06x03 - Trio of Birds and Hot Water Bottle Challenge

[bunniefuu]

It's week three here at Gladstone,

as our ten remaining potters face

a feathery challenge that is often
associated with some

other famous cobbles.

This week we're going all retro
as our potters make a trio

of flying birds.

Welcome to The Great Pottery
Throw down.

Good morning. Sup.

Last time, the potters slab-built
ornamental keepsake boxes...

Don't mind me, I'm just judging you.

...and felt their way...

Where? What?

...through a blind
throw down challenge.

t*rture, pottery t*rture.

And while Caitlin's backpack
secured her Potter Of The Week...

Caitlin.

...Fabiola's dancing daughters lost
their heads.

So heads and a bit of arm...

But it was Fliss's wave
that broke too soon...

Two cracks, yeah.

...as she became the second potter
to leave the competition.

Oh, wow.

This time, Retro Week sees
our potters face a trio...

I just have one bird, great.

...of hand-built birds...

Feel a bit unnerved by them
and their beady eye.

...and things heat up with a vintage

hot water bottle th row down.

Oh, God, it's just hard.

Who will soar...

They're almost, dare I say,
perfect to the brief.

...and who will have to flee the
nest?

Yeah, well done.

Our fledging potters are back
to take on a classic challenge.

Week three. I'm feeling very happy
to be here today.

Another day in pottery paradise.

We are doing a trio of birds
this week.

This is exciting.

I mean, I love birds, but I've never
made any birds before.

As long as they've got an eye, two
wings, beak, then it's a good clay.

Welcome back, potters.

For your main challenge this week,

the judges would
like you to hand build

a trio of flying birds.

Now, the birds should be inspired by
some place you want to fly away to,

but not just yet.
At least finish the challenge.

Rich, any advice for our potters?

The original flying ducks were made
in the 1930s by Beswick Pottery

right here, in Stoke-on-Trent.

Your birds can be in your own style.

Keep them realistic and accurate.

Each of your birds needs
to be of a different size,

so when it comes to judging,
they gain perspective,

and ensure they can be secured
on that judging wall,

so careful planning is definitely
needed.

Potters, you have five and a half
hours, and your time starts now.

This is a bit nerve-wracking.

This is a challenge that I wasn't
looking forward to.

I mean, I have never clone a bird.

I'm a little bit unnerved by them

and their beady eye.

I'm really excited about making
these guys.

It's like a homage to Beswick,
which is really cool.

In continuous production from 1938
to 1973, the Beswick flying ducks

are icons of 20th-century design
and remain highly collectable.

So our potters have a lot
to live up to.

Just getting the complexity
in there, the detail through, making

it really look realistic...

Could quite easily look
like they're just cartoons.

I'm soaring, I'm flying,
I'm winging it!

No.

Retro Week. Keith, I reckon it's got
to be right up your street.

We all remember that iconic
three ducks on the wall.

We're lucky to have one here.

It's just going to be fascinating
to see our potters' take on it.

We want those three sizes -

further-away bird, nearer bird
and even-nearer bird.

I want to see a fairly shallow
profile, and yet real depth created.

This is a great example.

They've just used that low relief,
which is just taking material away,

creating texture and using
that very shallow depth to create

the illusion of much more depth.

But also, they've got to stick
on the wall.

These guys have used a little nubbin
on the inside.

This one on here, it's just got
a shelf where the potter

has really thought about where
that centre of gravity is.

They have to look spectacular
because they're going

to be in your house, on your wall
for a long period of time.

Who's going to be flying high
in The Pottery this week?

Hello, Derek. Hi, Derek.
Sorry, Siobhan, is that...

Blinded!

How many of those jackets
do you have, then? I've got a few.

It hides the desperate dark inside.

So, tell us about your birds.

I'm doing three herring gulls
cos I like Seagulls.

And each one of them is stealing
a different piece of food -

an ice-cream cone, a chip,
and some candy floss.

I didn't realise,
but seagulls, they salivate.

I'm salivating over this Flake.

Derek's penchant for this
oft-maligned sea bird is born

out of childhood summers
spent by the sea

in Portrush, Northern Ireland.

He'll depict his smooth-feathered
gulls mid-theft,

making
off with a selection of booty,

which he'll attach
as separate sculptural forms.

It's quite a sleek bird
and it's quite a grey bird,

so there's challenges there,

but there's quite a lot of colour
in the beak,

things like the ice cream,
and the pink candy floss.

Well, look, good luck with it all.

I hope all the appendages stick...
Don't touch my ice cream!

Buy your own.
Seagull, you see - seagull DNA!

Whilst Derek's gulls
are mostly monochrome,

Helen's flying to the other side
of the world

for something more colourful.

So I've chosen galahs.

But you have to say...
NASALLY: ..galahs.

If you're in Australia,
they are also

a phrase for someone who's
a bit of a twit.

Ya flamin' galah!

Helen encountered her first galah
on a year-long trip to Oz in 1987.

She'll use under-glazes
to replicate their distinctive pink

and grey colouring, and add
small spiky coils of clay

to form their crest.

Why do Australians say
"flaming galah"?

It's probably when they barbecue
them, don't you reckon?

Like Helen, Rebecca's also
taken her inspiration

from down under.

My trio of birds are rainbow
lorikeets.

So these three are flying
to Australia.

Baby Bird, Mummy Bird, that's me.

This one's going to be looking
back to England,

and then we've got Daddy Bird,
which is my husband,

who's not really bothered
about much.

He's just off on his way.

