Episode 1 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

Britain's long handmade heritage is something we should all be proud of.

But many of those traditional skills are under threat.

Some risk disappearing for ever.

I want to stop that decline, and I need your help, so,

come on, join me, Paul Martin, and my Handmade Revolution!

This summer, the search has been on

for the very best of amateur British makers.

When I saw glasswork, I just fell in love with it,

and thought, "that's for me."

We will find out if have they got what it takes

to make something valuable that will stand the test of time.

They've certainly got the passion.

Self-smithing gave me the confidence that I could do something great.

Oh, yeah, definitely try and take it to another level.

That would be the ultimate ambition for me.

But what we haven't told them is just what an amazing opportunity

we have lined up for one talented individual.

The chance to see their work at the spiritual home of the handmade.

I'm please to announce the judges' favourite today is...

In this series I'm celebrating our talented British makers

and I'll show you how to get involved.

A Jinney Ring, or gin-gang, was a large wheel like this one,

turned by horse power to drive farm machinery.

In fact, the word "engine" derives from this term.

Now, here at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre, in Worcestershire,

a group of dedicated craftsmen and women are some of the engines

powering the drive to keep our craft heritage alive.

So, how many of the handmade pieces

we see will last decades to become valued antiques of the future?

And watch while I have my wood-working ability tested

to the limit, skills which you could learn.

-Good work!

-Everything was moving then.

We have five amateur makers with us today,

whose talent and skill have brought them a fantastic opportunity

to present their finest work to our panel of hard-to-please judges.

Mary Jane Baxter is all about the handmade,

and spreads the word through her writing, teaching,

-and work as a milliner.

-There's real talent out there.

There's so many brilliant British makers.

I can't wait to see what we find.

Textile designer Piyush Suri has an eye for detail,

and is an entrepreneur who

encourages up and coming designer-makers.

There's a revival in handmade all across Britain,

and I absolutely love being a part of it.

And our Head Judge, Glenn Adamson, is renowned

in the world of craft writing and research for his expert opinions.

Britain has a deep and wonderful craft heritage.

I'm looking forward to meeting people

who are taking that tradition into the future.

There's a lot to play for, because what our makers don't know yet

is that one of today's finalists will earn

the career break of a lifetime - the chance to see their work on display,

alongside the stunning collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

There's a groundswell of support behind my handmade revolution,

whose aim is to keep traditional skills alive and kicking.

But it's time to start our search for today's judges' favourite.

Will graphic designer Laura Hart have what it takes

to impress judge Mary Jane?

Laura, you've brought this beautiful piece along,

and I gather that you are a bit of a fan of orchids!

-Just a touch!

-Surprising, isn't it?

Yes, I had 67, and, well, I only have glass ones now, unfortunately.

Hold it up to the light for me, because I think

seeing the light come through this... I mean, that's lovely.

Just seeing that, that really brings it to life for me.

Well, I'm trying to emulate how orchids are.

With the light behind an orchid, you can see every vein,

every single detail.

That's it. It really is so much more like an orchid

when it's held up to the light.

Now, it's made out of fused glass, which I believe goes back to

the second millennium BC. Ancient Mesopotamia.

So, you are carrying forward a terribly ancient craft!

Well, I'm terribly ancient!

How do you go about constructing a bowl like this?

Talk us through the basic techniques of fused glass.

Well, start off, I will cut each of these petals separately

from sheet glass, and then the next process is to flame work.

These little tiny strands are sheet glass, very small pieces,

-run through a flame so you get absolutely hair-fine threads.

-Wow.

And then they are all laid on separately.

This piece, and this piece then sit on the top.

-So, these are all separate pieces?

-Yes.

And the actual fusing technique,

-is done with a huge amount of heat, I imagine.

-Yes.

But glass doesn't like being layered like this.

It will fell shock very often and stress,

if the glass isn't entirely compatible.

I have to grind these down, these pieces,

so they're a millimetre thick.

So they're so fine. If you drop one, that's it, forget it.

It sounds to me like a terrifying craft!

It is, actually. It is, because you...

-So much can go wrong.

-Absolutely.

But you obviously absolutely love it,

and I think you came to fused glass after experimenting

with several different crafts?

Yes. I started out with oil paints, moved on to clay,

found a piece of wood, and carved it,

but when I saw glasswork being done,

I just absolutely fell in love with it

and I thought, "That's for me, I must do it."

