The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 is finally back on our screens to brighten our Sunday evenings.
Keep reading to discover all the latest information about the latest series of The Great Pottery Throwdown and meet the potters taking part.
We will let you know where, when and how you can watch the show. We'll also introduce you to the 2024 contestants as well as give you the lowdown and what you can expect from series 7.
Grab a cuppa, it's time to return to the pottery studio!
Warning: There are spoilers below!
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Follow the links below to jump to a section:
- What time is The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 on TV?
- What channel is The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 on?
- Where to watch The Great Pottery Throw Down online
- Where is The Great Pottery Throw Down filmed?
- The Great Pottery Throw Down episode guide
- The Great Pottery Throw Down series 7: what to expect
- Who is the Pottery Throwdown's technician?
- The Great Pottery Throw Down judges
- Meet Siobhan McSweeney, The Great Pottery Throw Down's presenter
- The Great Pottery Throw Down contestants 2024
- How to apply for The Great Pottery Throw Down
- Who won The Great Pottery Throw Down 2023?
- Who won The Great Pottery Throw Down 2022?
Your guide to The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024
What time is The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 on TV?
The new series of the Great Pottery Throw Down will air on Channel 4 on 7th January at 7.45pm.
What channel is The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 on?
The Great Pottery Throw Down is aired on Channel 4.
The original two seasons were aired on BBC 2 in 2015 and 2017. The show was then bought by Channel 4 and has been a huge success ever since.
Where to watch The Great Pottery Throw Down?
You can watch The Great Pottery Throw Down on Channel 4's on-demand streaming service. You'll be able to watch the show live online as long as you have a TV license.
Alternatively, each episode will be uploaded to Channel 4 after the program airs meaning you can catch up with each episode whenever you like! You can also watch all the episodes from The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 on Channel 4 online.
Where is the Great Pottery Throwdown filmed?
The Great Pottery Throw Down is filmed in Stoke-on-Trent, a city at the heart of the UK which is known for its pottery industry.
The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 episode guide
(There will be spoilers)
No one loves the Pottery Throwdown more than us which is why we're giving you a week-by-week rundown of the show. We will update our Pottery Throwdown episode guide every Monday with all our thoughts and feelings on the previous night's episode. Let us know what you thought of the episode in the comments!
If this year's competition has got you curious about ceramics, read our guide to pottery for beginners to find out how to get started at home. Get your clay ready, it's time to make.
Episode ten: The Final!
Can you believe it?! It’s the final of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024. We’re sad it’s come to an end but so excited and can’t wait to see who brings it home.
The three potters who remain are, Dan, Donna and Dave. This week the potters are challenged to make a chandelier. They must make an ornate, statement piece. They must have three parts, a ceiling rose, a chain cover and a base that has five candle holders.
The chandeliers must showcase the potters' decorative skills but also must have a strong structure to hold the candles.
Donna’s chandelier is based on a Mexican tree of life candelabra. Donna will tell her life story through the design. Dan’s design is based on his work as an engineer, it depicts the transformation from analogue to digital. Dave has also been inspired by family trees, it will reflect important locations in his life.
The candle holders must be uniform, and the same height. With so many elements to their chandeliers, there’s a lot of pressure on the potters to get everything done in time. Donna’s chandelier has over 100 separate pieces!
At the halfway mark, it’s time for the drying room and that means a mystery challenge! This week is a throwdown, the judges would like the potters to make multi-faceted bowls. The potters must make as many as they can within the time limit.
In first place was Dan! He made the most uniform bowls.
Back to it! The bisque-fired chandeliers are ready for decoration. The potters are using a variety of colours to make their chandeliers beautiful.
After the final firing, it’s time for the judging. Dave’s make got top marks from the judges but the bottom of his design was uncovered, which lost him a couple of points. Donna’s chandelier was a wonderful, huge ornate design, brought together with colour and decoration. And Dan’s chandelier impressed the judges with the structure of the design, but they felt the middle was missing something.