Rebecca, son Henry, and husband
Laurence have just returned

after five years of living in Oz.

By looking back, her Mummy Bird
symbolises Rebecca's homesickness,

which brought them back to the UK.

I like the fact that you've got
a nod to a story. Yeah.

What's the difference between
lorikeets and parakeets?

There's a Lorra lorikeets.
A Lorra Lorikeets?

Disgusted with me? Yeah.

Most of the potters have rolled
slabs of clay...

They nearly all been built as slabs

which I'm forming
over a light former...

...and are fleshing them out with formers
to create the bodies of their birds.

That will stay in
until it's quite dry.

So that's the smaller one.
just starting on the middle one.

Now, this is the big one.

They need to create a sense
of perspective.

This is my former, just this one.

But Fabiola is taking a
one-size-fits-all approach.

At the moment
they look like sausages.

My inspiration is the macaw.

This one especially lives
in the Amazon.

Originally from Colombia, I realised

how beautiful Colombia
is with the mountains.

All the green around,
all the beautiful animals.

With dreams of her
homeland's Amazon in mind,

Fabiola will depict her
blue-and-yellow macaw

in three different stages of flight,

and she has ambitious plans
for its feathers.

I'm putting the feathers one by one.
Right.

I'm going to put one on top
of the other.

Will you have to sort of cross-hatch
and slip each single?

Yes. Wow. Blimey. Yes.

It's a lot of work!

And Fabiola's isn't the only macaw
in the house.

I chose a macaw.

They're colourful,
got nice structure as well.

It also happens to be youngest
daughter

Poppy's favourite feathered friend.

Rather than adding feathers,

James will form them by carving
into the surface

and meticulously cutting away
around the edges of the wings.

I'm starting with thick clay,
and then as the time goes on,

it gets thinner and thinner,
as I get more and more precise.

You're going to have to be ever
so careful

working on this as it dries out.

Yeah, I suggest don't let
Siobhan anywhere near it,

when you are doing that bit.
I'm just saying.

With three different-sized
birds to juggle...

I need to do a lot of carving.
I need plenty of time.

...managing their drying times
will be a tall order.

I'm starting to do detail
on the biggest one because the tip

of this wing started to dry out
faster than any other part.

Different thicknesses of clay
dry at varying rates.

I'm going to put some cling-film
over these sort of extremities

so that they don't dry out too much,
too quickly.

Get it wrong,
and they risk their birds

becoming brittle and breaking.

The wings are moving as I'm carving,
so every time it moves,

it's going to get a little bit
of weakness in it.

I'm putting them in a dry room
and then adding

more depth sculpture to it, and then
I'll put them back in again.

Whilst most of the potters
are dreaming

of birds from sunnier climes,

Jon's thinking of his carbon
footprint.

Climate change suggests
we shouldn't fly anywhere,

so I'm not flying.
I'm going to go on a boat.

So I'm going for puffins
as the three birds.

Inspired by a family holiday
to Skomer Island, west Wales,

Jon's puffin
will emerge from the sea

with a beak full of eels, and water
still dripping from its feet.

I love puffins.

They fly very funny, their little
legs just dangling.

Yes, they take ages to
take off in the water.

They do miles along the water till
they eventually get airborne.

Hilarious. They're the Charlie
Chaplin of the bird world.

So if you were a bird...
I'd be a puffin.

You'd want to be a puffin? Yeah.

George has also opted for a bird
with great potential for comedy.

The bird I've chosen to do has an
unfortunately silly name.

It's a blue-footed booby.

And for me, they epitomise
the Galapagos.

I've never been to the Galapagos.

My parents go on lovely holidays,
and tell me about them afterwards.

And I'm green with envy.

Model led on the birds
in his father's holiday snaps,

George's boobies will be sculpted
out of solid clay

and hollowed before firing.

He's depicting them
mid-feeding frenzy.

So I want to capture that.

Just about to hit the water,

you know, really tight,
sleek, smooth, BSSSSH!

One flapping about, one bulleting
in, and one flying off.

Oh, sheesh!

You're halfway through.

Halfway through.

Oh, my gosh.

As Fabiola struggles with her
mammoth feathering session...

I just have one bird. Great.

...Chris top he has concerns
of his own.

This is part of the feathers.
It's a risky move

because every tip that gets, like,
overhang can definitely break.

To commemorate a formative
university field trip to Egypt...

One of the birds of the Egyptian
mythology is the peregrine falcon,

which represents courage
and strength.

...architect Ch ristophe's
peregrine falcon

is diving down and soaring away

with its prey - a mouse -
between its claws.

But he's set himself a mighty task.

You've got a lot to do
because they're quite big areas.

Exactly.
And I've seen all the others,

which look more,
like, confined, but...

Coming to blows!
They do look fast coming over.

How are you thinking of applying
it to the wall?

So there is a big
slab underneath it.

Kind of a structural grid
to be sure that it's not

going to tilt over and everything.

You want the weight to be sort
of pulling down, don't you?

We'll leave you to it.

While Chris top he has big ambitions,

I always think that good things
come in small packages.

Last week's Potter Of The Week
has gone for a little bird

that always puts a smile
on her face.

My trio of birds is hummingbirds.

When you're worrying
and you shouldn't worry,

then these are my three
little birds that will hopefully

keep me not worrying.

Caitlin's love for the tiny
hummingbird goes back to childhood.

She'll capture its imperceptible
wing movements in three distinct

poses and will use under-glaze
and detailed carving

to reproduce its iridescent breast.

Very long, delicate beaks.