How long would a piece like this take you to make?

-Ten days, really.

-Ten days' work?

-Yeah.

And that, of course, means that, if you're to sell your work,

it would be hugely expensive.

I do make things that are far more realistic in terms of price,

and I would say that, if I get a chance to get to sell things,

that would be the staple.

-This is a labour of love. This is an art piece.

-Yes.

I knew I was never really going to get its value,

it was just such a challenge.

-Laura, thanks so much for coming along today.

-Thank you.

If Laura was to sell her orchid,

she'd want around £450, which sounds rather a lot.

But the ten days it takes her to make it, soon adds up.

But will her impressive piece appeal to the other judges

for its shape and statement?

It gives me a sense of actually having created

something of value for me, really.

They're art pieces, and they're 99 percent for me.

And it just gives you a good feeling at the end of the day.

It really does.

Now from glass to metal, but this time re-used.

Tony Evans, a retired insurance man, finds his inspiration in old copper.

I'm sure Piyush will find something to say about that!

Tony, I'm very intrigued about this piece,

it has a lot of emotion and movement in this piece.

Would you like to tell me a little bit more about

what's your inspiration?

I'm really pleased you picked up on the movement,

because that's the main thing I'm after.

I love to try and get the effect of movement.

The actual feeling of the animal itself.

Yes, I can feel the emotions of the horse in this piece.

That's what drew me to this piece. I love it.

But tell me a little more about the material,

and how did you make this piece?

Well, the material is copper. It's a mixture of new sheet copper,

and recycled domestic plumbing.

It's a recycled material element to it?

Some of the old immersion cylinders I take out of houses,

they've got beautiful verdigris effects inside.

It's fabulous. And that adds to the texture,

the overall look of the piece.

The actual making process is quite involved, actually.

It starts with quite a lot of sketching and painting.

When you're doing a three-dimensional piece,

it's not like a drawing.

Each time you move it, the actual image changes.

The silhouette changes. So, when I've got the best drawing,

I'll make a small wire version of it,

because, with a wire version, you can change

the angles of the legs a millimetre at a time very, very easily.

And then, when I've got that right, I'll start on the finished piece.

So, how much time does it take you to make this piece?

I honestly couldn't say, because it's a passion and a hobby,

and everything all rolled into one, so,

I'll be sitting in front of the telly of a night,

I'll be making a wire.

I'll involve that with playing with the grandchildren,

-I'm doing it all the time.

-Your doing it as a hobby, basically,

or you are you trying to get it to another level,

because I can clearly see the potential,

you know, as a professional piece?

Oh, yeah, I'm definitely trying to take it to another level.

I mean, my big ambition would be to make this life size,

and have it cast in bronze.

That would be the ultimate ambition for me.

-Why cast in bronze?

-I don't know.

It's like a painter who works in oils.

There's a certain cachet about it.

I think it's more interesting to have this kind of texture,

that gives... Look at the hair and tail, it just is giving the movement

and texture. I think it's much more beautiful than a cast bronze horse.

I mean, I like, I love this material, because it's lightweight,

the tiny chinks and things that are left.

As you move around it, that changes it completely,

that creates the impression of movement,

because the light comes through it in different ways.

So, piece like this, how much would it cost?

-Probably about £1,250.

-Pretty reasonable,

I can see that selling in a lot of galleries here around.

I love the emotions in them. I really like the emotions in that.

I'm delighted to hear you say that,

that's exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

It's just creating a connection with the person,

and that's what a good piece is all about.

It's what a good sculpture is all about.

-A person can connect through it.

-Yeah.

I think your emotions are coming through it,

rather than the piece emotions.

I think that's very true,

because when you work hard at something, you know you've achieved.

If it comes too easily, it hasn't worked.

-It's a labour of love.

-Yes, yeah.

Tony undoubtedly has talent,

and I admire the fact that he's come to sculpture later in life.

Piyush clearly admires the way Tony has made something beautiful

from cast-off copper, as do I.

£1,250 sounds reasonable

for such a unique piece.

But will the other judges like it too?

Some of the pieces that we see today might well stand the test of time

and become the antiques of the future.

Sale rooms all over the world regularly hold auctions

where sought-after pieces by master makers from the past

command hefty sums of money.

This wooden table may seem unremarkable at first glance,

but it was made well over 200 years ago

by an unknown maker. Not every piece needs a name to be prized.

