0:00:02 > 0:00:06No, this isn't the bit between the programmes in the 1960s.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09It is week two and I'm determined to nail this.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11SHE LAUGHS
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Welcome back to The Great Pottery Throw Down.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Previously on The Great Pottery Throw Down...
0:00:18 > 0:00:20a parish councillor took on a builder...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23This is where the panic kicks in.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24..an interior designer...
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Take a deep breath see what happens.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28..a project manager...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Big and small ones.
0:00:30 > 0:00:31..a farmer's daughter...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34These pots are odes to my grannies.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35..a vet...
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Breaks my heart.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37..and a rock-and-roll singer.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Put my feet up, watch everybody else panicking.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43But it was retired Army major Tom who triumphed...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Just dip and pray.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49..and became the competition's first top potter.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54And with Matthew just clinging on, Rekha was asked to leave the pottery.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57If it was down to attitude, Rekha wins hands down.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Yes!
0:00:59 > 0:01:04Now ceramic artist Kate Malone and master potter Keith Brymer Jones
0:01:04 > 0:01:06have set three more challenges...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09You are not going to get it in tonight.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11..including the huge main make...
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Oh, my God!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..for the smallest room.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Fantastic!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17- A spot test...- Everybody's started.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19..that requires instant creativity...
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I feel like I'm a six-year-old in an art lesson.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24It will be play-time soon.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27..and a throw down that no-one saw coming.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Nice and delicate there, Jane. Well done.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31That's the first time I've been called delicate.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32Thank you very much.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36MUSIC: I Can't Explain by The Who
0:01:39 > 0:01:41# Got a feeling inside
0:01:41 > 0:01:42# Can't explain
0:01:42 > 0:01:44# It's a certain kind
0:01:44 > 0:01:46# Can't explain
0:01:46 > 0:01:48# I feel hot and cold
0:01:48 > 0:01:49# Can't explain
0:01:49 > 0:01:51# Yeah, down in my soul, yeah
0:01:51 > 0:01:53# Can't explain
0:01:53 > 0:01:55# Can't explain I think it's love
0:01:55 > 0:01:59# Try to say it to you when I feel blue
0:01:59 > 0:02:02# But can't explain. #
0:02:04 > 0:02:07MUSIC: Not Fade Away by The Rolling Stones
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Middleport works around the clock...
0:02:14 > 0:02:16..and with Rekha heading home,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18they are about to embark on another gruelling week..
0:02:21 > 0:02:24..at the end of which one potter will have to leave.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Good evening, potters. Welcome back to the pottery.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31- ALL:- Hello!
0:02:31 > 0:02:35We are about to unveil your latest main make.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37What is it, Kate?
0:02:37 > 0:02:38You have to make a wash basin
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and you are going to be making it using hand-rolled coils.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44What I want to see is originality -
0:02:44 > 0:02:47you are making something you can't get in the shops
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and I want that extra 10%, please.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Really go for it.
0:02:51 > 0:02:58Now, this basin wants to be no more than 40cm wide, 17cm deep
0:02:58 > 0:03:03and to fit a conventional British standard plug - 32mm wide.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08So you have seven days to make, fire and decorate your basins
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and then present them to the judges.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Are you ready?
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Let's do it!
0:03:17 > 0:03:19OK. And calm.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Let's make this basin.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Creating a spectacular washbasin is a daunting task,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26but doing it all by hand
0:03:26 > 0:03:30makes it an epic test of the potters' touch and creativity.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36First of all, they'll have to use coils of clay to build their basins,
0:03:36 > 0:03:37dry them overnight,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40trim and hand-finish them,
0:03:40 > 0:03:45dry them overnight again before their first 24-hour firing.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Then they will be glazed, fired for a final time
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and presented to Kate and Keith.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Ceramics is used in many parts of the house
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and here we are in the bathroom.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Yeah. We are actually asking them to coil a basin.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01What we really want to see is them using with the coiling technique
0:04:01 > 0:04:03is rolling good and consistent coils.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05They needn't be round, they can be flat.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- But also, we want to see the bond between the two coils.- Yeah.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09That's a weak point.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11I want to see them, really, from the start,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13knitting those coils together.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It has to be practical. This is a real practical object.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18The potters need to really think about
0:04:18 > 0:04:20fitting the plug nice and plush,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24otherwise it is going to leak and you can't have a leaky basin!
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I think they're going to have a lot of fun with this one.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32In this first stage, the potters have three hours to build
0:04:32 > 0:04:35the basic structure of their basins.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38They're using a technique over 15,000 years old -
0:04:38 > 0:04:42hand-rolling ropes of clay and then coiling them
0:04:42 > 0:04:44one on top of the other.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Long before the wheel, this method enabled humans
0:04:47 > 0:04:51to build taller and thicker vessels than anything made before.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53I love this technique. Just your hands and a bit of clay.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55It's back to basics, yeah!
0:04:57 > 0:05:00My experience of coil potting is very limited,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02mainly cos I don't like coil potting.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04It is not something I choose to do.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I'd think of any other method of making.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08When I am trying to roll it into a perfect sausage,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11it is kind of going flat like that,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14which my students will enjoy seeing because that's what happens to them
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and I say, "Guys, you're just not doing it right."
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Mr Wilcock, he is a very exciting teacher.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24He likes to crack a few jokes. He does make a very enjoyable lesson.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27When I first thought we were going to do ceramics, I was like, "Hmm,"
0:05:27 > 0:05:29cos I thought we'd just be making pots all day.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30But he's made it really fun.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I really like his hair.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Yeah, his hair is really cool.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35It's a mould I have made myself.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37However, it is not the best mould in the world
0:05:37 > 0:05:41cos I dropped it as soon as it was dry cos I was in such a rush.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44The potters may use a former, or mould,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46to hold their basins' shape as they build,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48but only Matthew has made his own.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52My plan for attack is build the basin within the plant pot.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Let's give it a go. I'm basically mirroring the colander.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Then it will hold up.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Not done many of these. Um...
0:06:01 > 0:06:03None. So it's a little bit risky.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06One potter has raided their children's toy cupboard
0:06:06 > 0:06:08to get the perfect shape.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10It's a space hopper filled with...
0:06:10 > 0:06:12that I've taken some of the air out.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15If I use my legs to push it together,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I'll be able to move and manipulate to get it the form that I want.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22This is hours of sustained physical exercise.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24SHE LAUGHS
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It will be fine...
0:06:26 > 0:06:27She says.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30First week we were going out together,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33seeing Jane getting stuck into potting,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35I just thought it was amazing,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37someone creating something that good
0:06:37 > 0:06:39right in front of your eyes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43The kids love the fact that she's created these pots
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and they love eating their breakfast out of them as well.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Mummy, did you make all of the big pots in the gardens?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- Yes, I did. - I like...I want...I like them.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56It is the garden that Jane has drawn inspiration for her basin.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Tell us what you're doing, please, Jane.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01It's based on a flower form. Pansies.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- Playing God a little bit... - Oh, good.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05..in that I'm just undulating this back form
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- and that is where the taps will come through.- Brilliant.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11It's very nice to see some asymmetry,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- because that's what you can do with hand building, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Starting off like this,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19then I'm going to flip it over onto my former.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24I'm using half a globe wrapped in an old sheet.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Sandra has taken the hand-building brief further than anyone else.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33I am going to be building without a form, really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34I haven't got a form.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Don't want one, actually. Doesn't make sense to me.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40She is planning a contemporary free-form oval basin.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43As I'm working on it, the paper supports it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It is very common in African countries to build upside-down.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I say it is common - I've watched it on YouTube.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Creating like a crosshatch pattern on the clay
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and then you put some water on top and it almost acts like
0:07:55 > 0:07:58a network and a glue to stick the clay together.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00This is a technique potters call...