I know, I know.

So susceptible to breaking.

If I give the illusion
of it being long

and thin, but I still want it to be
fairly sturdy to prevent it.

Right, 0|

And hopefully I can try and capture
the kind of essence of their beak,

but not risk their breaking
at the same time.

OK, well, look, good luck. Thank you
very much. I'll see you later. Thank you.

Ancl now I'm making sure
that I do my joints properly.

Hopefully, this will hold it.

The more appendages
the potters add...

I'm doing the feets,

which is very tricky to make
it realistic. It's not easy.

...the greater the chance
of breakages during firing.

My bird needs some feet...

Not too thin, otherwise it's going
to crack, and not too thick,

or it will look unrealistic.

Derek, is that the ice-cream
cone getting added? It is.

And if it stays on,
it'll be a miracle,

But, you know,
we believe in miracles.

But Lois isn't taking any chances.

I thought making them in one
piece would be beneficial.

Hopefully, I'm not going to get
breakages where there's joins.

As she's drawn to all things
Japanese -

particularly its ceramic tradition -

Lois has decided to make
a trio of Kawasemi,

the common Japanese kingfisher,

diving into the water for fish.

You've never been to japan?

I haven't, no.

Have you travel led much?

A bit. I didn't go, like, travelling

and do the whole, like... Gap year.

Gap year. Me neither.

I sort of got to London and thought,
"That's enough now. Thanks."

I was a bit scared of
the escalators when I arrived.

They do go very quickly.

They're quite smooth birds,
but even then you would still

have the individual feathers.

I'm just using this brush to give
it a bit of a texture to it.

The potters have been tasked with

using low relief
to make their birds look

as three-dimensional as possible.

It's very fine carving to try
and generate a lot of depth

with very little actual
physical depth.

So you've got some BD-ness
to that structure.

The glaze will run into any texture
that I make now, and it will

just make it look a lot
more realistic and interesting.

While the rest carve to give
the impression of depth,

George is taking a more
hands-on approach.

So I'm trying to get the proportion
of a wing right.

They have lovely bones
on their wings, raised bits

where the bones are, and I'm
trying to keep some of that.

I did do some sculpture at school.

I did some really good sculptures,
but I need to speed up a bit.

Potters! A little birdie told me
you have one hour left.

Thanks. No?!

One, two, three.

For the potters who used formers...

Oh, everybody's flipping.

...they now face the unnerving task
of removing them.

It's like a bird autopsy, isn't it?

When I remove the former,

it could result in
fracture... Not fractures!

It's out. Whew!

Whew! Whew!

Well, OK.

But Chris top he is facing
his own challenge.

I'm carving out the birds

because there is a huge
thickness of clay.

He's creating an elaborate support
system for his large flat wings.

And I do try to leave a kind of sort
of a grid to support the wings.

Potters!

I don't want to be...

...a bird-en.

Yes, nice.

But you've half an hour left.

Half an hour now.

Half an hour? When did that happen?

I missed one wing.

I need to make it so quick.

So I need to get the thing
that's going to take the screw

to hold it on the wall, to try to
get that fitted into the back.

To ensure their birds hang
on the wall successfully...

I never made hanging ceramics
in the past,

so it's a bit nerve-wracking.

...it's crucial the potters create
a snug space for a single screw.

I've already got this bad boy
installed.

Get it wrong, and their birds
could fall off their perch.

Not particularly sophisticated,

but hopefully it'll work. I hope!

There's always a worry
about if it's too heavy,

you know, it might not stay
on the wall.

Oh, my God! You made me a Flake!
Don't eat it! Don't, don't, don't.

Ten minutes left, potters! Ten
minutes left! Yeah, yeah, yes, yes, yes.

I'm kind of rushing.

This is the time when I become
kind of nervous.

This is my last one.

But, I mean, I haven't finished
carving in my wings.

All right. They need a bit of
attention, but that's OK.

I keep seeing bits
I need to tidy up.

For me, a lot of mine
is going to be in the painting

because it's quite a smooth bird.

I've tried to detail the feathers,
scratched a little detail into here

so I can pick up the colours

when I paint them on to give
them a little bit of depth.

Daddy Bird's looking very angry.

Oh, look, he's serious.

He's having no faffing about today.

I really like their fluffy chins.

Potters! Remember!

A bird in the hand is worth nothing.

You need to have everything in the
drying room by the end of this session.

Thank you. Thank you, Rebecca.

I'm a tiny bit disappointed
of the pattern,

but too late to change.

Come on, Chris top he.

Good man, Chris top he. Wonderful.
Get it in the cupboard.

Well done.

Flapping away in there. George.

Oh, well done, Lois.

No, in, in! In, now!

Missed a bit, I missed a bit!

Oops.

I'm really worried.

Just a little movement,
and then I will break him.

Come on, Derek.

Don't drop that ice cream.

Like chickens going home to roost.

OK. Who's left? Lois.
Yeah. Are you ready?

It might make all the difference.

Just that...

I'm rushing it.
I am stressing out a little bit.

Don't leave it too late.

Ten seconds left, George.

All right, if you take that one...

Eight, seven,

six, five, four,

three, two, one.

Well done.

OK, then. And that's it.

Potters, dismissed.

Well clone. -Well clone.
Yeah, we did it.

I quite enjoyed it.

I got all the detail on that
I wanted to do,

all the textures I wanted to do.

So, so far, so good.

My main concern
would be for the large bird.

It can either be in one piece
or into millions of pieces.

It's in the hand of the gods now.