Wood as a material for making goes back millennia.

It's one of the most accessible of nature's resources.

Some pieces only get better with age and use,

but will the buyers see the potential in this one?

The table is probably Welsh. It's a farmhouse kitchen table,

made of sycamore, which is a nice unusual wood.

We consider it to be Georgian,

probably dating to the mid-18th century,

about 1750 and it would have been made by, maybe, a family workshop.

It's pegged, it's made properly with pegged construction,

which is always a good thing to look out for.

It's very hard to say who made it.

Only records exist for top-end furniture-makers

like Chippendale and Sheraton.

A lot of these country makers, very little's known about them,

but they'd have done it all their lives and their fathers before them,

so they learnt the trade that way.

8 to 1200 seems a very reasonable estimate.

I would really hope it makes that and more.

A handmade functional piece that centuries later is rightly admired.

Will any of our finalists' items have an illustrious future?

Alongside woodworking in the canon of British crafts

is the long-standing heritage skill of glassblowing.

Back in Bromsgrove, there's a resident glassblower

bringing the past bang up-to-date.

I think you'll agree, watching the whole glassblowing process

is absolutely magical. It takes 12 hours in the kiln

before the bauble is ready to take out,

so, Stuart has kindly made me one earlier,

which he's finished, complete with our own Handmade Revolution engraving

on it. So, I'm going to hang it, very carefully,

in this tree, outside his workshop.

There we are. Look at that, swinging beautifully.

Isn't that marvellous? The great thing is he changes his theme every odd month

so, there's always something going on in glass.

Here's Mary Jane, whose love of sparkle

means she might find a kindred spirit

in sales assistant Hayley Wright.

You've brought along to show me,

these two beautiful rings, but you're wearing a necklace,

-earrings and another ring.

-And another one.

All of which you've made. After doing a short silversmithing course,

-is that right?

-Yes.

Well, these rings you've brought along are amazing!

So, we've got a snow globe ring and that one is the big cat...?

It's just a tiger ring, I call it.

A tiger ring, they're both fascinating. It's like one of those things,

you shake up and obviously that's what you're trying to capture,

but how did you make it?

It's very hard to make, actually.

It's all made in silver inside, the toadstools are silver.

Then we lacquer them and we put reindeer moss inside there

-because it stays forever.

-You put WHAT inside there?

-Reindeer moss.

What is reindeer moss? Is it a type of real...

It's a dried moss that won't deteriorate,

-they use it in flower-arranging, I believe, and model railways.

-Yes.

It conjures up this image of a fairytale world as well,

which is all about the story behind this ring, really,

-it is a little fairytale world.

-Yes.

-And let's look at this one, too.

He's really lovely, it's a tiger

and you've got a real pearl in there as well. Yes.

What gave you the idea for this? I have a feeling there might be a story behind this one.

Someone said to me, a few months ago, it's better to live one year as a tiger

than 100 as a sheep. It's a Chinese proverb.

How true that is!

But being a sheep for many years... I had a nasty accident

and didn't like leaving the house, and I found that silversmithing

gave me the confidence and belief in myself

that I could do something really great

and I thought I'd rather be a tiger for a bit now,

so, that's what it's all about, really.

-A fabulous story to have with that ring.

-Yes.

It's a reminder every time you see it as well

-of that particular time in your life.

-Not to be a sheep.

Not to be scared, yeah absolutely,

and to take a real leap of faith as well.

Do you do much in the way of commission work?

-Yes. A majority of what I do do is commission.

-Really?

-Yes.

But you still have a day job, don't you?

-This is just an amateur thing at the moment.

-Yes.

I have a feeling that you're somebody who would like

to turn her hobby into a business, am I right?

-It's my dream to do that.

-I thought you might be that sort of person,

because you are really dedicated to your craft,

you love it to bits, and I think jewellery is one of those things,

actually, isn't too difficult to sell,

if you get the right market and you can interest people in your pieces,

-it perhaps is something that could earn you a living.

-Yes.

What sort of price would you expect to pay for something like this?

I've sold a couple of those for £89 at the moment.

That one's substantially more because every ring

-has to be carved to size.

-Right, so how much?

-I'd probably want about £150 for that one.

-I think, to be honest,

you could be looking to sell them for more as well.

Hayley, thank you very much for bringing them along today.

It's been my pleasure.

Hayley's set the bar high for today's other finalists.