0:08:02 > 0:08:04..which helps to bond the coils together.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07But if they leave any air between the bonded coils,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09it will expand in the heat of the kiln,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13causing them to rip apart, destroying the basin.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Really make sure I crosshatch and I get my scores very deep,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19smooth all the clay together, really compress it
0:08:19 > 0:08:22and hope that I don't get any cracks.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Here he is, my tangerine dream. HE CHUCKLES
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Hey, does that feel as good as it looks as if it feels?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Yeah, it does. I'm actually building
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and I think it's going to look like the top of a pipe.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40I do take inspirations from the work I do on a day-to-day basis.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Is it true that your missus says, "Let's find you a hobby,"
0:08:44 > 0:08:47- you plumped for a bit of pottery... - Yeah.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48..and now your missus is like...
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- "Where's he gone?" - .."Why did I suggest a hobby?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53"I now don't know what my husband looks like
0:08:53 > 0:08:55"cos he's off doing clay stuff all the time."
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Is that true?- Basically, yes.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- Yeah.- Yeah.- What a lovely wife, though,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02- to look after you like that. - Yeah. She's there.- Here she is.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06- She's lovely. And your lovely girls. You've got...- Two daughters.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- Not three wives.- No! - They're your daughters!
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Matthew is going beyond just building with his coils.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17I have got a swirly design with coils.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It strikes me that's the reason for coil building.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22I love traditional techniques, old techniques.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26My tutor at uni always said I was born a few generations too late.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30But Matthew's coil design technique is more than a few generations old.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35The very earliest coiling pottery appears to actually be decorative
0:09:35 > 0:09:36in the Neolithic period.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Even with functional pots, you find all kinds of beautiful patterning.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44There seems to be this desire for decoration.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It is almost a profound need to decorate an object
0:09:48 > 0:09:50that you have made, and so you find all kinds
0:09:50 > 0:09:54of beautiful linear patterning on these vessels.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57It is not just Matthew that has rediscovered
0:09:57 > 0:10:00the ancient profound need to decorate with coils.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I wanted to show that you could do something really good with coils.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Yeah, nicely smooth on the inside.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09And the outside surface should expose the nice shape.
0:10:12 > 0:10:13Secret!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16What's that? A secret technique I should know about?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I thought we were here to help each other, Tom.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- Absolutely! But not too much. - HE CHUCKLES
0:10:21 > 0:10:22You're getting competitive.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- It's almost like you want to win or something.- You know me.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It is almost as if he wants to be potter of the week.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29- He just wants to take part! - Pack it in, chaps!
0:10:29 > 0:10:31THEY LAUGH
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Tom is competitive. I think you have to be
0:10:34 > 0:10:36for the background that he's had in the army.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38His pottery's fantastic.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Do some drawing? On here?
0:10:40 > 0:10:46When my dad's potting, I miss him but at the same time,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I'm proud of him.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54- I don't like some of his jugs and his cups.- What?
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Because I don't like them.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03I don't feel particularly under pressure. That might change.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Potters, one hour! You have one hour remaining.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Little bit anxious about time. That last hour, it's going by.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I am going to go for it hell for leather for this stage.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Jim thinks he has found a way of easing time pressure.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21As you see, I'm actually making very big coils.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22What I do...
0:11:24 > 0:11:26..is squash that to size, like that.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28You're sort of saving a bit of time
0:11:28 > 0:11:30with the number of coils you're making.
0:11:30 > 0:11:36He really enjoys potting. I think that was how he met my mum.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Well, I went to do the pottery classes
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and Jim sold his mugs and pots and things to the class.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42I bought a mug.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It wasn't love at first sight!
0:11:44 > 0:11:47But it wasn't until two years down the line
0:11:47 > 0:11:49that we actually got together as a couple.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Does he still have that mug?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53He borrowed it, put it on the top of his van
0:11:53 > 0:11:56and drove of with it on the top of the van.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59So I have never let him forget that
0:11:59 > 0:12:02he broke my mug that brought us together.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04How is it going, then?
0:12:04 > 0:12:05- I think it is going all right.- Yeah?
0:12:05 > 0:12:06I got into a panic at the start
0:12:06 > 0:12:09cos I wanted to get as much done as quickly as possible,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12cos I don't make coiled pots, I've never made one.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Oh, have you not?- No.- It's big!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16It's getting there, yeah.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Bath one of my kids in that.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20The ten-year-old!
0:12:20 > 0:12:24My idea is to have a really smooth inside of the bowl
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and then I want to pull that up and create a very kind of
0:12:27 > 0:12:30free, fluid, organic edging to it.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31So it's going to be highly textured,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33and just try and create a bit more drama.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35So rather than having a prefect round bowl,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I want it to actually be quite imperfect.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The potters are approaching the end of the building stage
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and James is adding a little texture to the rim of his basin.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47I'm going to have to check it doesn't get too sharp as well,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50cos sometimes when you pull clay to quite an edge,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52it can be a bit sharp so the last thing I want to do
0:12:52 > 0:12:55is cut your hands as you are kind of going into the basin.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56Hmm.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I keep changing my mind on what to do.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Sally-Jo still hasn't decided on the shape of her sink.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07It was just going to be circular, basically mirroring the colander.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11I was originally just going to keep it round with a straight rim,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but actually I felt I could make something more sculptural of it,
0:13:13 > 0:13:18so, yeah, I've completely changed what I was going to do.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20I am literally making it up as I go along.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25OK, guys, you really need to be finishing up now.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27You've got 15 minutes left.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Oh, bugger.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The hand-built structures the potters commit to the drying process
0:13:32 > 0:13:33can't be altered.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Their sink shape is about to be fixed.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I really hope this technique will stand up.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The principle of this definitely works. I've seen it done before.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45It is starting to sag now, that's the thing.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47I'm going to put a rim on the top of that pot
0:13:47 > 0:13:48to create a nice finish.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Do this quick and then put it back in.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Or it's going to collapse.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59I actually broke it in two pieces,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02which I wasn't planning for when I've got ten minutes to go.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05So...not quite sure where to go
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- with this, actually. - HE LAUGHS
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Don't spoil it now.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Come on, baby. I know it'll work.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Just centring myself...
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Back in the room!
0:14:16 > 0:14:22This will hopefully prevent it from slumping and making me cry.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I think I might just...
0:14:26 > 0:14:28What about another piece of this and splice a piece in?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- HE INHALES SHARPLY - Deep breath. Don't panic!