There can only be one winner…
The winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 is…Donna!
With consistent amazing makes over the weeks, Donna is a very deserving winner!
Episode nine: Victorian toilets
It’s the semi-final! This week’s challenge is an infamous one in the Pottery Throw Down studio. The potters were challenged to make a Victorian floral toilet. It must be slab built in four parts. There’s a cistern and a waste pipe which will be provided so that the toilets can be flushed during judging.
This is certainly a challenge and a half! It’s not just the design the potters need to think about, it’s about the practicality and structure too. At the decorating stage, they’ll also need to make their designs beautifully ornate.
Dave has been inspired by botany and Charles Darwin’s favourite flower. Dan’s got half a plan; his toilet is inspired by his grandad’s outdoor toilet and rose garden. Steven’s toilet will celebrate his child and will be decorated with dandelions. Last but not least Donna’s toilet will represent her family tree with a variety of beautiful blue flowers.
While the toilets are in the drying room, it’s time for the mystery challenge! The potters will be leaving the Gladstone studio and heading up the road to the oldest working pottery factory in the country, Dutchess China (circa 1888).
The potters have been challenged to paint a fine china plate, the outline will be on the plate already and the potters will have to master the colours. The potters will need a delicate touch and ensure they are focused on applying the right amount of paint to the design.
Dan impressed the judges and won the mystery challenge, with high praise indeed!
Back in the studio, the toilets are ready for decoration. Dave, Donna and Dan are hand painting while Steven is using stencils to build up his dandelions. It’s time for the final firing, and then the all-important judging.
There’s some tough competition this week, from Donna’s gorgeous design to the character of Dave’s design. But there can only be one winner!
This week’s Potter of the Week is… Dan!
Sadly we have to say goodbye to one potter, the person who we said goodbye to was Steven.
Next week: The final!
Episode eight: Victorian water filter
It’s the quarter-final! This week the potters have been challenged to make a Victorian-style water filter. It needs to have a lid, lugs on the side and space in the bottom for a tap. The main decorative technique is using sprigs. The pieces will then be fired in an oil-drum kiln.
It’s the largest throwing challenge in the competition so far! The water filters need to be dedicated to the potters' favourite town, city or place.
Steven has been inspired by Venice and the famous Rialto Bridge. Donna has been inspired by Belfast and Dan has been inspired by his home town of Weymouth.
In a dramatic turn, Dave slipped and dropped his water filter with only an hour to go. He’s had to work hard to bring it back before firing.
At the halfway mark it’s time for the mystery challenge. It’s a throwdown! The potters are challenged to make a coffee filter and coffee pot. The judges will be looking for precision and a perfect fit between the pot and the filter.
The winner of the mystery challenge was Steven, for this perfect coffee pot!
It’s back to the main challenge and the potters are dipping their pots in a sodium chloride mixture, to then be fired in the oil drum. The potters are doing their own firing so it’s all up to them how long it goes in for and when they should take it out.
The kilns will now cool overnight, so the potters will have to wait!
Most of the potter's creations survived the oil kiln, except for Dan whose water filter sadly cracked and broke when he lifted it out of the kiln.
The pots were overall of a very good level, even Dave managed to bring it back after his earlier breakage.
There can only be one winner though! The Potter of the Week is… Donna! For the 5th time in a row.
The potter who will be going home is, Jan. We’re so sad to say goodbye to Jan she’s been a brilliant contestant.
See you next week for the semi-final!
Episode seven: Modern abstract lighting sculpture
Week seven is here and this week the potters are challenged to make a modern, abstract light sculpture, the theme is light and dark.
They must make three individual elements, two pieces will be made from white porcelain and the third will be made from smooth black clay. There are no glazes or oxide and it is a once-fired challenge.
Most of all their sculptures must have the wow factor!
The potters have their work cut out due to the challenging nature of porcelain, it’s delicate and can be tricky to work with.