I've never seen anything like her snow globe ring before.

£100 for an unusual piece like this sounds fair.

I really enjoy the work and when you see the finished product,

it really gives me a thrill, every time,

not just the first or second, but every time I make something.

My campaign for handmade isn't just about all the dedicated craftspeople

already on message and making, it's about encouraging

everyone, young and old, to have a go.

Pick up a needle or a chisel

or perhaps even a bodging tool.

I've invited some local craft groups along

to join the revelry and I'll tell you, the Bantock Bodgers,

are a motley crew, aren't you, ladies? You really are.

You are keeping the skills and traditions of rag rugging

well and truly alive, right here, right now.

I've never heard of this before and I've never seen it before.

-When you get together, I suppose you have a real giggle.

-Absolutely.

-40 of us, you can imagine.

-40 of you?

-40.

-In one place at one time?

-Yes.

-Bodging.

-The noise is incredible.

-Very noisy.

We've been told off once already today.

Well, I love what you've made, I really do.

I think that's splendid. Tell me all about it.

The actual material we're using today has actually been bought.

In the old days, they used to use material, clothes,

-that they'd thrown away...

-OK, old scraps.

-These are all recycled?

-This is all recycled.

-Brilliant.

-Yes, this is fleece.

-Right, that's fleece.

-This'd do.

-That's it, do you want it?

It's a lovely convention!

-You don't sit down too long!

-You can't have my trousers!

-OK? You can't have my trousers!

-We would, we would!

Can I have a go at this?

-You can.

-Should I practise, or just get stuck in?

Just do it, there you go, we can say this is your bit.

I see the great thing about sack is it's quite pliable, isn't it?

-Just there?

-That'll be fine, yes.

-Stick that there.

You put your corner on the top push.

-Pull it through?

-Pull it through. Halfway.

Now, put another hole next to that one, about three or four strands.

-Bend that over, poke that through.

-Just the end, not the middle, no,

because you'll find it's difficult to pull through at the back.

Put your corners together at the back. That's it. And there you go.

What stops that from falling out, then?

-Each one... the hessian tightens up.

-Oh, I see!

When you put some more next to it, yeah, I see what you're saying.

It pushes the threads out even tighter.

Keep going, girls. I'm coming back later on in the day,

bodgers, to have a look.

'They'd have had the shirt off my back

'for the rags, given half the chance!

'Their enthusiasm and lively spirit should encourage everyone

'to take up the domestic art of rag rugging.

'But one person they don't need to convince is housewife Gail Borschia,

'who's passionate about the heritage technique.'

So, what fascinates you about rag rugging?

Well, I like the thriftiness of it

and I like playing with the colours.

It's very obvious.

Yes, yes, it's the third rug that I've done so I'm still learning,

I'm still playing with the colours.

I do a bit of painting and different things,

so I'm just on my journey really, my artistic journey with it.

So, what is the use for a rag rug? Is it used as a carpet?

You could use it... put it on the floor, or put them on the wall.

They take a long time, so by the time you've done it, you want to put it on a wall!

-You can put them on the floor.

-Because I thought...

there are a lot of textures going on.

Is it because of the limited materials that you've got, the recycled products?

There are different kinds of fabrics.

This is a blanket and you've got a T-shirt there...

this was an old coat of my cousin's,

this was a little bit of eyelash wool.

I like your concept about rag rugging,

like using recycled materials, it's fantastic.

-What I'm having trouble with this piece, there's too much going on.

-Right.

Now, in bits and pieces, there are certain elements which are very interesting,

like this part, I love this bit, you know, the texture and the colour.

-It's very simple, but it's quite contemporary.

-Yes.

Then there are a lot of forms going on and, for me, this colour combination

-is not working, it's very dated.

-Different people

bring different things to it, so your rag rug would be different.

You like two colours, very plain, you could do graffiti if you wanted,

people do portraits, it's just endless.

So, what would be your target market, let's see,

what would be the ideal person who would buy this kind of product?

Well, I'd like to do workshops,

because we've done our house up and I'd love lots of people there,

doing rag rugging, just having a lovely time.

-People coming together as a community?

-It's a social activity.

So, can two people or four people work on the same piece?

What if you don't agree on the colours, then, or the forms?

-What happens, then?

-Well, someone's got to be in charge!

THEY LAUGH

And I can certainly tell who's going to be in charge!