0:14:33 > 0:14:3430 seconds, guys!
0:14:37 > 0:14:4130 seconds. Put a blanket over them, give them kisses.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Need some more, need some more, need some more.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53OK - five, four, three,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56two, one - step back, please!
0:14:57 > 0:15:00MUSIC: Poor Man's Son by The Rockin' Berries
0:15:09 > 0:15:14Despite a late finish, the potters are straight back to work.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Their sinks have dried overnight, but before they can continue working,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21they will have to free them from their formers.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I will just turn it over and lift it off.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Cracking is the thing I am a little bit concerned about, if I'm honest.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I can see you are just at the verge of turning it over.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- I am, yes.- So we can watch and we'll see the inside.- We'll watch.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35No pressure!
0:15:35 > 0:15:36I do love this bit but there's also
0:15:36 > 0:15:38a lot of trepidation that goes into it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Hand-coiled clay has a high risk of cracking during drying,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48but freeing the sinks could make those cracks much worse.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49Moment of truth.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Yeah, I am fairly happy with that. A little bit of tidying up.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Go easy, go easy!
0:15:59 > 0:16:02- Are you pleased with that?- Yeah! - Good.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03I think it's OK!
0:16:03 > 0:16:06It is not in good shape, but I think I can salvage what I've done.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Bloody hell, that weighs a tonne.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11- HE GASPS - Oh, my God, Matt.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Beautifully done.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15The power of the dreadlocks!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I am just going to cut the mould in half.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Get it off now.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Yeah, it's come out all right.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I think...
0:16:23 > 0:16:24that is all right.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Come on, baby!
0:16:28 > 0:16:30The potters now have 90 minutes
0:16:30 > 0:16:33to hand-finish the surface of their dried basins.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It is still quite malleable and I can cut away.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Just going to give it a little bit of something.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It is a wonderfully therapeutic thing to do.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Yesterday, lump of clay, and now we have got these things
0:16:50 > 0:16:52that have risen out of nothing.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57This is the opportunity for them to do something special for themselves,
0:16:57 > 0:16:58it's their character.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00There is a certain amount of spontaneity,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02a certain amount of poetic licence here.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05This will be smooth.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Just have to keep working it and working it and working it!
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Pottery is a form of meditation.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14I had a lot of sadness at the beginning of last year
0:17:14 > 0:17:16when my husband passed away.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18For probably two months, I didn't make anything.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23But I did play with clay a lot and it was a way of releasing emotions.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Since Mel passed on, it's something she can do,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28it's something she can go out and put her soul into.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33It has helped her through the last 16-odd months a lot.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35This is called sprigging.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37You have plaster moulds.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40In this case, I have three ammonites and a trilobite.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Press the clay...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45..into the mould, like so.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48I have quite an extensive fossil collection.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52These little chaps are 435 million years old.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56But I just love them. Geology, it is a bit like clay because
0:17:56 > 0:17:58it's all about the earth
0:17:58 > 0:18:03from when it was a ball of molten lava right up to today.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07What is clay?
0:18:07 > 0:18:10If you think of volcanoes and you think of magma, heat,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14very, very hot, the weathering action of that magma
0:18:14 > 0:18:17creates clay. So it is the wearing-down process
0:18:17 > 0:18:20over millions and millions of years that creates
0:18:20 > 0:18:23these flat platelets that you can slide,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25bit of water, it sticks together.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28And it tells you the whole history of the planet.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30And it is fascinating, absolutely fascinating.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Geology is the only subject that I was ever any good at
0:18:34 > 0:18:36or really enjoyed.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The finishing on Jim's first ever attempt at a coil pot
0:18:40 > 0:18:42is also inspired by the natural world.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45The idea is a nautical theme, turtle image.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47I have always had a thing for turtles.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49They are sort of granddaddies of the ocean, kind of thing.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51They live to great ages
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and I've always had a bit of a sentimental thing for them.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Having changed her mind about the shape of her basin,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Sally-Jo is working on the design.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Well, the vision is inspired by nature.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07I'm going to create two rivers and a couple of fish on the bottom one
0:19:07 > 0:19:09and they are going to be gold to relate to the colour of the tap.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I am pleased I changed the shape with this.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It is not what I planned, but I am pleased.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I think it is a much nicer shape now.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21Having textured the rim of his basin, James is now working on the inside.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24It is kind of rock-inspired, you know, sort of seaside.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Rather than forcing it to become a sink,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I want it to almost look as though somebody's found it and thought,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31"That would make a good sink." So that's the idea,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34so all textures, all edges.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I've noticed I'm the only one, really, in the room doing that,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38so it is a bit of a gamble.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Confidence is a big thing for James.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45It was just four years ago that he really sort of took on pottery.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48He brought his first pieces home and sort of thought,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53"Hmm, this is interesting. I'm sure it could be worked on a little bit."
0:19:53 > 0:19:56And then, just even a month later, they were incredible.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59A heat-shaped dish, he made for me.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01It is a really nice, crimpled edge
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and I really think he likes to sort of emphasise that that's his style.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- So, James. It is nice to see that texture.- What do you reckon?
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- Pushing, squeezing...- Really? - Yeah, yeah. I mean it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14- On a basin?- Yeah!- Really?
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- Wait till the end. Let's see, Mr Practical.- OK, OK.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I'm sure it will split their opinion.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I don't think Keith is looking at it too favourably at the moment.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25What can you do? I've chosen the bed and now I've got to lie in it.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30I love it. It is a beautiful form.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34It's just simple form. Simple forms are often just the best.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37When people wash their hands in that, they are going to be transported
0:20:37 > 0:20:40to Aztec or Greek times.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43They're just textures that I have had all the kids do at school.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47That is so nice! So, basically, you've put the children to work...
0:20:47 > 0:20:49- Yeah, child labour!- ..that you teach at this school.- It's fantastic.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- Nigel.- Hi, Keith. Hi, Kate.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- How are you getting on? - More or less there.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59The finishing on Nigel's basin is as straightforward as its design.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- That's the building side of me. - The building side of you, yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06I am sort of liking this character coming out of you.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I probably would have used a different process to make a sink.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- OK.- I could overwork it to make it too crisp
0:21:12 > 0:21:14and then you kind of think, "What was the point in coiling it?"
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- Yeah, no, sure. OK.- It is a bit...
0:21:16 > 0:21:19But it's amazing, isn't it? The simpler the form sometimes,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- the harder it is to actually... - Yeah, to get the crispness on it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23That's it, yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Smooth it off a bit.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Sandra's simple form is still standing without its paper support.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30It is not a flowery thing, it is
0:21:30 > 0:21:32a very contemporary look I'm going for.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Beautiful bellies. Sexy, really.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Can I say sexy? Anyway, I said it now.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40- Too late. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:21:40 > 0:21:44I do remember being younger, she used to make bowls with papier-mache
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and I remember her being really frustrated
0:21:46 > 0:21:49that it wouldn't come out the shape that she wanted it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51So it seemed the movement from there to clay
0:21:51 > 0:21:53was just a natural progression.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I like the stuff she makes for the crockery, the plates and stuff.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57I can I have friends round and they're like,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59"Your mum made this?" "Yeah, my mum made that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02We don't go to IKEA for nothing!