Several of the potters are using personal experiences to inspire their pieces, Donna’s piece represents her struggle with depression and the light shining through. A nighttime kayak has inspired Dan, he took after the breakdown of a relationship, and Sophie is drawing from her experience with anxiety.
At the halfway mark the potters begin to work with the black clay, it’s very different from working with porcelain, it also has a different shrinkage size in the kiln compared to porcelain so the potters will need to take this into consideration
It’s time for a mystery challenge! This week surprise judge Ashraf Hanna will be sharing his expertise. The potters are making a slab-built sculpture which needs to have straight edges and neat joins. In last place was Jan and in first place was Dan for a good finish and sense of energy in his piece.
It’s back to the main challenge and the potters add the final touches to their light sculptures. After firing it’s time for the judging!
Each piece will be lit up with a bulb inside to showcase the thin porcelain. The judges were impressed by the wide range of styles and creativity (and there were lots of tears), but only one potter could come out on top. This week’s Potter of the Week is… Donna!
Sadly we had to say goodbye to one potter, and this week that was…Sophie.
Next week: Big throwing challenge!
Episode six: Novelty teapots and mugs
The potters are back! This week they will make colourful novelty teapots and a pair of mugs using the majolica technique (a runny translucent glaze). The tea set has to be functioning, and the judges will test them.
There’s lots to think about when making a teapot. There’s the lid, the handle, the spout and not to mention the eye-catching novelty design.
Cadi is making a campervan teapot, Steven’s is a nod to the ballet and Jan is celebrating belly dancers with her pot.
Dave’s gone down a more unusual route with a snake teapot and mug set as has Dan’s with an octopus-themed teapot. However, the potters must bear in mind the weight of their creations.
Dan isn’t the only one making an octopus teapot, Sophie is taking on this ambitious design too.
Steven’s teapot collapsed in the drying room, so he had to make a replacement at top speed. In the end, every potter managed to get their pots and mugs into the drying room on time.
It’s mystery challenge time! This week the potters were challenged to make porcelain moon jars. The clay is delicate and difficult to throw, so the potters are in for quite a task. They will need to create as many identical moon jars as possible.
The winner of the quick challenge was Steven! All of his moon jars were accepted by the judges.
Back to the tea sets and it’s time for the decorating and the majolica glaze. The potters need to use just the right amount of glaze to ensure it pools correctly.
It’s judging time! There’s some stiff competition this week and lots of beautiful makes, but only one potter can come out on top. Potter of the Week goes to: Donna for her beautiful coral-themed tea set.
Sadly we had to say goodbye to one potter, and that was Cadi.
Next week: Abstract lampshades
Episode five: Garden week and cascading water features
It’s the halfway mark for the potters! This week’s challenge will be the biggest build of the series so far. The potters have been challenged to make a cascading bowls water feature.
The water features should be made up of three bowls, and inspired by the surrounding woodland. There’s a lot to think about for this challenge, from the throwing, the plumbing and the design.
The potters must be very meticulous with their clay for this make, as the water will find even the tiniest of cracks.
Her childhood inspires Sophie’s design with a fairy-inspired water feature. Princess uses a similar theme inspired by her favourite fairytale stories. Dan has taken an imaginative approach too with a crocodile-themed bowl. Several of the potters are using the ancient woodland as inspiration.
As the time presses on, the potters are feeling the pressure to finish their designs. Then it's time for the bisque firing.
That can only mean one thing: A quick-make mystery challenge! This week is a throwdown task. The potters have been challenged to make a hedgehog house. It’s a large amount of clay to work with so the potters will need to put their weight into it!
The judges were impressed with Steven’s accurate throwing which gained him first place! Jan struggled to build height with her hedgehog home, so came in last place.
Back to the main challenge, the water features have been fired and are ready to be painted and decorated. Cadi, Princess and Sophie’s bowls came out of the of the kiln with cracks.
It’s judging time! There were some outstanding water features among the potters. Highlights were Donna’s snake bowl, where the water flowed from the snake's mouth. Jan’s oak-themed bowl was a beautiful piece and well-made. And Steven’s mushroom an moss-covered creation was magical!