I don't think Piyush believes that turning rag rugs into riches

would be easy and in handmade labour hours alone,

the rug would add up to around £700, but I'm convinced that, for Gail,

it's less about the money and much more about the enjoyment

of making and a desire to share her skills with others.

I think a lot of people could get a lot of pleasure from doing crafts.

To bring crafts into the fore now is really fantastic.

Head judge Glenn is on site to make sure that no handmade gems

go unnoticed and he's found a fashionista in the crowd.

Hi, Cheryl, thanks very much coming in today

and thanks for bringing your beautiful assistant.

Laurie's wearing a dress that you've made. Tell us a bit about it,

what's it made from to begin with?

Well, it's made by a felting process.

Felting, OK, this is another piece you've made that you're wearing.

-It is, yes.

-Your shoulders, OK.

This is very unusual as well, because it's a see-through silk

-and the felt is worked into it, somehow.

-That's right.

It's made by using the natural properties of the wool fibres.

They've got little hooks and crinkles along each fibre.

-It's a bit like natural Velcro.

-Right.

When you massage it with warm soapy water, gently, with bubble wrap,

all those little hooks and crinkles, they all

catch on to the silk, they catch on to each other

and that's how I made the dress.

It's a layer of silk organza,

then merino wool

-then I put all these textures on top.

-One question I wanted to ask

about the dress was that beautiful wrinkled texture in the middle

that almost courses down through the dress like a river,

it's so beautiful and appropriate to the design, how did you achieve that?

With felt, things shrink slightly

and it tends to get that crinkly effect.

Tell me how you got involved in felting in the first place.

My daughter went on a day course

-and then she showed me how to do it with the materials.

-I see.

-I was hooked.

-That's a lovely story, because we often hear about parents

teaching their children a craft, but it's your daughter teaching you the craft

-and getting you inspired, so it's a reversal of the normal process.

-Yes.

Cheryl, thanks for coming in and showing us these beautiful things

and adding an note of glamour to our sunny day.

We have just one finalist left to put through her paces.

Housewife Cathy James also has a feeling for felt.

Cathy, we've got two real little characters here, haven't we?

-Yes, we have.

-Tell me their names.

I've got Blodwyn and you're holding Bronwyn.

I've Bronwyn sitting on my knee.

She's quite an ugly cutie, if you see what I mean.

Oh, I love ugly cute!

THEY LAUGH

Just look at her expression,

I mean, you have got an incredible eye

for people's faces and expressions, because look at that little face.

And the details, little whiskers, the fingernails there...

such attention to detail and I like the fact that these girls

are real tomboys. Instead of a handbag, what's she got?

-A catapult!

-Not your average girl!

And I like that about them.

My little baby's got a peashooter.

She's got a peashooter!

They're quite modern-day trolls, aren't they?

Oh, yes, yes.

And they're made out of needle felt.

Needle felt, yes. From carded fleece.

Needle felting is basically stabbing a pin lots and lots of times

into some raw wool. And as the needle goes into the wool,

it makes the natural barbs in the wool sort of gather together.

And it tightens it and makes it hard.

And how many hours would it take you to complete a figure like this?

With the detail, I would say a good 20 to 30 hours.

Oh, my goodness!

-Depending on how much detail I wanted to put in it.

-Yes.

Have you sold many of them?

I've sold a few characters and I was charging £60.

Doesn't seem very much at all for 30 hours' work, does it, really?

-No.

-I mean, I think you really need to think about that seriously.

I mean, in a way, they perhaps need to be marketed as collector's items.

Because that amount of work...

Yes, no two are the same, ever.

No two are the same. Exactly, Kathy.

So I think perhaps that's where they need to be marketed,

and that sort of price needs to be given to them.

As I said, you know, I expected to hate these!

But having seen them, I've actually sort of fallen for them!

They are so cute!

They are. You know, I never thought I'd want to cuddle a troll!

But here I am, cuddling trolls!

I mean, I didn't think that would happen, ever in my lifetime.

You know. I'd love to see a whole load more trolls, really!

Bye-bye!

As well as encouraging you to have a go at trying to make something,

I want to showcase the people whose dedication to their craft

is what keeps traditional skills alive.

Robin Wood is a respected craftsman. He uses local timbers

and traditional techniques, but with a modern twist.

In the heart of Derbyshire's Peak District,

you'll find a woodturning workshop where old-fashioned man-power

and traditional skills are the order of the day.