As the potters wait for their flying
birds to be bisque fired,

ready for decoration...

I'll stand in the middle today.
Hello!

...they face a second challenge
and, as usual,

they have no idea what it is.

Welcome to your second challenge.

And this week it's going to be
a throw down,

and you will be making

an old-fashioned hot water bottle.

Oh, my word.

To show us how it's done
is master potter Rich Miller.

Well, thank you. OK.

You've got two kilos of clay,

and you're going to be throwing
in slightly different weights,

because you've got to make one
of the components first.

You've got to make that neck

that you're going to stick
on to the bottle.

The clay is quite firm.

It's just going to cone up
and down a couple of times,

and when you bring that clay up,

you're going to throw a spout
off the hump.

So that's my spout, and I'll stick
that onto the bottle in a minute.

You're then going to throw the body
of your hot water bottle.

You've got the needle tool
to check the depth of your base,

so you push the needle tool in,
slide your finger down,

bring it out, and that that's left
is the depth of your base.

You want to be around about 9mm.

So now you want to start
collaring in the top.

Because this needs to be a knob,

I'm going to seal that top up.

Ancl you want quite a generous knob.

Absolutely. These will have hot
water in them, you know,

and this is the knob
that you'll be using to hold it.

Offer up your spout.

So it's going to be kind
of more of a slip and wiggle.

Is that a technical term?

Yeah, a bit of a slip and wiggle.

OK. That feels pretty firm.

Ancl you need to cut the circular
piece out from the inside

and bring the clay outwards,

which is quite tricky.

Once you're sort of happy,
wire that off,

and that's your old fashioned
hot water bottle.

Ohh! Excellent! That is great!

This is going to be blind judged,
so we're going to ask you to leave.

Please be gone.
Make me a cup of tea.

Good luck. Good luck.

You're going to need the luck, guys,

because the judges have given you...

...30 minutes... Oh! Wow!

...and your time starts now.

Remove the hessian.

Ancl we're off!

That is a tough piece of clay!

I'm just trying to cone up
and centre the clay a bit.

Just got to remember to make
my little spout first.

God, it is hard!

Nowhere near centred.

Hello, Siobhan. Hello.

Look, you've done this already. Yeah.

Have you worked off the hump before?

Many, many years ago.

Don't do it very often.

Oh, God. I can feel palpitations.

Oh...

Oh...

Arghg

Oh, that's a little bit rubbish.

Potters, who has their knob off?

Yeah, I've got my knob off!

I've got a knob off,
but I'm doing it again.

You didn't like that knob?

I'm picky about my knobs.

She's very finicky.

I don't think that was meant
to come off like that.

I think that's the bottleneck.

And the knob is on top,

without having to correct
your knob usage...

I suspect you know
far more about knobs than I do.

I shan't comment.

I feel like there's so many
parts to this,

I can't really get my brain
around what I've got to do next.

I guess I've got to make
the actual bottle now.

Achieving the right depth
and width of base is critical

if the potters are to leave
themselves enough clay

to achieve the height Rich
and Keith are looking for.

We're trying to
get up to 300mm or so,

about a foot high.

Helen, how are we doing?

I'm just going to check my base.

OK. Because it's all about the base.

What are you most...

The base is quite thick...

Now that's near enough to 9mm.

I'm all right with that.

I need big muscles!

This is not going well, is it?

Come on, come on, Fabiola,
you can do it!

Nice height. That is definitely
over the 300 millilitres.

That is a ruler. Millimetres.

That's what I said.

So much wobble on it.

I can't stop it wobbling.

Oh, God. It's just hard.

It's just getting more and more...

Potters, you're halfway through.

Halfway through!

Ooh, she scares me!

I need to gather me knob.

It's going to break.

Oh, come on. That's it.

I just need to dry it.

It's not really going
to be enough, is it?

All right, we give up on that idea.

Small is beautiful,
small is beautiful!

I put too much pressure on my knob.

I feel like my life here in the studio
is just covering up stupid mistakes.

It's got a funny shape!

Oh, no.

Oh, God.

I leave it like that.

Better keep going on it.

Potters, you've five minutes left.

Five minutes left.

I don't know how to do this.

Right. OK, let's just get it on.

Let's see if I can
get this bugger on.

I need to cut it a bit.

I think you're the first
one who's done that.

That's not going to stick on,
because I've got a top.

Oh, my God.

Fabiola, well done. You did it.
Yes, I did it. I did it.

I love you. I love you.

You've one minute left. Oh, no.

One minute left, potters!
One minute left.

Let's stick everything together
and get it off the wheel.

Oh, my God.
This is an embarrassment.

Eugh, that's really hard to get out!

I can't get it to fall out.

Perfect.

I did it. You did it.

I mean, I can't even show that.

Ten seconds left, potters.

Nine, eight, seven, six,

five, four, three, two, one!

Yes! Once again!

You've got your main make.

Come on, it's OK.

You can do it.

Yeah!

Well clone, Rebecca, well clone.

Keith and Rich will now judge the
potters' retro hot water bottles.

Well, we're going to be lovely
and toasty tonight

with all these hot water bottles.
Yeah.

They are looking for nice fluid form,

around 30cm high,

with a well proportioned spout

and a sturdy knob.

And they have no idea whose
belongs to whom.

OK, Rich, what do you reckon?

The rim on the side
is beautifully thrown.

That's got a lovely profile.

Good, generous knob on the top.

You've got something in
your pocket, haven't you?

Just have a look.

I knew it.

Oh, wow. Oh, very good. Well clone.