0:22:02 > 0:22:05And how does your mum cope with stress and pressure?
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- Um...she doesn't! - THEY LAUGH
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Smoothing is something that I do all the time,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14but the time constraints is what's killing me.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18With smoothing every stroke, Sandra's unsupported basin will move,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20which could weaken the clay.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I am a bit scared.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Keep powering through, you'll be all right.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Sandra, I brought some tights with me.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- Tie them round and they support your bowl.- Oh, yes!
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- Excellent idea.- Oh! They're black. I thought I bought flesh-coloured.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- There we go.- Flesh-coloured - your flesh or my flesh?
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- Oh, that's right!- Uh-huh. - Sorry, sweetie.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It's not all about you, you know!
0:22:43 > 0:22:45I don't want it too, kind of, perfect,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48so I've just pushed and pulled it about a bit,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51chopped a few bits out, curled a couple of sections in.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52It will be all right.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55As well as finishing their surfaces...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57This is a night-light.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00..there is another feature to add before the basins head to the kiln.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03And I think it is the right size for the plug.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07They must cut a hole for a standard British plug.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11But as clay shrinks in the kiln by up to 15%...
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I'll see how it goes. It's trial by fire.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14I have to double check it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16..it isn't straightforward.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Work out shrinkage?
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I don't guess at all, I just know exactly what it's going to be.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22SHE MOUTHS SILENTLY
0:23:22 > 0:23:24It is a really ropey hole.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Ahh!
0:23:27 > 0:23:28It's a sink!
0:23:28 > 0:23:30How are you for time, do you think? Hang on...
0:23:30 > 0:23:32One minute, potters!
0:23:32 > 0:23:34In which case, I am quite pushed for time.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36THEY LAUGH
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Yeah, I'm pretty confident we've got it about right.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40All under control. Ha!
0:23:44 > 0:23:47With their surfaces finished, the basins will now have to dry
0:23:47 > 0:23:49before their first firing.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Go on, Nigel!
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Because of their size, it is a process that will take 72 hours.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01The potters face an agonising wait.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19It is our technician Richie's job to get the basins to their first firing.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22All the basins have had a couple of days to dry.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I just going to be really cautious and make sure that
0:24:24 > 0:24:27all of this work makes it to the kiln safely.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Given the sheer size of the basins,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37this won't be a standard biscuit firing.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40As you can see from Sally-Jo's piece here, there is still
0:24:40 > 0:24:42a lot of moisture left in the clay.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46You wouldn't normally fire the pots with them in this sort of state,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49otherwise these pots would just explode in the kiln
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and I would be very unpopular.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56So that is why I am going to put a 50-degree firing on for the night.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59It is not going to be hot enough for the water to boil,
0:24:59 > 0:25:01but it will just allow for that moisture to come off the clay.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05And then tomorrow, this will go on for a standard biscuit firing
0:25:05 > 0:25:10straight up to 900 degrees, which will turn it from clay into ceramic.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12That is that kiln loaded and ready to go on.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24It is the day before the judges decide which potter
0:25:24 > 0:25:26will have to leave Middleport
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and they have come up with a surprise challenge
0:25:28 > 0:25:31that will test them on a technique that flourished
0:25:31 > 0:25:35during Stoke-on-Trent's heyday and is still used today.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Hello, potters. Welcome to your Spot Test.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42This is where you get to show Kate and Keith just how good you are
0:25:42 > 0:25:45at a particular pottery technique.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48This week, we want to see how you are with surface decoration.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Underneath your cloths, you will find exactly what it is
0:25:51 > 0:25:53that you are going to literally make you mark on.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54Oh, tiles!
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Nine tiles that need to be decorated.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00We are talking texture, pattern and design.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03There are various ways you can do this -
0:26:03 > 0:26:05inlaying, scratching, scoring.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08The judges won't be in here for this Spot Test.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11OK, Kate and Keith, you are excused.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Potters, you have 90 minutes,
0:26:14 > 0:26:15starting now.
0:26:17 > 0:26:2090 minutes, nine tiles. Could be a complete disaster.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22There are no pictures to take inspiration from.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24You can't go for a walk for half an hour then come back.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27It is just literally, right, design something now, get on with it.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30I want to see a sense of rhythm, a sense of pattern,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34and I would like to see them really concentrating
0:26:34 > 0:26:37on giving us a clear message.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40- KEITH:- My main concern is that they overthink it
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and that the design surface pattern is too fussy.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45But then, in the same breath,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49they could actually simplify it and make it really boring.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Doing patterns is my biggest nightmare.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I have nine random tiles and that's what you're going to get -
0:26:55 > 0:26:56nine random tiles.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Initially I thought, "Urgh!"
0:27:01 > 0:27:02I'm making flowers,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06tie it together with a sort of motif-y sort of thing.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Butterflies, well, they're just a beautiful graphic image.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12See what the judges say. Ha!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Has everyone started? Creative juices aren't coming.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I've tried to stray away from doing the same thing over and over again.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22This is a porcupine quill. I lived in Zimbabwe for a couple of years
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and I picked this up walking through the bush and it is the best tool.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Tom is not the only one who thinks he's got a secret weapon.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Got my name on it.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31- Hi, Nigel.- Hi.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I have got a gift for.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Judges aren't in for this Spot Test. - Yeah?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40And why are they not in here for this Spot Test?
0:27:40 > 0:27:42- So they don't know whose is whose. - And what have you put on yours?
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- You've put your name all over it! - They might not notice it.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47There is only one Nigel, sunshine.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50So you're saying I can't use that one?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You can't use that one.
0:27:53 > 0:27:5545 minutes remaining.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59I just glimpsed behind me at Tom.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Doing some inlay.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03- SHE GASPS - That is a really nice idea!
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Everybody is different.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- Good to know.- Yeah! - Who wants to be normal?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08- JIM:- Me! Me!
0:28:09 > 0:28:10No, you've got a long way to go, Jim.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14This kind of surface decoration is just...
0:28:14 > 0:28:17You know, I feel like I'm a six-year-old in an art lesson.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20It will be playtime soon, you can go outside and do some skipping.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22Can I have a chocolate bar?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24You can have a chocolate bar and a glass of milk.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28Potty people, we have 30 minutes remaining.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Oh, no!
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Normally, this would be my thing. I love creating texture on clay.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37But I think this square title thing has just thrown me.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38It's really restrictive.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41That tile that has been disqualified,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43that is the tile I was most happy with.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46This is my replacement tile. It's quite simple.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Got this feathery thing going on, I quite like that.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56I am just playing around with geometric patterns.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59Creativity is quite difficult when you are under pressure.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01Well, it is a challenge for a reason.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03I figured this sort of concentric design
0:29:03 > 0:29:07so that they all link together, but...I don't like it.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10It is just a rim, but I need to get it on quite quickly.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Any final touches now, guys, you need to be doing it now.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Time goes so quickly during these Spot challenges.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23The overriding theme...is panic.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25- Where has the white one gone in the middle?- Yeah.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28- It just didn't look right. - Have you winged it a little?