Robin Wood, who is chairman of the Heritage Crafts Association,

is so passionate about handmade that he even forges his own tools.

Just looking around, Robin, you know, this is a great place to come and work, isn't it?

It really is. This is your office space.

-It's not a bad office, is it, really?

-How long have you been based here?

-I've been here 16 years.

-How did you find the place?

-Did you grow up locally?

-No, I used to work for the National Trust.

-And this is a National Trust property.

-Yeah, it's a little hidden secret, isn't it?

-It's magic.

But that is the Pennine Way, so you do get a lot of people walking past.

But we're a long way away from the nearest cars.

-So where do you get all your wood from?

-Most of my trees come from local tree surgeons.

So all within 20 miles. You can see, there's not a great deal in Edale.

-But the fact that it's local is important to me.

-It's very good.

You've got a nice piece of sycamore there. Shall we get started?

Yeah, let's get to it!

To get the ball rolling,

Robin has to start with chain-sawing bowl blanks from a sycamore log.

Chunks of wood that will then be roughed out with an axe

to form a bowl shape.

How long would this process normally take with that axe?

It depends how good you are,

but it would normally take me probably about 20 minutes

-to rough a bowl blank with an axe.

-Yeah.

I also cut them with a chainsaw, which takes about ten minutes.

Yeah! OK, let's look at the axe technique anyway, and start it.

Yeah.

'This is a little bit like survival skills, lesson 101!

'And you can't get too gung-ho when wielding an axe!

'But I'm quite at home in a woodpile.'

-You're doing remarkably well, there. Have you done this before?

-I have, yes.

Well, like you, I've worked in wood all my life as well.

But as an amateur, as a hobbyist.

I built a clinker built dinghy with my father when I was about 16

and lots of furniture.

Oh, wow. Clinker built boats are a fantastic project.

-I'd love to do that.

-Yeah. It was good fun.

I can see why he uses a chainsaw now! Yeah, it's starting to hurt.

How are we doing? Yet, it pulls the tendons.

Yours is almost there, isn't it?

I've got another probably 15 minutes, haven't I?

Or you can give up and have one we made earlier?! Entirely up to you.

Do you know, I might do that! Yeah, that's starting to hurt.

-There you go, why don't you have that one?

-OK, thank you.

-I'll have this one.

-Yeah, great.

And we'll take it and have a go on the lathe. On to the next stage!

I'm really jealous of your setup. Gosh, I am.

-It's not a bad spot, is it?

-I feel like I'm on a movie set.

It's that pretty. And obviously this is your pole lathe.

-Here's the source of energy, a sprung sapling.

-That's it.

This is exactly the source of energy!

-You need the spring up there, don't you?

-Yeah, yeah.

'Before I make a bowl, I need to watch all the stages of Robin in action

'to see how to operate the lathe and the tools efficiently.

'Although the bowl is a simple end product,

'it's extremely well crafted.'

'It only takes Robin minutes to get from blank to bowl.

'And I've got a good few hours to try this.

'But it's the sort of craft anyone could get addicted to.'

So what got you into wood turning in the first place?

Well, I was interested in different traditional crafts.

And I heard about this guy, George Lailey,

who had been... everyone called him the last bowl-turner.

And he was the last person who was using just this sort of lathe

to make wooden bowls.

-And it's a tradition that goes back to medieval times.

-Oh, for sure.

But he was the last person making wooden bowls on a foot-powered lathe.

'When George Lailey died in 1958, aged 89,

'the old skill of turning a wooden bowl on a pole lathe died with him.

'Until Robin taught himself the techniques, decades later.

'George's father and grandfather were also bowl turners

'and the Lailey handmade bowls were so sought after,

'they were even sold at Harrods.

'And there are other crafts that could die out

'if some of the specific skills involved aren't passed on to another generation.

'So it's important that we don't let that happen.'

Can I have a go?

But will you really please sort of concentrate and help me?

-I know it's not going to look as good as this, but I want it to!

-Yeah! Yeah.

-Oh, bang on!

-Oh, not bad, not bad!

-Beautiful.

-That's pretty impressive.

-Let's wedge that in tight, shall we?

I wouldn't have a clue which one of those hooks to pick up that you've made.

No, it's a bit of a lucky dip.

I would start with the that one, right hand end of this.

Yeah, that one there is a good one to start it with on the roughing out.