Isn't it amazing when you cut
something in half, you can see

exactly where you put that clay?

A good thickness to the base, 9-10mm

that follows reasonably well
through the wall.

So really good. Moving on.

I'm liking the knob.

Maybe could have just clone with a
bit more sort of finger action

underneath just to define
that a bit more.

That's not bad at all.

Not bad at all.

This is the Dalek version.

Insulate!

Thanks for that, Siobhan.

I like the knob on this one.

This one has a great knob.

It's just a little squat and wide.

It's a little thin at this spot,

but on the whole, not a bad profile.

This person has obviously just
struggled to get that clay over.

But what this does have
is a beautiful shoulder.

The rim looks a little like
it's not been bonded on

and they haven't
had time to cut the hole.

The whole clay has obviously come
away and it hasn't left enough

to kind of complete
the knob at the top,

but I love the shoulder profile.

You can kind of see why it hasn't
fulfilled its full height destiny.

It's got a little bit of extra
clay down at the bottom.

We've probably got sort of
15mm thickness there.

Well, this has got a nice
form on it.

Beautiful.
It's almost like a beehive.

It's a very definite knob.

It could have been slightly
larger and a bit rounder.

I love the profile of that shoulder.

That is absolutely wonderful.

It's beautifully even both sides.

That's a great effort.

Managed to collar that in - almost
in too far because we've got quite

a small knob on the top.

Hole's been cut through,
reasonably neat.

Wow. Lovely.

This person has made good use
of the clay.

Yeah. It's a good bit of height.

Ancl the thickness of the base
is really lovely, isn't it?

It's consistent with the walls,
which is what we're looking for.

Last but not least...

This one really makes me laugh.
It's really nice.

As the form suggests,
just a lot of extra clay

at the base that hasn't been pulled
up into the wall, a bit

more of a cone shape, but they all
represent a really good attempt.

So really well clone.

Keith and Rich will now rate the hot
water bottles from worst to first.

In 10th place, We have this one.

Who is this?

Rebecca, you've struggled to
get that clay collared in,

but it was well on its way.

It's a great effort. And we like
the definition on the spout.

Thought that was great.
Great spout. Great shoulder.

In ninth place, We have this one.

Fabiola! Wow.

OK. I make you laugh.
It was great.

It has such character.

In eighth place is Derek.

Seventh place is Helen.

In sixth, George.

Fifth is Lois.

Fourth Christoph,
and in third is Caitlin.

So in second place,

This one. Jon.

Lovely wall profile,

it was just that knob.

Little bit mean,
but beautifully made.

Yeah, well clone, Jon.

So in first place, we have this one.

James. Well clone.

Really lovely straight sides,

really love the shape of the knob.

You flattened that top off
beautifully.

Really good effort.

I settle my nerves now.

It means that when the judging comes
for the birds,

I don't need to worry
too much. As much.

It was so hard, that challenge.

My mum and clad,
when they're watching

they say to me... "Bec, pull
yourself together, get a grip."

I put a lot of effort

into getting a solid knob
on the end of my part

and actually having a big knob.

Sorry... Having... Having a... Help!

It's day two at The Pottery,

and kiln technician Rose

is up with the larks

collecting the potters'
bisque-fired birds

ready for decoration.

It's scary!

The biggest risk on
my birds is the claws -

tiny little elements can
be knocked off very easily.

If there's a big crack
or anything else going on,

it might be a Wingless bird.

We did get asked for
different wing positions,

but I think on the floor

is probably not
what they were intending.

Potters, your trio of flying birds
have been bisque fired

and are now ready for decorating.

Keith, any advice?

We've asked you for low relief,

so we don't want to see all
that lovely detail

be covered over by glaze.

Your bird should be realistic
and accurate to their species,

your colour and glaze choice
and the application will play

a massive role in that.

OK, then, potters,
you have been given three hours

with which to decorate your birds.

Your time starts...

...now! Remove the hessian.

Ooh.

Are you all right? Yep.

I lost a foot.

Me Flake's still on, the
ice cream's still attached,

so, yeah, I'm pretty happy.

I don't know exactly how I can
repair that, but I will not

be beaten by this.

Bit of a bun fight, ladies.

I wouldn't waste a good bun
on a fight.

You haven't seen my buns.

In order to bring their trio
of birds to life,

the potters have a variety of
coloured under-glazes

to choose from...

Jade and apple and forest...

...but whether they have opted
for a bright or tropical bird...

My rainbow lorikeets
do need a lot of colours.

...or one with more subdued colour,
like Jon's puffins...

This is the white for the main body and
onto some blacks and some browns next.

...they need to get the colours
as realistic as possible.

It's important to look
like Seagulls.

I'm going to start with the white

because that's
the kind of base colour,

and then the darker colours
will start to go on top of that,

and the greys and then the blacks.

I start off just giving
a very light coat of the red.

Once I've done this, I'll go back,
adding bits of orange

so that it'll be hopefully
as realistic as possible.

Blue-footed boobies are quite
drab, but they do have a little bit

of subtlety to the colours.

So I'm going to do a King's Blue
on the inside of the wings

and then a very thin layer
of brown on top,

and then bright blue feet.

I'm actually really nervous.

I guess it's that, like, trying
to get them realistic.

So I'm really, like, trying
to look at the drawings.

Underglazes can change quite
dramatically once fired.

I've gone for a blue underneath,

and then a purple on top,

but you never really know
how it's going to come out.

So the more mixing
of colours they do...

I hope this turns out purple.