0:29:28 > 0:29:31- No, I have used my intuition. - That is the word.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35I want to give Tom something to worry about.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37I think he is getting a bit confident.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42OK, potters, time's up! Step back from your tiles, please.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45CRASHING
0:29:45 > 0:29:46Sorry!
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Please bring your tiles forward ready for judging.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55# It's all too beautiful... #
0:29:55 > 0:30:00Nine sets of tiles, but Kate and Keith have no idea whose is whose.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- So shall we have a look at this set? - OK, lets have a look.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Yes, could have been more creative, I think.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Lacking different decorative skills.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09I think so, yes. Let's have a look at these.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12A bit sparse. This one is a bit obvious, don't you think?
0:30:12 > 0:30:13Yeah, I do.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Now, this person has obviously gone for a theme.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19I think this looks great.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21A good use of the different types of colour.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23There is a continuity, isn't there?
0:30:23 > 0:30:25There is a freshness to the actual design idea.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- A lovely use of the two clays.- Yeah.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Again, a mixture of different techniques.
0:30:34 > 0:30:35And this great border.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Amazing border. Really lovely.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39And they have obviously made it like a panel.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Moving along.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Someone here has obviously followed a theme.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46They've got a sort of abstract butterfly right through
0:30:46 > 0:30:48to a very literal one.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51And there is almost a sort of encaustic look here, isn't there?
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Yeah, like the old Victorian tiles.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55These are very contemporary, aren't they?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57I like the use of relief work here,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00where one is embossed and one is in relief.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03And that is actually quiet difficult to do. The person who used that
0:31:03 > 0:31:05has held their tool properly, they've stood properly
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and made the right marks. I think that is really strong set.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12They all hang well together, don't they?
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Yes. In fact, they are all identical.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Is this the only person that has decided on a design.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19- They are not totally identical.- No.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Again, they have been conscious of the different colours of clay.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27- This is interesting.- Isn't it?
0:31:27 > 0:31:28That is really nice.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31- Sort of blending of one into the other.- Absolutely.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34And the dynamic of this is absolutely gorgeous.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Whoever has done this, they've gone in with this tool
0:31:37 > 0:31:40and they have actually thought about which direction they have gone in.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43So that is a really concise and clear message.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47And this one... Look, this is the first one where it has
0:31:47 > 0:31:50really started to come up and out of the tile.
0:31:50 > 0:31:51Erm...a bit dull.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55- Something could have been done with more clarity.- Yes.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58The Spot Test is ranked.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02Ninth place is the one at the end here, whose is this?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04- Number nine.- That's mine.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05- James!- I know.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Just not well executed, and we wanted to see you showing off.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Yeah, absolutely.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14And in eighth place, we've got this one over on this side.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16Yeah, that's mine.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You could have showed us a bit more imagination.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21The flower, though, is really, really nice. Really nice.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23- I don't do flowers.- You do now!
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Joanna came seventh,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Jim sixth,
0:32:28 > 0:32:29Sally Jo was fifth
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and Tom fourth.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34And in third place is this tile panel here.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Whose are these?
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Sandra.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40I personally really love the fine lines
0:32:40 > 0:32:43and the way you have integrated the white and darker clay.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47OK, guys, that means we have two sets of tiles remaining.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50You have to choose a winner, guys.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52Jane? Matthew?
0:32:52 > 0:32:55OK. Who takes the top spot?
0:32:57 > 0:32:58These!
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Matthew, well done!
0:33:00 > 0:33:03APPLAUSE
0:33:04 > 0:33:08The simplicity of the design is fascistic.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11There was great imagination and great skill.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14Imagination, Matthew, that is what we want to see from you.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21I would have struggled judging that. And fair play to them
0:33:21 > 0:33:23if they think I came first out of it...
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- HE LAUGHS - I won't argue.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28My main aim in the Spot Test was not to come last.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Or "laahst", as they say in the south.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32I came third.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35I am up against some technical whizz kids
0:33:35 > 0:33:39and I feel as though I am clinging on with my bare fingernails
0:33:39 > 0:33:40at the moment.
0:33:40 > 0:33:45I think coming in second place is, yeah, that is a good thing. Um...
0:33:45 > 0:33:46I am still a bit nervous about
0:33:46 > 0:33:48taking the hand basin out of the kiln.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54The 24-hour biscuit firing is done.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58And Rich has brought all the basins back to the studio.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Everyone's future in the competition
0:34:01 > 0:34:04could now rest on what lies beneath the hessian.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08Ta-da!
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Oh, that's a relief!
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Yeah, I think that will be all right.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16It's in one piece, so I am happy.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19It is absolutely fine.
0:34:19 > 0:34:20Mine's got a big crack.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Sometimes that can happen with coil pots cos that's the bit that
0:34:23 > 0:34:26dries the quickest. And you are still adding wet clay on top of it.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29But I am hoping that with some glaze application
0:34:29 > 0:34:30it can be hidden or disguised.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Oh, no!
0:34:34 > 0:34:39Once it has cracked, it is hopeless. It is useless as a sink, isn't it?
0:34:39 > 0:34:42HE CHUCKLES
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Jane, Sandra and Nigel will now have to deal with
0:34:53 > 0:34:56what are catastrophic cracks in their basins.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Oh, I am too upset now.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06A sink with a hole in it doesn't work, does it?
0:35:06 > 0:35:10HE CHUCKLES
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Well, a pot is not a pot until it is finished.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18The potters have reached the final stage of their Main Make.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21They have two and a half hours to decorate their basins
0:35:21 > 0:35:24using a selection of glazes and oxides.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27I am going to have some dark bronze-y coloured fish
0:35:27 > 0:35:28going through the river.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Oxides are unpredictable
0:35:30 > 0:35:32as they change colour in the heat of the kiln.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I have just chosen very vivid bright colours
0:35:35 > 0:35:38just to try and capture the colours of the pansy really.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42The colours they choose may also bleed and run into each other.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45I am just doing a traditional Japanese glaze.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47It has a lot of iron in it and hopefully it will bleed through.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51Sponging is a nice effect but it does take a while to do.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54It gives a more even effect and because this is textured,
0:35:54 > 0:35:56I don't want brush marks.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Brush marks are the least of Nigel's worries!
0:35:59 > 0:36:02It is so blindingly obvious the reason why it happened. You haven't
0:36:02 > 0:36:04scored it and slipped it enough, have you?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06- Move forward, deal with it. - Yeah, yeah.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09The decoration inside was going to be zircon white,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11to give it that clean, crisp finish.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14The outside, I was going to put oil spot followed by rutile on.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17That's why I put the cut lines in, to give me break lines.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Cos it will break and it will give it a metallic-y finish
0:36:20 > 0:36:22but it will look like it has oxidised.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25- Well, I look forward to seeing it. All right. Cheers.- Thanks!
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Turtles.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28This won't be quite so harsh when it's done.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31What goes in the kiln is very different to what comes out.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Yes, certainly with glazes. You are dealing with minerals
0:36:34 > 0:36:37that will be melted together. The heat acts on them and changes them.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39You are at the mercy of the minerals, that's what it is.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42At the mercy of the minerals, yes!