The winner of this week’s Potter of the Week is Steven for his performance in both challenges! Well done Steven - well deserved!
Sadly the potter we say goodbye to is Princess.
Episode four: Raku week and animal busts
This week the potters are back and sculpting animal busts as well as the Raku challenge. The animal busts should be inspired by the surrounding farm. These will need to be realistic and will be slab-built. The busts will then be fired using Raku, if you're wondering what this is, you can read all about it in our Raku guide.
Raku firing can be a dangerous and unpredictable process, so it will be a real challenge for the potters.
The potters are making a variety of animals. Steven is making a cow, Daniel a barn owl and Princess has chosen a fox. The judges will be looking for busts which are anatomically correct so the sculpting stage is crucial. They also need to ensure their joints are strong as Raku is an aggressive firing technique and will break weak joints.
Dave is making a turkey and has decided to individually apply each feather by hand! A challenge and a half!
It's time for a quick challenge. This week there's a guest judge, Jacqui Atkins! She'll be judging the potters' decorative abilities through mark making. The potters need to be precise as they cannot afford to make a mistake. Cadi's bold design won her 1st place!
Back to the animal busts and it's decorating time. The potters must decide how they use the Raku within their designs. Any unglazed areas will be turned black by the Raku firing.
Raku kilns can reach up to 1000 degrees Celsius within 20 minutes. Which is what makes them so unpredictable. Princess' fox cracked in the kiln, as did Steven's.
There's been some successes, several cracks, and a couple of breaks but it's judging time. There was some tough competition amongst the potters this week. But as we know there can only be one winner!
This week's Potter of the Week is Dave for his magnificent turkey bust. Well done Dave!
Sadly we said goodbye to Daniel.
Next week: cascading bowls water feature
Episode three: Staffordshire flatbacks
This week sees the ten remaining potters take on their first slab-building challenge. They will be making a pair of Staffordshire flatbacks. They should be personal to each potter and say something about them personally.
Wondering what a Staffordshire flatback is? As the name suggests the piece needs to have a flat back so it can be placed flush against a wall. The pieces themselves are decorative ornaments which rose to popularity in Victorian times.
There's several different techniques the potters are using to build the structure of their flatbacks (called a former), Dave is using a clay 'scaffold' whereas Daniel is using foil.
There's plenty of unique designs, each inspired by a story from the potter's life, from angry badgers to childhood memories, we're seeing it all!
Shani hit a few roadblocks with her flatbacks, which were leaning forward too far. Cadi's flatbacks are giant in size, will they be too big for the mantlepiece?
It's that time again: the mystery challenge! The potters have been challenged to make a Victorian shaving scuttle. It's a complex challenge and there's no spare clay so the potters only get one shot. Jan's scuttle came in last place and Sophie's came in first place.
It's judging time for the Staffordshire flatbacks. There were lots of beautifully detailed designs but of course, only one could come out on top! This week's Potter of the Week is Donna. The level of detail in her creation blew the judges away. Keith even shed a tear!
Sadly we had to say goodbye to one potter this week - It was time for Shani to go home.
Next time: A farmyard sculpture challenge
Episode two: Gluggle jugs
The potters are back! This week is gluggle jugs. This fun yet challenging make sees the potters making a pair of fish-shaped gluggle jugs.
The jugs need to be of good likeness of their chosen fish and they need to create an airlock in the handle in order to create that iconic gluggle sound. Judges will be putting the jugs to the test!
We're seeing a good variety of fish for the potters jugs. Dave is sculpting a catfish, Princess is tackling lavender patterns for her fish and Edward is inspired by ice fish.
With the coiling now complete and the jugs structured. The potters who chose to use formers it's time to for the moment of truth to remove the formers. Princess and Shani both struggled with splits in their clay.
The next stage is to add the details and any attachments. The potters used a variety of tools to add intricate cuts and shapes.
It's drying time! Once the jugs have dried the potters will now paint, decorate and finalise.