...the more chance there is
of birds veering off course.

Hello. Hello. How are things?
You worried?

I just want to get as many
shades of pink as possible.

But I'm really hoping my pinks
don't come out too red.

Look at all your shades of grey.

How many do you think there are?

There are probably 50 of them,
I reckon, don't you?

There we go. There you go.

Oh, I'm really procrastinating,
painting my whole body.

I'd probably paint your birds first.

As well as adding
the all-important colour.

The colours are going to make
these birds or break these birds.

Carefully applied underglaze
can enhance texture,

and should help bring depth
to their low-relief detail...

Under-glaze will flood into fine
marks, so it'll get lots of shadows.

The watery bits get caught in the
crevices and add to that 3D effect.

...but add too much,
and the marks could be lost.

I was starting losing
the definition of it.

So I use the sponge
to just suck it out.

So getting the thickness
just right is critical.

I enjoy decorating with underglazes,
and my favourite thing is doing them

quite watery, and how they pull
into the texture you've put in.

Yeah, that's it.
It's fantastic.

So that's what I'm trying to do,
but without having it too washy.

Potters, you're halfway through.

Halfway through.

I'm going to go out with some
yellow now.

My peregrine falcon is quite big
compared to the others,

so might take a bit more time
to decorate, especially

because I have a lot of feathers.

And Chris top he isn't the only
potter with size on the mind.

Hummingbirds are tiny.

They're like this size. Yeah, yeah.

To scale up is really quite
difficult. Yes.

But I am thinking about the beak, because
I've created quite a solid structure.

That means that it won't break.
Yes, yes.

Yes, but I was thinking
of painting on the beak.

But then the sides will be all white,
so create that more illusion of delicate...

So you're hoping that the eye will be drawn
by that very dark beak that you paint on.

Yeah. Well, I will leave you to it.

Good luck, Caitlin.
Thank you very much.

Ah, jeez!

One hour left, potters.

One hour left.

No, I10, no, no.

No good.

These feathers,
I'm going crazy painting them.

There's so many.

Once the base colours are done,
the potters can turn their attention

to any details unique
to their chosen species.

The kingfishers have little
highlights in the middle

of their feathers that were
on their head and down their back.

So they're looking a bit
more realistic now.

I'm trying to recreate that
iridescent look, especially

on the crest of the hummingbird.

This is just the edges of the wings.

So just kind of going with
the shape of the feathers.

But not every bird's colour
comes from its feathers.

A lot of what I've done is around
the face, the eyes, the beaks.

Hopefully they come to life with
the food and that bright yellow

beak with the red spot that makes
them really recognisable.

Hopefully it'll really
pop blue on my feet.

Why are they blue-footed?

Their mating dance is showing
off their feet and they're like,

"Hey, check out my blue feet!

"My feet are bluer
than the chap next door,

"come and see me tonight."
or whatever they say.

I don't speak Booby, unfortunately.

That's not a bad
approximation, though.

So what I'm doing now
is the pattern of the birds.

I need to put black lines
on each feather,

which is time consuming.

Potters! You've half an hour left.

Half an hour left. Yai, yai, yai!

How are you getting on?

I'm feeling OK, but the way I apply
the feathers on it, I think

it's a bit childish.

I don't know what type of child
you were,

but I certainly wasn't making
this when I was a child.

I'm doing now part of the face,

but I keep shaking,

so let's hope that the judges
don't say anything

about the appearance
because it looks...

I hate this, where you're
using solid colour,

I don't like anything that's fiddly.
This is a very fraught moment.

Hopefully this will give
the illusion

of a thinner beak on top
of my fat beak.

The eyes being painted
with a little white clot to give

it just a little glint.

This face looks so funny.

Twins.

Think that works if
it's on a white background?

Mm... Mm...

I'm a bit scared
of how they will hang up.

The wings are quite heavy,
and it's a high chance

that they will do like this.

Potters, you've ten minutes left.

Ten minutes left.

I better stop fiddling and start
thinking about glazing.

Transparent glaze gives the potters
the option to add a glossy finish.

I want to glaze it so that
the colours become more vibrant.

I imagine it flying
out of the water,

so it makes sense
that they'd be shiny.

But not everyone's birds
are getting a full coat.

So I'm thinking to just apply glaze
on the beaks only.

I'm glazing the fish, the beak,
the water on the smaller bird.

So just try to give more
realism to it.

My plan is to glaze on the beak,
and the eye,

and leave everything else
not shiny - I like matte.

OK, then, guys. The last five
minutes.

Oh, gosh, I thought I would
have had more time.

Glaze the old chip.

Hopefully the transparent glaze
will bring out the colours, but I do

want to keep it relatively
thin so that the relief

will still come through.

Chris top he, are you dunking?

It just looked like your falcon
was like taking a little sip.

Hey, exactly!
Two minutes left.

Make sure your bottoms are clean.

You done, done? Yeah.

Can you give me a hand?
I need a sponge to my bottom,

and I haven't really looked at them.

How are my lovely puffins?
It's almost there.

How are we doing here?
I need help cleaning my bottom.

Anybody willing to help
clean George's bottom?

First in the queue, me.

It's like a sewing circle, isn't it?

Team Booby. Booby, yay!

Five, four, three, two, one.

That's it.

Well, well done.

The Beswick tributes will now
be glass-fired to 1,120 degrees...

This bit's like an escape room.

Hold the crate at the right angle...

...and when they're next reunited,

it'll be time to
hang them up for judging.

I'm really pleased with my puffins.