0:36:42 > 0:36:44It is going to be a dark blue, light grey. If the colours don't go,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46that's what I'm worried about really,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48plus whether they even like it.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Because you get so used to being disappointed
0:36:51 > 0:36:55when you open the kiln door, I don't really connect with a pot
0:36:55 > 0:36:58until I have seen it and it's all right really.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01It's like looking at a bag of flour, a box of eggs and some sugar
0:37:01 > 0:37:03and saying, "That's going to be a cake."
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Or looking at a cow in a field and a tomato and that is
0:37:06 > 0:37:09your spaghetti bolognese. You just don't know, you just don't know.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13- SANDRA:- The idea is, the way it is fired,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16it is going to be a glossy, sky, azure blue.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20You at peace now? You weren't before but you seem OK now.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23I was pretty upset before. I am still a little bit upset now,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26but I saw that Nigel's bottom had fell off so I thought, "OK."
0:37:27 > 0:37:29This is just iron oxide and water.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33This should have a nice bronzed, dark, roasted look.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35I've just put it on nice and thick.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38What I'm trying to do is get the grooves to stand out.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42And I do that now by wiping off the iron oxide off the outside.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Whilst Major Tom is wiping off...
0:37:45 > 0:37:48I am using a combination of two colours, a very dark blue
0:37:48 > 0:37:49and a very light grey.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52..eager to impress after a disastrous Spot Test,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54James is piling on the glaze.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57For you to layer the glazes up, each layer needs to be dry.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00So you have you just steady it out a little bit, which is
0:38:00 > 0:38:03quite difficult for me cos I just want to throw glaze all over it.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I just think if he is not careful,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08it's going to just look like a complete congealed mess.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- I know, I know. That's what those brush-on glazes can be.- Yeah.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14With Jim and his lovely turtles,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16he has used the glazes in a very painterly way
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and I am hoping they are not going to come out too flat.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21- Feeling stressed?- Yep!
0:38:21 > 0:38:23- I have not enough time.- OK.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25I think I underestimated how many layers it really needs
0:38:25 > 0:38:27and it takes ages to build up the layers.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- It's timing with ceramics. - Timing is everything.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- A lot of it is timing. - Story of my life!
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Nigel thinks he has found a solution to his crack problem.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Cos I have glazed this piece, when that piece goes on
0:38:38 > 0:38:40the glaze should fuse it all together.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43So I should end up with one piece.
0:38:43 > 0:38:44That's the plan.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47What is the worst that can happen? The bottom falls out of it!
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I'm using the brush strokes horizontally. There might be
0:38:50 > 0:38:52some sort of linear idea going on.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Hopefully, it becomes a pattern other than the brush marks
0:38:56 > 0:38:57that shouldn't be there.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11How long do we have left?
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- Just a couple of minutes, Sally Jo. - OK.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16I think you will still see the crack.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18Would I buy this pot? Not a chance.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Would I sell this pot? Not a chance!
0:39:20 > 0:39:23I'm just toying with adding another little bit,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25but do you know what? I am not going to.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28In an ideal world, I would have another coat of blue on top of these
0:39:28 > 0:39:32two rivers, but I need this rim to dry before I can turn it over
0:39:32 > 0:39:35and do it. So I might just do the top one and have them
0:39:35 > 0:39:37slightly different shades of blue.
0:39:39 > 0:39:46Five, four, three, two, one.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47Time's up, guys!
0:39:47 > 0:39:49That will do!
0:39:49 > 0:39:51We are going to take them down for their final firing.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Well done! APPLAUSE
0:39:55 > 0:39:58I haven't seen yours. I am going to have a look at yours.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01No, don't. Mine is a bit of a congealed mess.
0:40:01 > 0:40:02THEY LAUGH
0:40:02 > 0:40:05# I am the god of hellfire
0:40:05 > 0:40:06# And I bring you
0:40:06 > 0:40:07# Fire... #
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Whatever they have done or not done, it is too late now.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15The basins are heading off for their second and final firing.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17I don't want this piece sticking to the shelf
0:40:17 > 0:40:22so I am checking the base to see what is under here
0:40:22 > 0:40:25in terms of glaze. It is nice and clean under there, no glaze,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29so that can go straight on props and straight into the kiln.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31I haven't slept properly for the last three or four days
0:40:31 > 0:40:33because I knew I was taking a gamble on it
0:40:33 > 0:40:37and it is radical how I've glazed it so...
0:40:37 > 0:40:38It is apprehensive.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43Glazing pieces together is not particularly a good idea.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46It is a 50/50 shot whether it'll glue,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48but other problems could happen in the kiln anyway.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Mine is definitely going to open up
0:40:50 > 0:40:54and just come out the kiln like a plate.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57It could just open up like a lotus flower
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and become something else completely different.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03The element of chance is part of the fun of it, isn't it?
0:41:03 > 0:41:07It is, but you run the risk of producing something pretty awful.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I shall be watching for yours...eagerly.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Yes, me too.
0:41:14 > 0:41:20# I'll keep on holding on... #
0:41:20 > 0:41:22- Morning.- Hi, guys.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26With the basins cooling in the kiln, Kate and Keith have set
0:41:26 > 0:41:28the potters one final challenge.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32# I'll keep on holding on... #
0:41:32 > 0:41:34How they fare will help determine their fate.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39You know what this is! This is the Throw Down.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Today, I want you to throw the tallest straight-sided vase.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47And the judges really want to test your sense of touch.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50They want you to use one of these.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53LAUGHTER
0:41:56 > 0:42:00Cos it's a Throw Down, you're going to watch the master at work first.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Gasps of wonderment there from the potters.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11It is all in the touch and the pressure.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14And you can feel when the clay is centred.
0:42:14 > 0:42:20You just want to feel and sense the clay between your fingers.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23I want it nicely finished as well, there is no excuse!
0:42:23 > 0:42:27You might not be able to see it but your fingers are your eyes. OK?
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I have sort of finished now.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31APPLAUSE
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Get behind your wheels, please, potters.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36You've got ten minutes to do it in!
0:42:36 > 0:42:41And if anyone messes up their first ball of clay,
0:42:41 > 0:42:42if you put your hand up in the air,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45another ball of clay will be sent to you.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48So which potter will throw the tallest vase?
0:42:48 > 0:42:50OK, potters, off you go! SHE RINGS BELL
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Yeah, take a deep breath!
0:42:56 > 0:43:00This looks so bizarre, guys, I've got to say.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10That's it, Joanna. Fight with it. Fight with it.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14If you get it centred, the rest of the job is going to be easier.
0:43:14 > 0:43:15God!
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Sally, get those forearms into your body.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20You'll be able to centre it more!
0:43:22 > 0:43:23Push against the wheel!
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Oh, it's in my mouth.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Control is everything. This is what this task is all about - control,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33feel, texture, touch.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40That is it, Matthew, doing well.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45- Look at Matthew. He is just shaking his head, like...- Yeah.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47- ..feeling it. - Sort of feeling the vibe.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52His head is kind of nodding with the momentum of the wheel.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Oh, my God! A disaster.
