In 2021, I took part in Channel 4's 'The Great Pottery Throw Down'.

Class of 2021 (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

The show starts out with 12 home potters who are given two challenges each episode. The main challenge is revealed in advance so the potters can plan and practice their make. Over the course of ten weeks, the potters are asked to demonstrate skills such as throwing, sculpting, slab building and coiling. The pieces are fired in electric kilns, raku kiln, gas kilns and even pit fired with cow dung! The second challenge is a spot test, which is revealed to the potters a few minutes before having to complete the task. For season four, this included throwing a pitcher and identical cups while blindfolded, modelling a musical instrument, and making a set of bricks!  It was a wonderful and challenging experience, and I was so thrilled to be crowned the winner at the end of the ten episodes. 

Being presented with the winning trophy by Keith Brymer Jones, Richard Miller and Siobhan McSweeney. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

Fruit week challenged the potters to make a bowl and fruit.

Making a chicken brick out of terracotta. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

Discussing plans for my howling wolf water fountain with judges Richard Miller and Keith Brymer Jones (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

Decorating the olla pot and seed jar as influenced by Acoma traditions. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

The challenge for the semi final was to create a hand basin and pedestal. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions)

The final make was inspired by the ceramics of Clarice Cliff and the Art Deco era of the 1920's. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love Productions).

The final challenge included a punch bowl and six cups, a ladle, and two decanters. (Photograph: Mark Bourdillon/Channel4/Love productions).

The Winning trophy and plinth. The decals are of objects that represented our time on the show, such as bottle kilns, t.v. cameras, covid masks and Gladstone museum.There are also written messages from all those that were on set. We all became close as we lived in a bubble for three months (due to the corona virus pandemic).