I think I was quite proud
of what I've made there.

The only slight risk is whether not
glazing the whole body was the right call.

I've definitely taken a gamble
with the beaks.

I'm going to be trying not to think of
it, but it's just unnerved me a little bit.

I'm probably going to have an
upside-down bird at the end.

It's going to be like a horror
movie, you know?

The birds are turning around and...

It's judgement day.

I don't want to see them.

And after a 24-hour glass-firing,
it's time to discover if the potters'

trio of birds have survived.

Please, pretty please, kiln gods.

If it comes out in one piece,
I'll be happy.

I'm a bit nervous about it.

The main part now is how
it will hang on the wall.

Wow.

They look amazing, guys.

These are all incredible.

All came out in one piece,
and they all look pink and grey.

Job's a good 'un.

I don't know.

I don't think the colours
really came out how I wanted them.

Maybe the judges will look at them
differently to howl look at them.

Their flying birds now face
the judgement of Keith and Rich.

Your trio of flying birds
look fantastic.

So let's get started.

Derek, would you please
bring up your trio of birds?

Watch your chip.

Oh, I forgot.

Got a pressie for you.

Ahh! You win.

I think the subtlety
that you managed to build

into the surface is beautiful.

Ancl then there's just these little
pops of colour. It's all you need.

You had to get that grey right,
and you've managed it.

They feel true to their species.
Beautiful.

Now, let's see if
they go on the wall.

Oh, hang on.

On the wall, actually,

you get a real sense
of the perspective,

that kind of flying off
into the distance.

The moment you put
that large one on,

I could tell they
were going to work.

Well clone, Derek.

Thank you.

I'd say the low relief element has
worked really well for you.

Ancl you could have quite easily

have got that pink really wrong.

It could have gone red.

Ancl I'm just amazed that you've kept
all the plumage on the head.

So am I! It's incredible.

I've got to hand it to you on
the level of detail,

the intricacy of the surface.

So why don't you give it a go?

No guts, no glory.

Chris.

Nobody breathe!

Oh, my goodness.

They cast quite a striking
silhouette.

You know, you really get
a sense of that movement.

They feel quite animated.

Well clone, Helen.

Yeah, really well clone.

Thank you.

You've got plenty of
colour in there.

The subtlety of the grading
of the colour.

I love this green, actually.

The black along here on the
wing-tips really adds definition.

They feel like people. There's
a real life and vibrancy to them.

64,000 question. Yes.
Do they hang on the wall?

Oh, dear.

Wow.

They really come to life.

It does look
like you're looking back.

It really works.
Looks exactly like you.

You should be really proud of those.

Because they're wonderful.

They look fantastic.

You've made us smile.

So well clone.

They're beautiful, Jon.

The way you've managed to
build in that low relief,

you've really captured
that essence of puffin.

I really like the fact
that you haven't glazed them

and these little pops,
just putting that bit of glaze

so that the beak catches the light.

It's inspired.

It may not have worked if your build
hadn't have been so perfect.

You've got the proportions right
and you've managed to get every

single aspect of the body
absolutely anatomically correct.

So, do they hang on the wall?

They look great, Jon.

You should be so proud.

You've really, really observed
it really well. The whole thing.

Thanks.

The obvious thing for me
is that this beak could

have been slightly thinner
and more finessed.

But the way you've applied
that colour to each area

of the bird really works.

Ancl I love the way the light catches
that and enhances that.

I think that's
worked really beautifully.

Let's have a look at them
on the wall.

They actually look better,
much, much better in sit...

And, actually, you do lose some
of that beak to a degree

because your eye is so taken
by the black.

Ancl we definitely can't fault
the ambition.

It's really, really tough.

I wanted a challenge,
and I gave myself one.

That blue along with the yellow
really pops.

Ancl I love the fact you've only
glazed the beak,

but the issue I have is that

they're all roughly
the same kind of size.

The sheer volume of work
you've managed to put

into the feathers is incredible.

It's just the bodies.

The proportions are slightly out,

doesn't feel like it's as well
observed as the feathers.

Let's do it.

They look better on the wall
than they did there. They do.

Ancl you really start to appreciate
how you've kind of created

those feathers individually,

because you kind of see them
as a silhouette.

They're vibrant. just a bit like
your personality, really.

They look great. They're quite
sculptural rather than low relief.

That gradient of colour
and that flash of blue just really,

really works for you.

The glazing on those wings,

they catch the light in such
a lovely way.

Ancl the wing positions,
they just give them such energy.

They feel like they're really
in action, but they are very deep.

They are much more sculptural.

Do you want to see if they hang
on the wall?

You can see that soaring high,

spotting the prey, coming
down and coming away again.

I love how well observed it is.

Well clone.
Well clone. Thank you.

They look fantastic.

They're wonderful.

The proportions are spot on,
but the quality of the surface,

these little feathers, the mark
making is beautiful,

given they're sort of so
flat to the surface.

You've built in so much form,

it's the best possible
example of low relief.

It really is.
So let's see if they go on the wall.

Lovely. They've got a real energy
about them.

Ancl there's a timeless quality
about them.

Works really, really well.

Oh, no. Come on, let's put him...
Let's do that.

There you go. Yeah.

They are rather large.

Ancl it's a testament, really,

that it hasn't actually
cracked or split at all.

This is quite a complex structure.

I'm not sure whether you really
needed to do all that.

Ancl the other thing that I noticed
straight away is the muted palette

colour that you've clone,
but the fact that these really pop -

that's really, really nice.

It would have been nice to see
the finish on the surface.

