The Great Pottery Throw Down: what is it about, when does it begin and who is competing in the latest series?

12 contestants look to impress the judges with their ceramic symphonies in a bid to become the winner of “The Great Pottery Throw Down,” which begins its seventh season on Channel 4 this weekend, with expert judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller joined once again by comedian Siobhan McSweeney. While there is no prize for the winner, the reward comes from the sense of accomplishment as potters from across the United Kingdom face off against one another until one clay-caked entrant is crowned the winner of “The Great Pottery Throw Down,” which across the past six seasons as been a prize in itself. 

In each episode of a pottery competition, a group of amateur potters participate in two pottery challenges. In the "main make" challenge, contestants are given specific instructions to design a ceramic creation, build it from a clay body, decorate it, and present it to the judges for evaluation after it is fired in the kiln. 

In between stages of the main make, potters are assigned a "second challenge", a smaller-scale task that tests a specific pottery skill. The judges then rank them from worst to best. At the end of each episode, the judges choose the best-performing contestant as "potter of the week". The contestant with the worst results gets dismissed, and all others return for the following episode. The winner of the final episode is declared as the overall winner of the series.

Who is competing this year in “The Great Pottery Throw Down”?

Channel 4 has provided some details on the contestants that are taking part in the new series of “The Great Pottery Throw Down,” from a parent who drew inspiration from watching her children play with mud to a DIY enthusiast who tried their hand at pottery at an early age

Sophie creates pet portraits and aims to turn her dad's shed into a pottery studio. Steven discovered pottery-making in Greece six years ago and enjoys potting with his three-year-old daughter. Shani began her pottery journey by making pinch pots as a child in Sri Lanka and rediscovered her interest while watching her children play with mud. Princess is a former pastry chef turned studio technician who loves working on functional items on the kiln. 

Jan enjoys making pottery in her shed, fulfilling a bucket list item alongside belly dancing. Edward is mainly self-taught, learned pottery through trial and error, set up in his conservatory, and recently made a new sink for his house. Donna tried pottery at 15 and is a DIY enthusiast who recently renovated her entire house. Dave bought a broken potter's wheel for repair, leading to a love for pottery, and now has a studio in his garden shed. 

Daniel started pottery as a release from his day job as a data scientist and advocated encouraging everyone to pursue creative interests. Dan deepened his love for pottery during a career break in Spain, pots in a rented studio in Weymouth harbour, and often gives his creations to his mum. Cadi rediscovered pottery as part of a self-prioritization drive and enjoys sea swimming, hiking, and working at a friend's record label. Andrew starts every day with porridge from a hand-thrown bowl and enjoys selecting ceramics for hosting friends for dinner.

When does season 7 of “The Great Pottery Throw Down” begin?

“The Great Pottery Throw Down” season 7 starts on Sunday 7 January at 7.45pm on Channel 4, with new episodes airing every Sunday - with ten episodes set to screen in total.