But before this, it's time for the mystery challenge: the potters must create three identical vases but here's the kicker - they will be blindfolded.
Donna's gluggle jugs impressed the judges this week with her attention to detail. Sophie's gluggle jugs were described as 'bloody brilliant' by Keith. Shani was praised for her use of bold colours. Cadi's gluggle jugs were praised as 'extraordinary'. There's tough competition amongst the potters this week.
This week's potter of the week was Cadi.
Sadly we had to say goodbye to one of the potters, the potter to go home this week was Edward.
Next week: The potters are making Staffordshire flatbacks.
Episode one: Roast dinner set
The Pottery Throw Down is back, and we're so excited to see what the potters have in store for us!
The first challenge is a British classic. The potters must make a roast dinner set including a gravy boat, side plate, condiment pot and salt and pepper shakers. Each set must have elements in common to show that they are a set.
The first challenging design is the gravy boat, it starts life as a bowl and must be carefully shaped into an oval shape.
Many of the potters are using nature, walks and beaches to inspire their set. We loved Edwards foxglove set which uses the stalk of the foxglove to create the handle to his gravy boat. Sophie has been inspired by Easter and spring for her set.
Other potters have chosen family to inspire their set, Donna's roast dinner set is inspired by her Granny. Steven is also inspired by his Nan's home, where he spend many Sunday's as a child enjoying her roast dinners. Princess' set is inspired by sea views at her Nan's home in France.
After some time in the drying room, the initial designs can now be refined by the potters. This give the potters to add any carving to their pieces.
With only half an hour remaining the potters are feeling the heat! Shani is struggling to level out her plate, while Sophie needs a hand taking her items to the drying room. All of the potters made it to the drying room in time!
It's time for the quick challenge, each potter must make as many plates as possible in 20 minutes. The potter who made the most with ten plates to a high standard was Dan, who went on to win the challenge.
It's for decorating, the roast dinner sets are ready to be painted and perfected. The challenge with painting is that the colours will change when the pieces are glazed.
It's judgement time! But who will come out on top? Dan's beach themed set impressed the judges. Princess' set impressed on technicality but the judges felt it wasn't quite decorated enough.
Overall though Donna's set impressed the judges big time! They were blown away by her pottery painting.
This week's potter of the week was Donna!
Sadly we had to say goodbye to one of the potters, the first potter to go home was Andrew.
The Great Pottery Throwdown series 7
The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 could be the best series yet! Twelve contestants will battle it out in the studio to become Britain's best potter. There will be challenging tasks to test each potter's creativity, skill and technique.
Series 7 sees the return of Raku Week, Garden Week and Bathroom Week, as well as some new themes such as novelty, farm animals and salt firing.
The series kicks off with Perfect Sunday Memories, with the contestants whipping up a gravy boat and saucer, a dinner plate, a condiment pot with a lid and salt and pepper shakers.
The Great Pottery Throwdown 2024 sees the return of our two favourite judges and their trusty technician. We love seeing Rich, Keith and Rose again!
Irish actress Siobhan is also back on our screens with her trademark blend of warmth and humour.
According to the judges, the standard of the competitors this year was higher than ever. "Rich and I have had to really think about who's going and who's staying because the standard was really high and really, really close," says Keith.
"Every week, it was very difficult. Some potters were amazing decorators, some amazing throwers, some amazing handbuilders. All of them excelled in different parts of ceramics. There was a real mixed bag, but there was such talent in the room," Rich adds.
Who is the Pottery Throwdown's technician?
Rose Schmits is the pottery technician for The Great Pottery Throwdown 2024. She took over from Rich Miller, who is now a judge on the show.
Rose is from the Netherlands and says the practice of pottery is "a metaphor for the trans experience". Her beautiful pottery takes all different forms often featuring abstract shapes with trans activism slogans. From her personal website she says:
My ceramic practice is a way for me to delve into my identity as a trans woman from Delft, the Netherlands. Using the Delftware pottery technique to create pieces that reflect my experiences as a trans person having altered my body and identity allows me to gain ownership of the struggles of transitioning as well as remember where I came from.