Just a bit more finesse.

I love the mouse and the way
you've just curled that tail

round onto the body.

Let's see how they look
when you put them up on the wall.

Don't drop it.

All right.

If you put that shelf just behind
that wing, all of a sudden

that gravity would have worked
in your favour.

The colour palette works really
beautifully on the wall. It does.

Ancl actually that large one
works really, really well.

That's really quite striking.

Thank you.

Well, James, they're brilliant.

We couldn't have asked
for a better trio.

They're fantastic.

You've got this red just right.

I'm really liking this technique
of cutting away at the edge

of the bird to accentuate
those wings.

I love the level of detail
you've managed to create.

Some of the lines are just so fine.

The quality of the glazing
is just exquisite.

So let's see if they stick
on the wall.

Yeah, yeah, they might...
They might not work.

Who knows?

OK, that's fine.

Wonderful.

Your wing-positioning choice
is sublime.

They just have such energy,
such character.

Brilliant. Brilliant. Well done.
Thank you.

Thank you much.

It's been a great week and lovely
comments from the judges.

It feels like there wasn't
any negatives at all.

So, as best I could do.

Yeah.

Yay! The judges had some nice things
to say about my kingfishers.

It's good to get some positive
comments, but it's just

been an emotional roller-coaster
this week, so I'm really glad

that it's nearly finished.

Pottery can be soul destroying
when it comes down to it.

It could fall short or it excels.

It can really influence
your emotions.

I think I gave myself too much to do

in this challenge that actually

I didn't really focus into details.

I definitely would love to stay,
but if it's my time to go,

it's my time, you know?

So...

Well, it was lovely
flying away with our potters

this week here in Retro Week.

It was really extraordinary

how everybody sort of
stepped up to the challenge.

I really enjoyed judging those.

Yeah, we're really starting
to get to know

where our potters' strengths lie.

It's been really informative
this week.

Who's in line for
Potter Of The Week?

James has had a wonderful week.

The way he'd created feathers,

the surface pattern he'd managed
to put in there,

they were extraordinary.

He was really on fire this week -
first in the second challenge

and just sublime trio of birds.

I was really impressed with Jon.

I just... I loved
the coming together

of the engineering Jon and actually

the freedom of the artist in Jon.

He's really starting to
learn to let himself go a bit.

Anatomically,
they were so well observed

and, actually, it was a really bold

and brave move not to glaze
the whole bird and it really,

really worked for him.

But then Lois has had a great week.

It was unbelievable how she managed
to use those under glazes and blend

them down into colours
that were true to the species.

They just felt delicate
and beautiful.

Ancl the proportions were fantastic,

not only within each bird itself,

but in the set of birds.

I think, of any of them,
those would be the ones

I would have on my wall at home.

Who's in danger?

For me, Fabiola. Those blue macaws,
they had really fat bodies.

They were kind of all the same size.

She didn't do terribly well
in the second challenge.

She was second from bottom.

Chris top he had a...up-and-down
week, shall we say.

I really felt for Chris top he.

He'd obviously put so much work
into the grid-work on the back.

What he was trying to do was trying
to make the whole structure

stronger, but there were much, much
better ways and more efficient ways

of being able to do that.
It took a lot of time.

It was just lacking
in a number of ways.

Proportions were slightly large.

One of his didn't hang up straight
because the centre of gravity

was off, and he'd lost a foot.

So it wasn't ideal.
It wasn't a great week. Bless him.

OK, then.

Well, you go off and decide that.

I'll fly up to The Pottery

and entertain them, and stop
them from getting in a flap.

Flap? See what you did there.

Thank you. I'll... I'll go now.

The judges have made
their decisions.

Let's start with the good
news first.

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

James.

Thank you. Thank you, James.

Well done, James.

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

...Chris top he.

I'm so sorry, Chris top he.

Don't worry, mate.

I had a lot of fun.
A lot of stress, as well.

But I made some beautiful friends

that I'm just going to have forever.

I'm going to miss you so much.
Friends for life.

Yeah. Friends for life.
Definitely.

I'm leaving hEIPPY-

I would have loved to stay longer,
but at least

what I experienced was great.

We can tell you gave it everything.

We've loved watching you work.

It's all about passion,
and passion for clay.

Ancl you've given it to us
in bucket-loads,

so... brilliant.

It's hard to see a friend go,
but then I'm here.

I'm still fighting and I'm going
to do my best to continue.

I'm learning so much
that I'm super happy.

So as Chris top he leaves The Pottery,

james's flying birds take third spot

in the Throw down Gallery.

What I loved about James
becoming Potter Of The Week

is that he's been so close
in previous weeks,

he's won every second challenge,

but he's never
been Potter Of The Week,

and this week everything seemed
to come together for him.

The level of detail and texture
that he created in that low

relief was beautiful.

The colours just popped,
but he'd used them in such

a sensitive way, and once
they went onto the wall,

they just came to life.

They were incredible.

It couldn't get any better
because, you never know,

anything could happen, and it's nice
to have your work appreciated.

It's amazing.
It's an amazing feeling, as well.

You never know what it's going
to feel like, but when it happens...

Oh, yes! Yeah.

Thank you very much!

Next time...
I have a lot of adrenaline.

...our potters are getting
into their groove.

You make me dance now.

There's a blast from the past...

Hi, nice to see you!

...as an alumni potter
pops in for a master-class.

OH! But things are heating up...

Oh, no.

...as they tackle the unpredictable
art of Raku firing.

Too late. Oh, that's all right.