Who won The Great British Sewing Bee 2021? Serena sews her way to ‘very marginal’ victory on BBC show

The Great British Sewing Bee came to a stunning conclusion on Wednesday (16 June), as the three finalists created occasion dresses and fun fashion creations.

Raph, Serena and Rebecca were among the least experienced of the 12 contestants who entered the BBC workshop this year, showcasing their sewing skills.

Serena Baker has now been announced as the winner, making her the youngest ever contestant to win the show and be crowned Queen of the Bee.

So, what happened in the final and what is Serena’s background? This is what you need to know.

Who is Serena?

21-year-old Serena is a medical student, currently studying at Edinburgh University.

She originally comes from Glasgow and became involved in sewing after watching tutorials on YouTube.

She grabbed the attention of judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant early on in the competition, with her flare for revamping worn and dated designs.

Her inspiration comes from her love of charity shop bargain hunting and giving new life to worn out garments.

What happened in the final?

Serena was ahead in the competition from the outset, stunning the judges with her take on a young girl’s bridesmaid dress in the Pattern Challenge.

Everything was still to play for though, with textile artist Raph, 32, and 23-year-old Rebecca creating eye-catching pieces. At the end of the initial task, Rebecca was second and Raph was in third place.

Following the challenge, judge Patrick Grant told the finalists ““We are looking at very fine margins here.”

For the second piece, Raph played to his strengths and bounced back to win the challenge of revamping household materials such as curtains and cushions to create a festival look.

Esme described his Pride-inspired outfit as “fabulous” before adding: “I just think it is so fun.”

Serena placed second, making her the strongest contestant of the final with one challenge to go.

For the final challenge, the last chance to be named the winner, the three had to create an award-worthy outfit, the judges challenged their skills with instructions to include a glamorous off-the-shoulder evening gowns for their models.

The contestants had been isolated from their families and friends during their time on the show and were emotional when greeted with one of their loved ones as their model.

Serena was met by her sister-in-law, Rebecca was greeted by a friend and Raph’s model was one of his colleagues.

As their catwalk creations received their final stitch and the winner was determined, former contestants and members of the final three’s families joined them on Zoom.

The winner was announced as Serena, she cried as her name was called and her mum appeared to stomp her feet with pride.

Serena told host Joe Lycett : “That’s mental. When they said my name it was like, ‘Is this real?’ and then they started clapping. It still feels like a dream but I am so proud of what I have done.”

What does the winner of the Great British Sewing Bee win?

Serena, like winners before her, wins a trophy and bragging rights.

“It’s not about the prize, it’s about the enormous honour of being crowned the champion”, said Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant to The Telegraph.

There is no cash prize or employment deals struck for the winner, as the BBC is publicly funded.

Where can I watch the Great British Sewing Bee final?

The Great British Sewing Bee final was shown on BBC One on 16 June.

The final, as well as all other episodes from this series, are available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.