
the finalists' crowns
from bottom to top.
In third place...
- - This one. Whose is this?
- Mine.
Anna. It just feels slightly
like this top is unfinished.
You've cut so much away
around the side,
it just makes that top
look a bit heavy.
So, in second place, we have...
this one.
AJ.
I just love the way you've cut
away from that rim at the base
so that all of those arms
coming over just have real lift.
Just a shame
you couldn't finish off.
So, in first place,
we have this one.
I just applaud your ambition.
Beautiful.
- Well done, Christine.
- Thank you.
And that's the first time
you've won a second challenge.
Ah! Oh, well done!
- And what a time to do it.
- Fantastic.
Really well done.
Well done.
I won the second challenge.
Finally.
That is so cool. Well done.
I'm so pleased for you.
It's gonna give me
a lot of confidence
for tomorrow. I feel great.
I was a bit annoyed at myself,
not managing to get
those last pieces on.
Maybe if I'd spent a little
less time at the start planning.
But, yeah, I feel like
I did the best I could do.
I did what I could
with the challenge.
It's not my strength.
I'm third out of three.
But I'm gonna do everything
I can tomorrow.
The totem is such a big build,
and there's so many things
that can go right
or wrong with it.
It's gonna be a huge task ahead.
It's day two of the final make,
and after a 24-hour firing,
the potters' totem pieces
are ready for decoration.
I'm a little bit worried
about decoration.
There's lots of little pieces
to glaze.
There's lots of smaller details
on those pieces.
It's gonna be intense.
But whether
there's anything to decorate
is a hessian-shrouded secret.
Everything's coming out
of the kiln today.
Concerned about my base because
it could have a few cracks.
I've a few worries.
This is the last way
I can show them
that I deserve
to be here in the final,
so, yeah,
I want to do well today.
Just wanna rip the sheet off.
Potters, your garden totems
have been bisque fired
and are now ready
for decorating.
The decoration on each section
could match,
coordinate, or even clash,
it's completely up to you,
but what's really important
is that every element
of your build and decoration
come together
as a complete totem
that tell us
your distinct story.
Now, these are designed
to withstand the elements,
so your totems
must be fully glazed.
We want you to really show off
all those decorative techniques.
Show us what you can do.
OK, potters,
you have five hours,
and your time starts now!
Eee... Ooh.
Hoo-hoo! Intact pieces. Yay!
This was what
I was most worried about,
but all of the joins
have stayed on.
- Nothing's cracked off.
- Everything's intact.
I was extremely worried
about the base.
And there's not
a single crack on it. Yes!
- But Christine...
- Oh, my poor mother.
...hasn't made it
through unscathed.
My mum's head's come off.
- And that's not all.
- The base.
That's a bit smaller
than I remember it.
I wanted it to be bigger.
I wanted more of an impact.
And the world has come out
how I remembered it,
which is not a good thing 'cause
I didn't remember it well.
I'm going to fix
my mum's head on
by putting glaze underneath
where the join should be.
Hopefully the head'll
just stay with it.
- Good luck, guys.
- Let's go. Let's do this.
To bring their pieces to life,
they have a large selection
of metal oxides and glazes.
I tried to get every color
I could in there,
to hopefully give it
some contrast.
So I've got the tree trunk base.
I'm mixing
some brown and black together,
and I'm just gonna do
a quick wash,
sort of dirty it up
a little bit.
I'm gonna put on
some black lines
to look a little bit like bark.
While AJ is throwing
every contrasting color
they can at their totem,
Christine is planning
a more harmonious design.
These two pieces
are getting
a stone denim glaze on there,
and then I'll probably
use that glaze
to do parts
of the different pieces.
It starts off this rusty
sort of color,
but when it gets to a certain
temperature goes blue.
They'll need three coats of that
for it to pool,
and if I can get it
to pool well,
I think it'll be
quite impressive.
But before Anna can begin...
This is going to be
blues and greens,
and then the little figures
are gonna be brightly colored.
...she's taking the time
to plan out every brushstroke
of her illustration-rich
design.
Just get all
of the pencil work done,
the drawings on them.
It's about childhood. I've got
a sister and two brothers.
So I've got my brother sleeping,
and my sister reading,
and then there's me sort of
just, you know, doodly-doo.
Is that how
you're going to be walking
out of the pottery?
Is this figure a winner?
We're all winners in this room.
Jeepers. They can't hear you.
Close your ears!
- Do you wanna win?
- I have.
- I'm here in the final.
- God Almighty.
You know, we've got to the end.
- This is a competition.
- No.
There can only be one winner.
We need tension, drama.
Not nice people
who are just happy
because they... they got clay.
Potters, damn you
for being so weird and nice.