Rose Schmits
You can see some of Rose's incredible pottery over on her Instagram page and Etsy shop. Her knowledge of the kiln and clay has already proved invaluable.
The Great Pottery Throwdown judges
The Great Pottery Throwdown will see the return of TV favourites Rich Miller and Keith Brymer Jones.
Rich Miller
'Kiln man Rich' is back to judge the potter's creations and he's perfect for the job thanks to his wealth of experience.
Richard was the show's behind-the-scenes technician before becoming a judge, which means he's got an eagle-eye for the technical accuracy and techniques used in pottery.
Keith Brymer Jones
We interviewed Keith Brymer Jones back in 2020 about his love of pottery. He's an incredibly talented man and we love how emotional he gets at the contestants' creations! Read our interview with Keith Brymer Jones to learn more about the behind-the-scenes action at the throwdown HQ.
We also spoke to Keith for our podcast: We've Made It. In this episode, we chatted to Keith about the teacher who inspired him to become a potter, how pottery has helped him to get through some tough times and why some makes on the show make him very emotional!
You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.
Love a bit of crafty TV? Once you've become a Pottery Throwdown expert check out our guides to The Great British Sewing Bee, Interior Design Masters, Landscape Artist of the Year and Portrait Artist of the Year, which cover everything you need to know about these creative shows!
Meet Siobhan McSweeney, the Great Pottery Throwdown's presenter
Irish actress and presenter Siobhan McSweeney has become a beloved member of the Throw Down team.
She's best known for her role as Sister Michael on the hit Channel 4 comedy Derry Girls, for which she won a BAFTA (Best Female Comedy Performance).
She stars in the Disney superhero comedy Extraordinary and has appeared in other hit dramas such as: Holding, Death in Paradise, Murdoch Mysteries, The Fall, No Offence and Collateral.
Siobhan has also appeared on the stage in As You Like It and Dancing at Lughnasa at the National Theatre and The Alchemist at the RSC.
She's a supportive presence on The Great Pottery Throw Down and always puts contestants at ease.
Meet The Great Pottery Throw Down 2024 contestants
The Great Pottery Throwdown 2024 contestants are the best bunch yet and we can't wait to see what they make. We're going to introduce you to the potters below and link to their social media so you can follow their progress.
Keep an eye on the Twitter account @PotteryThrowdown which is always the first place to share the show's cast and gossip.
Andrew, 67, from London (originally Wales)
Andrew got his first taste of pottery as a child, but only rediscovered his passion for ceramics three years ago. He starts each day by eating porridge in a handmade bowl and loves choosing bespoke items when hosting his friends for dinner.
Andrew is an actor and freelance executive coach. He was born in Swansea, but moved to London 40 years ago for his corporate career. At 44, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming an actor and retrained at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School. He's since appeared in TV and film and performed in the theatre.
Cadi, 50, Brighton
Cadi works as a Record Label Admin Assistant and lives with her husband, two sons and pet tortoise. She previously lived in France, Germany and the US before settling in Brighton.
Tired of prioritising work that pays the bills, Cadi picked up pottery again recently as she felt it was finally time for her to prioritise herself. When she’s not busy throwing pots, she spends her time swimming in the sea, hiking up hills or working at her friend’s record label.
Dan, 41, Weymouth
Systems engineer Dan first fell in love with clay when he took an evening pottery class but deepened his passion during a career break in Spain. He now pots in a rented studio space on Weymouth harbour. The biggest fan of his pottery is his mum!
Dan moved to Weymouth three years ago as he always wanted to settle down beside the sea.
Daniel, 30, London
Daniel’s works as a data scientist and got into pottery as a way to get away from screens. He's passionate about inspiring others from a similar background to pursue their creative interests.
His British Chinese identity is important to Daniel and he wants to bring this into his ceramic work.
