The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge: when is the semi-final on TV and will it return for Season 2?

Ten amateur crafters have been battling it out on our TV screens in recent weeks to be crowned the winner of Channel 4’s latest reality competition - the Great Big Tiny Design Challenge.

The semi-final of the eight-part contest, which has asked contestants to build a mini mansion room-by-room, is due to air shortly.

But, with the end of the series in sight viewers have been asking if the show will return for a second season.

Here’s everything we know so far, including what will happen in the semi-final episode and also when the final will air.

What is the Great Big Tiny Design Challenge about?

The show sees crafters from across Britain compete to create the ultimate fantasy house - in miniature form.

The eight-part series follows the designers each week as they compete against one another to create tiny furniture for doll-sized houses.

Contestants must create all of the contents shrunk down to a twelfth of their usual size to fit in the house.

They have been creating their mini houses room by room, with each room required to be fully furnished in a different interior design theme.

Viewers have seen creations from lots of periods from history, from Regency to Art Deco, and lots of tiny house-hold must-haves, be it teeny tables, toilets, curtains or food.

Who are the semi-final contestants?

There are just four crafters left in the competition - Bexie, Dom, Sharon and Michael.

Bexie is a 31 year old animation director. It was when she needed to build miniature film sets that she really found a flair for tiny creations.

Dom, 30, studied product design and is working as a mechanical engineer. He loves sharing tips and tricks online with others who have a passion for miniatures.

Computer analyst Sharon, 53,  reignited her passion for miniatures during lockdown. She has since renovated a traditional doll’s house into an upstairs-downstairs music shop/café bar.

Michael, 27, is a miniature artist by trade and began his own business after realising he could make his own sculptures instead of buying them.

Who are the judges and who is the host?

There are two judges on the show, world-record holding micro-sculptor Dr Willard Wigan MBE and interior design guru Laura Jackson.

The duo critique the results of the contestants’ work and then whittle down the miniaturists down room by room, week by week, until only one contestant is left and then declared the winner.

The show is presented by Sandi Toksvig, who viewers will recognise from her recent role in presenting another Channel 4 show - the enormously successful The Great British Bake Off.

As well as offering support to the contestants each week, Toksvig has also been shrinking down through the use of cutting-edge graphics to take a tiny tour of each of the finished rooms.

When is The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge next on TV?

The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge semi-final is on Sunday 8 May at 9pm on More4.

The final episode of the show is expected to air on Sunday 15 May at 9pm on More4.

The first six episodes are available now to watch on catch-up service All4, and the final two episodes will also be available to watch via the service shortly after they are broadcast.

What will happen in the semi-final episode?

In the semi-final episode, the miniaturists are asked to create a Georgian kitchen, spanning the width of the mini mansion.

One of the contestants will be named as maker of the week and given an automatic place in the final.

You can watch a preview of the episode below.

Will there be another series?

The show has been popular with viewers since it first began back in March, which has left many asking the question ‘will there be another series?’.

There’s no official comment on this from Channel 4 - although if this changes we will let you know.

Judging by the pattern of other Channel 4 reality TV competitions which follow the same format and have had several seasons, such as the Great British Bake Off and the Great Pottery Throw Down,  we expect The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge will be back for a second series.

We will update this page with more information as it becomes available.