That's one hour gone.
- You're lying.
- One hour gone.
I've done the satchel
because it represents school.
And the school I went to,
you had to have a satchel
or a briefcase.
My mum spent money,
which often we didn't have,
to get that satchel for me.
I'm just trying to age it
a little bit
by adding some black underglaze.
This is the biggest
surface area,
and it's probably
the most complex as well.
So gotta nail it,
but I've also not got to spend
too much time on it,
because I've got
six other pieces.
- Hey, AJ.
- Hello.
The last glaze
that will go on to bisque.
- - It's such a strange feeling.
- And is this what you're doing?
They're all quite different
in terms of color.
I was trying to sort of get
a contrast between everything.
Have you thought about
where you're applying the glaze?
Obviously it's kind of visible
from every angle and every side.
Yeah, I was thinking about that,
actually, because I thought,
oh, I could save some time by
not glazing the bottoms of them,
but you're gonna see
all of that,
so there's nowhere to hide
on this make.
Yeah.
Hello, two-headed teddy bear
that isn't at all terrifying.
- Yeah, it's my Franken-bear.
- Your Franken-bear.
What color are you going
to color the inside of the ears?
Sunset-y yellows and oranges.
Does your sister,
like, use the ears
as sort of a comforting thingy?
Oh, well, she did
when she was little.
- - Yeah, definitely little.
- She's 17 now.
Yeah.
I'm onto
the rucksack now.
This really symbolizes
when I offloaded everything
I had and went to Africa,
and ended up making a life there
for ten years,
and it was absolutely
a life-changing experience.
The judges are looking
for beautiful decoration
that not only brings to life
the potters' pieces,
but their stories too.
I was thinking
about my school days.
The books symbolize teaching
and gaining knowledge myself
through education.
I went fishing with my mum
and dad, and my mum had a go,
but she's really allergic
to fish,
and she couldn't get it
off the line
'cause she couldn't touch it, so
she swung it around all excited,
and she slapped me in the face
with the fish.
That was a great day.
It's flowers
with dancing people on it.
These are all representations
of friends.
We would have done part
of our nurse training in Derry,
so these are that group
from well over 30 years ago.
And we still meet up a few times
a year. Mad nights out.
- Hello, Christine.
- Hello, Keith.
So how's your bottom?
The base is underwhelming
in that it's not the size
I wanted it to be.
But the build was really good.
There's no cracks at all,
so I'm quite happy with that.
And what have you placed
on that?
A stone denim glaze.
I really liked that.
So I've made that run through
each piece somewhere.
You've thought about the color
scheme all the way through.
- Yeah, yeah.
- It's fantastic.
Potters, last hour.
One hour left.
I'm free-handing
this lettering to save time.
Hopefully it'll pay off.
How could you not love
that face?
- And George's isn't bad either.
I'm highlighting the UK,
and then Jamaica
round the other side,
and that represents
Dad coming over
during the Windrush generation
and meeting my mum.
I've got a blue
reactive glaze on my dice piece,
so hopefully that'll be
nice and shiny.
It's blue, but you can
sort of see the clay underneath,
so I'm hoping
that you'll be able
to see the numbers
underneath the glaze.
I was gonna try and scratch
the clay to create brickwork.
Do you know how much time
you have left?
I don't.
If I tell you,
will you give me
this granola bar?
You can have my granola bar.
Ten minutes left!
Ten minutes left, potters,
to impress...
- There you go.
- Thank you.
...the judges
for the very last time.
Funky nonbinary socks,
which I kind of wish
I had in real life.
To ensure the garden totems
are weatherproof,
a second transparent glaze
must also be applied.
Takes longer than you think,
putting transparent glaze
over everything.
I'm just literally
throwing it on.
Just slap it on, Anna.
Just slap it on.
- - Slapping it on.
- Give it that last extra push.
And remember
to clean your bottoms.
Ooh.
Ten seconds.
Three, two, one.
Brushes down,
lovely, lovely, potters.
- Well done.
- Oh!
Well, well done.
Well done. Come on, AJ.
- - Oh, my gosh.
- Aw.
- Well done, everyone.
- We did it.
We did it. Huzzah!
Huzzah!
Congratulations, pirates.
I felt I gave it everything, and
in the make as well, you know.
I mean, really,
when you think about it,
we spent 13 and a half hours
on these totems.
There's an awful lot of work
gone into it,
and there still
wasn't enough hours in the day.
Oh, I feel exhausted.
It feels a bit surreal,
to be honest,
because I can't do anything else
at all before judging.
That's it. Yeah.
Just be careful
with my mum's head.
Yes.
I honestly don't think I could
have put any more into that.
I was focused
from start to finish.