Before you deal with a tool at all,

though, just get your leg moving and get the feel of it.

-Right. So up and down.

-How does that feel?

-Yeah, that's pretty good.

I'm about the right height. That's a good downward stroke.

Obviously all the power is generated on the downward stroke on a pole lathe.

-Exactly.

-OK, safety glasses?

-Safety glasses,

because we are going to be spraying shavings everywhere, hopefully.

This will be going everywhere!

-OK, I've got my rhythm going.

-There you go, there you go. Yes!

Nice!

Good work! Good work!

Everything was moving then!

'This is such an enjoyable process. But it's hard to remember to breathe! I'm concentrating so hard.'

Basically, we've roughed out now. That's the first stage.

That should take you about a minute, there. But, you've done well!

Oh, my arms ache!

HE LAUGHS

Yeah.

So, what we've got to do next, there's two things.

-We've got to flatten the base off.

-OK.

And then we're going to change tool

and get a fine tool to get a really nice clean finish if we can.

How did you make the transition from amateur maker to professional maker, and become a master?

The jump from amateur to professional,

I went in at the deep end. Just jumped in.

But I'd been a very, very serious, dedicated amateur for a good few years.

-A lot of craftspeople have to be obsessive.

-Sure.

-You have to be completely committed, obsessive.

-Yeah.

And I'd spent about five years doing this as an amateur.

-Completely focused?

-Yes.

-That's all you wanted to do?

-Yeah.

And if you do that, you know, whether it's being a footballer,

or a musician, or a craftsperson, if you put in the hours,

you will get good.

Yeah. What do you think of my first attempt?

-I think it's absolutely fantastic.

-I'm exhausted, by the way!

HE LAUGHS

I didn't think it was going to be as hard as that.

No, it is hard physical work.

'Robin makes bowls like these every day and they'll most likely last decades.

'It is all about technique and skill.

'There's no sandpaper at work here at all. It's all tool action.

'Speaking of which, I need to turn the inside of my bowl.'

That's lovely. Absolutely lovely.

-Look at that!

-That a bowl!

-That is a bowl, isn't it?

That is definitely a bowl.

That's the first bowl I've ever made in my life!

-Do you reckon that would do for a breakfast bowl?

-Oh, yes!

The trouble is, I'm a family of four! I couldn't make three more!

This one's going to be my bowl and only I'm allowed to use it!

-I couldn't make three more!

-No.

But I do know somewhere where you could buy three more!

OK, well, you've got a commission, that's for sure!

THEY LAUGH

'You could do what I've just done here. It's so satisfying.

'Just a last little bit to finish off my bowl now,

'while Robin kindly carves me an accompanying spoon.'

-Oh, thank you.

-You're very welcome.

-I thoroughly enjoyed my day here.

-Does it fit your bowl?

-And does it fit your mouth?

-Yes, it does. Look at that!

-That's what we need!

-And boy, does it taste good!

Just need the muesli now!

THEY LAUGH

'It's now crunch time.

'The five amateurs have really impressed us

'with their range of skills.

'The domestic textile handicrafts of rag-rugging

'and toy-making are being pitted against the traditional skills

'of glassmaking and metalworking.'

'But only one of these five will be singled out

'when their pieces go before the critical eye of our three judges.

'The finalists will find out shortly just what an extraordinary opportunity has been lined up.

'The judges' decision could change the life of one of them.'

All right, guys. Here we are with five objects by our five finalists.

Very high standard of craftsmanship. Really good to see that.

Piyush, could you start us off talking about that rag rug?

Yes. This is a rag rug by Gail. I'm not a fan of rag rugs,

but I can appreciate the skill involved in that.

The amount of hours she spent.

To win this programme would be absolutely fabulous.

I think to bring crafts into the fore now is really fantastic.

It's clearly not a commercial craft for her,

because she wants to bring the community together.

But I think probably it's women coming together,

doing a bit of gossiping, and doing the rag rug.

Excuse me! What's wrong with women getting together doing a bit of gossiping?

Some of the best crafts started out that way. Community crafts!

-Tell me one.

-Patchwork.

-OK, yes.

-Knitting circles, Piyush.

-Yes.

-Rag rug making.

-OK!

Coming back to the rag rug,

I do like little bits and portions in there.

I think there are a few interesting elements.

But it's a step too far, for me. As a personal taste.

-Lots of work in it, obviously.