Dave, 58, Evesham
Dave is a retired special school teacher, grandfather of two and a self-confessed tinkerer. He recently retired and loves to go canoeing with his wife and their dog, Izzy.
Dave's first experience of working with clay took place at school. Forty years later, he bought himself a broken potter’s wheel as a repair job. It brought back such fond memories he now has his own studio in his garden shed.
Donna, 44, Bangor in Northern Ireland
After a long time working in England as an art teacher, Donna returned home to Northern Ireland 11 years ago and lives by the sea with her husband and their three children.
Donna first tried pottery at 15 and went on to study it at university. When she's not working with clay, Donna's a dab hand at DIY. She recently renovated her house, doing everything from the tiling to fitting the toilet and sink.
In the past, Donna's used her sculpting skills to decorate cakes. Will this lead her to success on the Pottery Throw Down? We can't wait to see.
Edward, 33, Plymouth
Edward, a social housing project officer, first tried pottery at a local community centre, but is mainly self-taught through trial and error. He now pots in his conservatory at home, recently making a sink for his new house. This should come in handy for Bathroom Week!
Inspired by his grandfather's stories of working in Japan, Edward has always been fascinated by the Japanese culture. He studied Japanese at university and went to live there as part of his course.
Jan, 61, Llanelli
Jan, an animal sciences lecturer for 25 years, has a real passion for wildlife and conservation.
In her spare time, Jan enjoys potting in her garden shed. When recovering from breast cancer in 2014, she decided to finally address her bucket list, which included both pottery and belly dancing. She's also a keen stitcher and makes all of her own belly dancing outfits.
Princess, 24, London
Princess was born in French Guyana and is bilingual. She attended school in France before moving to London with her family.
Princess found clay after a short career as a pastry chef. Now happily working as a studio technician, Princess hasn’t looked back and enjoys throwing functional items.
Shani, 38, Bristol (originally Sri Lanka)
Shani came to the UK 17 years ago and now lives in Bristol with her husband and their four young sons. In between taking her boys to all their clubs and activities, she finds time to run a small business refurbishing pottery equipment.
She used to make pinch pots from naturally harvested clay as a child in Sri Lanka. But it was seven years ago, after watching her children play with mud, that her interest in pottery was rekindled.
Sophie, 24, Warwickshire
Design crafts graduate Sophie creates pet portraits and brings all aspects of her art into her pottery. She is hoping to turn her dad’s shed into a studio, with her own wheel and kiln.
Sophie grew up in a small village and still lives close to her extended family. She loves photography and using her skills to capture family gatherings.
Steven, 33, Oxfordshire
Newly married Steven grew up in Oxfordshire and after some time away studying Fine Art in London and travelling in Vietnam, he returned to teach Art & Design at a Further Education College. He enjoys playing ice and roller hockey when he can, and is also in a punk band where he was described as ‘the politest punk’ ever.
Steven first tried pottery on a Greek holiday six years ago. His favourite person to pot with is his three-year-old daughter.
How to apply for The Great Pottery Throw Down 2025
Are you a budding potter? We'll update the article soon with details of how to apply for next year's show!
Who won the Great Pottery Throw Down 2023?
Loïs is the 2023 Pottery Throwdown champion and we couldn't be happier with the result! From day one Loïs impressed the judges with her artistry, attention to detail, and creative flair.
She grew in confidence over the weeks, creating everything from an abstract tea set to a sculpture of a red panda. As Rich said 'she injects life into every brushstroke' and this passion made her a worthy winner.
Loïs now has her own pottery studio combining her two favourite things – earrings and clay! Keep up with her work by following her on Instagram.
What makes Loïs special is she gives us something of herself every single time she makes something
Keith
Who won The Great Pottery Throwdown 2022?
The incredible AJ won The Great Pottery Throw Down 2022. They have been consistently brilliant, winning over five challenges throughout the show. They have a distinct style and we love the funny little characters which appear in their work. They've now opened their own pottery studio! Check out their work over on Instagram.
It's a dream come true and a dream I never thought would happen
AJ
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