It's a weird
bittersweet feeling.
I'm glad that we're finished,
but I'm also sad
that that's the last make that
we'll ever do in the pottery.
It's judgment day.
The potters' totem pieces
have had their 24-hour firing,
and for our three finalists,
there's nothing more
they can do.
I'm a little on edge
this morning, actually.
It's always nerve-racking,
getting stuff out of the kiln,
with the uncertainty
of how it's gonna come out.
I'm hoping it comes out
as I imagine it,
that it's vibrant,
the colors are crisp and clean.
Good luck.
- Good luck, guys, yeah.
- You too.
It feels pretty scary, actually.
All the ten weeks
has led to this.
Everything I've done
has led to this moment today.
So it's a big thing.
Whoo.
- - Oh, look at this.
- Oh, my gosh.
Wow, Anna. Look at that.
Oh, my goodness.
My mum's head's on.
Yes.
Ooh, that's nice.
Look at that.
I love the duck.
I really wanna see it
all together now.
Potters, your garden totems
look absolutely brilliant.
Massive congratulations
to you all.
So let's start the judging,
and we're going to begin
with Christine.
On first appearance,
the thing that leaps out to me
education, family.
You can see all of those themes
coming through immediately.
The way you've stylized
those books
and the way you've stylized
that satchel
is just absolutely amazing.
The way that binding
goes through the leather,
through the material,
and joins on,
and all of these rivets
and the stitches,
there's a level of detail
that's just exquisite.
This has worked
really, really well for you.
This glaze has really seeped
into those indentations.
Would have been nice to have
that slightly bigger, I think.
A base of a totem, it symbolizes
stability, foundation.
But this is just wonderful.
Again, as we've seen
with your self-sculpture,
that simplicity
of line and form,
and yet really, really bold
and brave.
And I just... I just love that.
I just think it's great.
I just think it's really good.
- This, not so much.
- No, I know.
If that had just had
a bit more volume,
it would have created
that variety going up.
And in terms of the profile,
you get a sense
of where those two pieces
have been joined together.
But aside from
the proportions of this,
we couldn't have asked
for much more.
And would it look good
in a garden?
Yes, it bloody would. It would
look fantastic in a garden.
- Thank you.
- It's wonderful.
Brilliant. Well done, Christine.
Thank you.
- - Hello, Anna.
- Hello.
- Hi, Anna.
- Hi.
Hello, George.
I feel like
I'm being stared at.
What I just feel
overwhelmingly is
it's got your voice, your
spirit, written all over it.
You've just got
such a specific way
of working with the material.
It's quite beautiful to watch.
Chaotic at times, but not in
a bad way. It's just incredible.
I can't believe
this isn't canvas.
And this map, you know,
there's so much to see.
It's really beautiful.
The illustrations,
your skill with a brush,
is just fantastic.
There's not one bubble
or slip of the brush,
and down here,
really, really characterful.
I, for one, am just so grateful
we've got a dome
that everything's sitting on.
Putting those rocks around it
just to add that stability...
Yeah, that was
a very, very good call.
There are sort of things that
I'm not entirely sure about.
Like this edge. That feels
very exposed and very raw.
You've got a few
stress cracks here in the duck,
but apart from that,
it's absolutely wonderful.
Definitely.
I'm still being stared at.
- - It's fantastic.
- Thanks. Appreciate it.
Anna, you happy?
- - Hey, AJ.
- Hello.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Wow.
The first thing
that really leaps out
is how successful that
random collection of objects
works as a composition.
The way you move
up the garden totem,
you've got that lovely solidity
of the stump at the bottom,
and then this kind of hotchpotch
of all sorts of different
shapes and forms, but...
They seem to work together,
don't they?
They do,
and they're so clearly you, AJ.
And your hand-building skills
are just brilliant.
I just love that teddy
with the house on top of it.
In terms of the construction,
everything is on point.
The seams are all smoothed.
All of the right surfaces
have been finished.
You've got black underglaze
underneath the boots, you know,
so if you were sitting on
the ground and looking up at it,
after a heavy day,
heavy night, who knows,
no surface
has been left untreated.
But that dice,
losing the numbers on there,
that's a slight drawback.
I mean,
that glaze itself, though,
is just incredible.
Oh, it's just gorgeous.
But above it,
that sign is just fantastic.
I don't think
there's ever been a final
where we literally haven't got
anything in between you.
Honestly, and the way
you just come in here
and you just hit the ball
out of the park,
and it's just amazing to see.
It was overall
really positive.
I'm really glad
that they liked the forms,
and how they worked together.
I do feel on the edge. It's all
sort of coming to a head.
The judges aren't giving
anything away.
And I don't think they know.