-Yes.

OK, shall we go onto these beautiful little rings?

Yeah, these are Hayley's rings.

Hayley works, as you can see, in silver.

And she's become pretty accomplished, I think,

in the short amount of time she's been doing it.

My work will hopefully still be here when I'm gone.

And people will still be wearing my rings or passing them down.

No-one destroys gold or silver.

So it's leaving my mark on the world.

I think the rings are very, very charming.

I love the snow globe ring. I could imagine wearing something like that.

-They are very striking.

-What about these little guys here?

Oh, my goodness! Kathy and her felted troll figures.

When she whipped these out of a plastic carrier,

I just burst out laughing.

In a good way! Because I thought they were fantastic.

It's nice to think that I've actually made somebody smile.

I think there's too much glumness in the world.

I just think her way of capturing those faces is fantastic.

Very expressive. I must say that, very, very expressive.

Really expressive. She's a complete amateur.

She taught herself with a DVD.

And I think she's brought herself up to an incredibly high standard.

Yeah, I agree. They are very impressively made. Absolutely.

And then there's Laura.

Graphic designer by day, fused glass maker by night.

She is absolutely passionate about this craft,

which she's discovered over the last couple of years.

Every spare minute of every day, she's doing her fused glass.

It gives me a sense of actually having created something of value, for me, really.

They are art pieces, and it just gives you a good feeling at the end of the day. It really does.

When you hold this dish up to the light, it is lovely.

-Lovely quality of light through it.

-I can imagine.

You can really see how graphic training coming through.

Yeah, you can.

And it also reminds me of the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe,

very painterly.

-You know, very beautiful object.

-I can see people buying this.

-Yes.

-Definitely. OK, and that brings us to this amazing horse.

-Yes.

It's made by Tony, who is a retired insurance man.

-He largely uses recycled copper from hot water cylinders.

-Really?

-Yes.

And I love the emotions in the horse.

Look at that. The movement. It's amazing.

As if the horse is turning and talking to me while running away.

It feels like the wind, in a way, it's just lovely.

I've not even thought about winning.

I'm just delighted to be included in the show.

But obviously, I'd be delighted to win. It would be great.

I've seen some of the other stuff people have brought in, so I'd be made up.

Reminds me a little bit of the kind of horse sculptures

you might see in a tourist shop in the south-west of the United States,

like in Santa Fe.

Oh, that's quite damning!

You can't do much with the horses' shapes, though.

Probably he is inspired by that kind of sculpture.

Oh, I'm sure he is. But I suppose, for me,

I wish he'd picked an image that was a little bit more unexpected, a little bit more creative.

OK, guys. Well, we've had a look at each of them in turn.

Any opinions to share?

There are probably two things I particularly love, for very different reasons.

OK. Piyush?

I have the clear favourite in this.

OK, I think we have obviously a wide range to select from.

Really high standard, really impressive objects.

What you really want to see is people mastering their material.

Each one is somebody that's really got to know the stuff they're working with.

They know it in their hands, they know it in their heads.

That's really, really impressive.

-So much shall we call Paul in, then?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

Judges, judges, judges!

-There's a decision?

-There is, yeah.

-OK.

It's now time to call in the finalists.

Well, congratulations to you all for having come so far.

There's a great deal of talent in this room.

What I see here today is fabulous. You've all brought something different to the table.

I think all of you have got a promising career

if you stick at it. Now, for one lucky person,

I can reveal what we've got lined up for you.

It's the chance to have your work put on display in the V&A shop

at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

-The spiritual home of arts and crafts. Good, isn't it?

-All: Yes!

OK!

HE LAUGHS

Now, the judges have made a decision.

One particular item stood out amongst the rest.

This decision was based on the masterful use of the materials.

And the spirit of the composition.

OK? I'm pleased to announce, today's judges favourite is...

..Tony and his copper horse. Well done. Congratulations!

Everybody was brilliant.

'It was a tough decision. Every item had its merits.

'But it was Tony's rendering in copper of the sublime figure

'of a running horse that made the biggest impact.

'His journey from a long career in insurance to a late flowering

'of obvious talent should be an inspiration to us all.

'Tony surely is a worthy winner.'

The judges have been so impressed with the wealth of talent

we have seen here today.

All of these makers have the potential to have an exciting future.

The next time, it could be you! Come on, give it a go.

Come and join our handmade revolution! See you next time.