Great British Pottery Throwdown

I've had a lot to say, not always in a positive way, about this reality series in the past.

However, I watched the first episode of the new series on Sunday and actually quite enjoyed it.

In absolute honesty I think the, not so novice, potters had a huge challenge. It's no easy task to centre a large amount of clay on the wheel, especially for those who are not very confident with larger quantities in general, but 5kg is a very chunky amount. I would have struggled preparing 5kg of clay, never mind throwing it! Plus the shape of the cheese bowl is also quite an unforgiving form.

So that in itself was a difficult first task, but for them then to have to make not only a cheese dish, a fondue pan but also two matching pickle jars with snug fitting lids, all within 3hrs! Wow! So, I personally take my hat off to those potters.

Then came the second throwing challenge, goblets.

Again a difficult shape and one to be done at speed as well. Personally I'm not a lover of chalices or goblets having solid base stems, I feel it makes them too heavy, I much prefer making them in two parts either with a hollow stem or a turned more refined stem that is attached to the drinking bowl.

I do believe they chose the right winner, I think for this week she definitely stood out from the others, it doesn't take a potter to tell that!

I do always feel it's so unfair to have someone leave after one week. So many things can go wrong at so many stages even to those of us who have been potting for many years. The final glaze stage is often the deal breaker. I felt sorry for the man who left, he wasn't used to working with the glazes he was using, I know none of them are, so it would have been nice to have seen where his strengths really lie.

But that's show business I guess!