The Great British Sewing Bee 2022: when is new series on BBC One, contestants, who is presenter Sara Pascoe?

The Great British Sewing Bee sees 12 amateur sewers take on crafty fashion challenges as they compete to be named Britain’s best home sewer.

In the first episode of the new season the competitors will have to create a capsule wardrobe, including a mini skirt, going-out top, and a fitted wrap dress.

Who is host Sara Pascoe?

Sara is taking over hosting duties from Joe Lycett who has been with the show since 2019.

Sara previously took part as a contestant on the 2020 celebrity Christmas special and hosted the special the following year.

She is a standup comedian and actress known for appearances on panel shows Mock the Week, Taskmaster and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Her acting roles include a highly fictionalised version of herself in the sitcom Out of Her Mind, and Coco Lomax in the mockumentary series W1A.

Who are the contestants?

• Angela - a Lancashire-based NHS health visitor and school nurse with 50 years of sewing experience to her name.
• Annie - from Surrey is a buyer for a high street fashion label and was inspired to sew by her grandmother.
• Brogan - a Spanish and French teacher from Edinburgh who started sewing after watching the first season of The Great British Sewing Bee.
• Chichi - a London based research analyst from Zimbabwe, she is also an upcycling enthusiast.
• Cristian - originally from Romania and now a manager of a high street store in London, he learned to sew by watching his mother.

• Debra - from Anglesey, began sewing aged nine and took inspiration from high-end designers such as Gucci and Chanel.
• Gill - working as a public health intelligence analyst, in her free time she sews clothes for her whole family.
• Man Yee - originally from Hong Kong and now living in London, she learned to sew so that she could make herself a Comic-Con costume.
• Marni - a member of the Canadian First Nation Maliseet tribe and now living in Devon, she has been sewing for more than 30 years.
• Mitch - who runs a university theatre in Cumbria, is a self-taught sewer who learned the craft from books and online videos.
• Richy - a professional baker and makes historical garments as a hobby. 
• Steve - a running coach from Newcastle, he began sewing during lockdown and spends hours every day on his hobby.

Who are The Great British Sewing Bee judges?

Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young are both returning for another stint critiquing the contestants’ creations.

Esme is a fashion designer from Bedfordshire with 50 years of experience under her belt.

She started sewing when she was just seven years old and in her professional career has worked as a costume designer for films including Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach.

She first joined the series as a judge for the fourth season and has been a Sewing Bee staple ever since.

Patrick, who has been a judge since the first season of the show, is a Scottish fashion designer and is the director of several tailors as well as the  textile manufacturer Cookson & Clegg.

He has been co-chair of the Prince of Wales’ charity Future Textiles since 2018 - the  organisation aims to address the skills gap in the UK textiles industry.

Where is the Great British Sewing Bee filmed?

Season eight of the competition was filmed at the Sunny Bank Mills gallery in Leeds.

Filming for the first seven seasons took place at a studio at the Metropolitan Wharf in London.

The studio was moved to Leeds for the 2021 Christmas specials and remained there for season eight.

When is the Great British Sewing Bee season 8 release date?

The new season will air on BBC One on 27 April at 8pm with episodes being released at the same time weekly.

Episodes will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer shortly after they are first broadcast.