0:43:59 > 0:44:00Need more clay!
0:44:00 > 0:44:02OK.
0:44:02 > 0:44:03- MAN:- Oh, my way.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Halfway through. Five minutes left.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08You are lying! It's fun, guys! Fun.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12OK, Joanna, relax with it.
0:44:12 > 0:44:13Don't panic!
0:44:13 > 0:44:16And actually learn what went wrong with the first one
0:44:16 > 0:44:18to get the second one right!
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Nice and delicate there, Jane.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25First time I have been called delicate! Thank you very much.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Two minutes left, two minutes.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32God! It could easily collapse at any moment.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35I think Jo's is going to go.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38Ah!
0:44:40 > 0:44:42Too late?
0:44:42 > 0:44:45Sally, just... Yeah, stop!
0:44:45 > 0:44:47It has died a death.
0:44:47 > 0:44:4830 seconds left, guys.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54Come on, guys, you can do this.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56Keep going. Good work there, Jim.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Nice one, Tom.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00- KEITH AND SARA:- Ten, nine, eight,
0:45:00 > 0:45:04seven, six, five,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07four, three, two, one.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Time is up, guys. BELL RINGS
0:45:09 > 0:45:11LAUGHTER
0:45:11 > 0:45:12Look what you've done.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14Oh-ho.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16My God. Something has happened to mine.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Joanna's has grown a ledge at the last minute!
0:45:19 > 0:45:22Oh, my God. I mean, this is just ridiculous.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25So whose vase will measure up?
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Let's have a look at Sally Jo's.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28- 12?- 12, yeah.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Nigel. 13!
0:45:31 > 0:45:34James. 15!
0:45:35 > 0:45:40Joanna. Oh! 17.5cm!
0:45:40 > 0:45:43Sandra. 18cm!
0:45:43 > 0:45:47- Right then, Jim. 19cm.- Brilliant.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51Which leaves just three potters but who will be this week's winner?
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Hey, Tom.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56I am thinking power station chimney!
0:45:56 > 0:45:58- 20cm.- Good height though.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- Hey, Matthew.- Hello.
0:46:00 > 0:46:0222!
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Jane, that is looking really straight!
0:46:04 > 0:46:07The winner of today's throw down is...
0:46:07 > 0:46:09- 20.- 20.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11- Matthew!- Well-done, Matthew!
0:46:11 > 0:46:14APPLAUSE
0:46:15 > 0:46:18And the next time you see Kate and Keith will be
0:46:18 > 0:46:22when they are judging your hand basins. So off you go!
0:46:29 > 0:46:32So the potters are just about to collect their basins from the kiln.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34They have been working on them for days.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Will the glazes have performed in the way that they wanted them to?
0:46:37 > 0:46:39Will there be any more cracks?
0:46:39 > 0:46:41This is really exciting.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48The potters will present their finished basins
0:46:48 > 0:46:50in Middleport's old display room.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53It is just that the bottom is knackered.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54INDISTINCT CHAT
0:46:54 > 0:46:56He's really quite teary?
0:46:56 > 0:46:58I was a little bit emotional, I can't deny that.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00It's lovely. The speckle is really nice!
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Beautiful finish on that glaze!
0:47:02 > 0:47:04Oh, wow!
0:47:07 > 0:47:11But before they can be judged, there's one final job...
0:47:13 > 0:47:16That is OK, isn't it?
0:47:16 > 0:47:20That has fitted. I am delighted, actually.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22Get you, girlfriend!
0:47:22 > 0:47:25The potters that are currently at the top now,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28they could be way down the pecking order after this process.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30I am hoping that is going to fit.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32Oh, no!
0:47:32 > 0:47:35It's short. What a shame.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40Is it going in?
0:47:40 > 0:47:42Oh, my God.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44Oh, no. What a disaster!
0:47:46 > 0:47:47What do you reckon?
0:47:50 > 0:47:55HE LAUGHS
0:47:58 > 0:48:00That has gone in there.
0:48:01 > 0:48:02I wasn't going to leave that out!
0:48:02 > 0:48:05I thought you had a crack on the glaze on the inside.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06Oh, no, no.
0:48:08 > 0:48:09It won't take that much.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13It's not going to take enough to be able to get the plug through!
0:48:16 > 0:48:17Push it down.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19You are not going to get it in tonight.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Kate and Keith will now judge what has taken
0:48:27 > 0:48:29the potters seven days to create.
0:48:29 > 0:48:30Hello, potters.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32- ALL:- Hello.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36Kate and Keith asked you to hand-build a wash basin.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39It is now time to judge the fruits of your labour.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51Wow, it is great, Jim.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53- Really good.- Thank you.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- No cracks!- No, no cracks this time.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00I was a little worried it was going to be a little bit too illustrate-y
0:49:00 > 0:49:03and cold, but it is warm and beautiful, it makes sense.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05It is as if it's tortoiseshell.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08I love the contrast between outside and inside.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Glaze and pot are at one!
0:49:11 > 0:49:13I want it in my house.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14I am swimming with a turtle!
0:49:20 > 0:49:22The geologist expressing herself!
0:49:22 > 0:49:23Indeed, yes.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Very well. Shall we do the ring test
0:49:26 > 0:49:28to see if the bowl has integrity without cracks?
0:49:28 > 0:49:31- Are you ready?- Yes. - MUSICAL DING
0:49:31 > 0:49:32What a lovely ring!
0:49:32 > 0:49:33It is still going on, actually.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35- No cracks.- No cracks.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38I have noticed one thing. You haven't got your drain in there.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40You are only a couple of millimetres out.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51I am really liking this blue on the outside, Kate,
0:49:51 > 0:49:54and the white glaze on the inside. Contrast, obviously.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- I am just so upset it's cracked. - Yeah.- I am too.
0:49:57 > 0:49:58Yes, the ring test.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00- DULL CLUNK - I know.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02That is the one sound we don't want to hear.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03That is a depressing sound, isn't it?
0:50:03 > 0:50:05What a shame!
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Matthew!
0:50:19 > 0:50:20That's fabulous!
0:50:20 > 0:50:21Absolutely!
0:50:21 > 0:50:24The stamp work you have done here is just brilliant.
0:50:24 > 0:50:29The relationship between the taps and this colour is just incredible.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I love the circles
0:50:31 > 0:50:33and the relationship between the spirals on the outside with
0:50:33 > 0:50:37the spirals echoed in the stamps. Very lovely design.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40- I would use this... - You want it at home, don't you?
0:50:40 > 0:50:41Yeah, I do. I think that is brilliant.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55I love the fact that you have actually thought about the recess.
0:50:55 > 0:50:57That is a really good fit.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59And the glazing, again, you've got this beautiful water effect.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02A mixture between stone and water.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04The fishes are a little bit lost, aren't they?
0:51:14 > 0:51:16It is unfortunate about this crack
0:51:16 > 0:51:18because it is great in its originality.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22It is very pretty and a it's lovely colour. The colour match is right.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26This darker colour has actually brought the thing together.