The feedback
was brilliant.
It was much better
than I expected.
They feel I do have a really
good connection with the clay.
It's actually lovely
to hear that.
If I did win,
I would be blown away.
It would be total shock,
and I would be...
yeah, I'd be
absolutely delighted.
Judging went really well,
so I'm feeling really excited
about going
into the announcement.
It feels just unreal.
One of us is gonna win.
And that could be me.
What a final. We've had
garden totems. We've had crowns.
I mean, they've literally
given us their life story
through the medium of clay.
What more do you want from them?
Yeah, I mean,
they've all brought
intensely personal stories
that have blown both of us away.
Yeah, the bravery they've shown,
that's the thing for me.
And when they, when they...
when they come up
to that judging table,
and they show us what
they've made, and it connects,
that's just mind-blowing,
it's incredible.
Who is worthy
to be this year's winner?
Our three potters all have very
different strengths, actually,
so it makes it very difficult
to pick between them.
You know, you've got AJ, who is
reliable, incredible builds,
the quality is always there,
you rarely see any cracks.
You've got Anna, who's just got
this energy about her,
and that kind of intuitive way
of working with the clay.
- - Far more organic.
- Yeah.
And then you've got Christine,
who can carry these beautiful
stories with what she makes.
So it makes it really difficult
to pick between them.
Well, how on earth
are you ever going to decide?
I think we just need to
discuss it a little bit further.
Oh, right.
Will I head away, so then?
Yeah, you go and get
another cup of hot chocolate.
I will.
It's decision time.
As our finalists await
the announcement,
past potters, friends, family,
and a very special guest...
Oh, it's so nice to be back
and see everyone.
...are here to cheer them on.
It's so lovely
to be back.
It's like being back at school.
You have all the butterflies,
and excitement,
'cause you're gonna see
all your friends again.
AJ should win, because
they are absolutely amazing,
and just everything they make
is so unique.
Anna could win it
just because
she's got a way with clay.
You can see the movement
in the pieces she's made.
It's rare, I think,
that somebody has a quality
that means you can automatically
recognize their work.
I would love
Christine to win.
She really had kind of
fallen out of love with clay,
and the process of being
on this, she's got that back.
Thank you, and welcome
to our past potters,
and our finalists' families.
I would also like to extend
a very warm welcome
to our lovely Ellie, who held
the fort while I was away.
OK, then, the moment
you've all been waiting for.
May I present to you
your finalists.
AJ, Anna, and Christine.
Ah!
Potters, thank you so much
for making this
an absolutely incredible final.
The judges have made
their decision.
The winner of this year's
Great Pottery Throw Down is...
AJ.
Yes! I knew it!
Oh, my God.
- Seriously, congratulations.
- Thank you.
Don't cry.
Oh, my God, I'm so proud of you.
You guys
are absolutely brilliant.
- Oh, I'm so pleased.
- Well done.
This is yours. Well done.
- Thank you so much. Thank you.
- Congratulations.
I'm feeling totally
overwhelmed. I'm so happy.
It's a dream come true,
and, like, a dream
that I never thought
would ever happen.
Congratulations.
So well done. So well done.
My darling, I'm so proud of you!
- Well done! Well done.
- Thank you so much.
Just a wonderful
worthy winner.
AJ just has
a real sense of style.
The hand-building
is just sublime.
Absolutely marvelous.
Thank you so much
for having me.
AJ won three
potters of the week,
and five second challenges.
That's gotta be a record.
From the very outset,
they've just had consistency.
The quality of the makes
has been incredible.
- Well done.
- That's amazing.
I had AJ as my winner, so, yeah,
I'm just over the moon for them.
- Aw.
- Proud of you, Mum.
- Thank you.
- I'm so proud of you.
We've come to the end of it,
but this is very much
the start of something.
I've got my love of pottery
back big time,
and I couldn't be more happy.
We're full of celebration
and joy,
and I love
that we started as 12 potters,
and we've ended as 12 potters.
And I'm delighted AJ won.
I'm so, so proud of you.
I love you so much.
They're young and just
starting out in their career,
and this is just gonna be
so game-changing for them.
I just can't wait
to get making again.
I can't wait
to make more things.
And I can't wait to discover,
like, where my pottery's
going from here.
I hope that
I've at least inspired
one person to try pottery,
and one person to be themselves.
That would be wonderful.
And everyone's names is on it.
- There's AJ.
- And there's my name.
It's brilliant, yeah.
Tears of happy.
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05x10 - The Final: Garden Totem Sculpture & a Devil's Work Challenge
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In each episode, a group of amateur potters compete to complete two pottery challenges.
In each episode, a group of amateur potters compete to complete two pottery challenges.