0:51:26 > 0:51:27Very exciting.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Well done, Jane. Thanks so much.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41Your glazes have worked really well for you.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44I love the contrast between the green and the blue.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47Personally, I like to see a clearer message. There is a lot going on.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50You have the scratches and dribbles, the squares and zigzags.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53That is just me being extra critical cos I think you can take it.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56Have you felt the underneath? It is fantastic. Really, really lovely.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01This kind of design on the outside, you were really braving it there.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03One of these could quite easily have opened up.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06- Yeah, I was worried about that. - It is a fantastic.
0:52:06 > 0:52:07Thank you.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11Fantastic. It's brilliant.
0:52:11 > 0:52:13It is really, really good.
0:52:13 > 0:52:14Thank you very much.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30So, Nigel, I assume this is like a pipe end.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34- Yes, it was inspired by industrial fittings.- Yes.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37I think that's fairly successful, it's kind of copper pipe.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40But the shame, we know what the shame is really, don't we?
0:52:40 > 0:52:43- Yeah.- Crack. What a shame. - Just very, very frustrating.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47This crack round here, we all know why that's happened.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50It wasn't fixed properly, it wasn't adhered properly.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Just really poorly constructed.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55This overhang on here, there's a lot of stress on there in the kiln.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57It's really unfortunate.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Oh, I am feeling fresh just standing in front of this,
0:53:15 > 0:53:16like an iceberg wave.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18Yes, you could say that.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22Rough, jagged. I mean, you could cut your hands on it!
0:53:22 > 0:53:26I am not so keen on the heavy use of the glaze.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29There's quite a few, I would say, erratic applications.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32I think that is a bit of naivety and a lack of understanding
0:53:32 > 0:53:33of the glaze on my behalf.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36It is definitely a completely different look to
0:53:36 > 0:53:37any of the other basins.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42Well, potters, the judges have seen your fabulous basins
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and they've got a lot to discuss.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47So we will see you back here shortly when they will make their decision.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Can't believe I made Keith cry
0:53:54 > 0:53:59but the guy, he just really connects with the material and the beauty.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02And I am not saying particularly that my stuff was beautiful.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06I have done all right this time. The characters I drew came to life.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10I am not sure if I have taken pole position.
0:54:10 > 0:54:12I think there are a few contestants for Top Potter.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16I think Jim's basin was fantastic, but on overall performance,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19I think it will probably go to Matt.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21There are some good competition for Top Potter.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Tom's is very well made, and so is Jim's.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26You make one mistake and you are history.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28And I think I have just made that mistake.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31I feel as I can go with my head held high cos I did put myself
0:54:31 > 0:54:33out on a limb. It is a steep learning curve.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36I am on it and I just don't want it to end yet.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Let's start off with the happy decision of Top Potter.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43Who has really shone for you this week?
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Well, for me, the three boys - Tom, Matthew and Jim.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Tom's basin blew me away. It really did make me cry.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52Matthew - what a turn around?
0:54:52 > 0:54:54He has really shown us from last week
0:54:54 > 0:54:56how he has really making this great effort.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00Then Jim's turtle basin, I mean, pure decorative genius.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02You can't improve on Jim's.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04And now we have to go onto who is going to be
0:55:04 > 0:55:06leaving the pottery today.
0:55:06 > 0:55:07SHE GROANS
0:55:07 > 0:55:12Nigel is using his building know-how but he is trying to force
0:55:12 > 0:55:16it in to his pottery. I was almost in tears when I saw
0:55:16 > 0:55:18the bottom of his basin.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20The amount of cracks on it. It was a disaster.
0:55:20 > 0:55:25Who else is looking a bit like they just can't quite keep up
0:55:25 > 0:55:26with the others?
0:55:26 > 0:55:29I think James is lacking his technical ability.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32It could have been so good and it wasn't. He actually said,
0:55:32 > 0:55:36"I am chasing myself here because I need to learn more."
0:55:36 > 0:55:39James, at the Spot Test, his tiles,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43God love him, but they really weren't inspiring at all.
0:55:43 > 0:55:44So, it's a tough one.
0:55:53 > 0:55:55The judges have made their decision,
0:55:55 > 0:55:58the first of which is Top Potter. Kate?
0:55:58 > 0:56:01There were three potters that really stood out.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03The Top Potter of this week is...
0:56:09 > 0:56:10Jim.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:15 > 0:56:17Now for the more difficult part
0:56:17 > 0:56:21because somebody has to leave the pottery.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23They really, really struggled with this,
0:56:23 > 0:56:29but they have decided that the person leaving the pottery is...
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- Nigel.- OK.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Aw!
0:56:45 > 0:56:47It's fine. Don't worry about me.
0:56:47 > 0:56:52When the bottom falls out of your sink, that's what happens.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57Nigel, his main task was a bit of a disaster, bless him.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00- Sorry to see you go. - Well done, Nigel.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04I am so sad to see Nigel go. That beaming face!
0:57:04 > 0:57:09He was so eager to show us what he could do. It just didn't fit.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11We're going to miss you so much!
0:57:11 > 0:57:17You just smile so much. I'm going to miss your smiles!
0:57:17 > 0:57:20I actually naively thought I'd come in and make a few pots,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23everybody would go, "Wow, Nigel, they are brilliant pots."
0:57:23 > 0:57:25And I would walk through to the end.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29However, I didn't realise the pressure I would be under.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33And when you are put under that kind of pressure,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35inevitably there will be problems.
0:57:35 > 0:57:38I hope I have dealt with them in good grace.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40I have had a good time. I came for the craic
0:57:40 > 0:57:43and that's ultimately what I got.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45- JAMES:- Going back into the judging room then,
0:57:45 > 0:57:47my heart absolutely pounding.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49I was ready to go. You kind of accept the fate that you
0:57:49 > 0:57:54think is coming and when it doesn't happen, you sort of think,
0:57:54 > 0:57:57"Did they not say my name?" It was crazy.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59And I live to tell another tale.
0:57:59 > 0:58:01HE LAUGHS
0:58:01 > 0:58:02Thank you.
0:58:02 > 0:58:03Well done.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05This week's Top Potter.
0:58:05 > 0:58:06It is great. It is great.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08I am not going to deny it, it feels good.
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Woohoo!
0:58:14 > 0:58:15Dollop it on, splash it on.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18Sparks fly in the Main Make...
0:58:18 > 0:58:20Come on, something work!
0:58:20 > 0:58:21..as the potters play with fire.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23You are OK, take your time.
0:58:23 > 0:58:24As Spot Test...
0:58:24 > 0:58:26It shouldn't be such a big deal.
0:58:26 > 0:58:27..to get them thinking...
0:58:27 > 0:58:28Mind's gone a bit blank now.
0:58:28 > 0:58:31'..and a Throw Down to leave them gasping.'
0:58:31 > 0:58:32Do keep breathing.
0:58:32 > 0:58:33'Who will rise up?'
0:58:33 > 0:58:35CHEERING
0:58:35 > 0:58:37And who will crack under pressure?
0:58:37 > 0:58:39Whoa!