Original subtitles

[panting] It's week two.

So far, one lovely potter has waved goodbye

and hung up his apron.

Now, just 11 potters remain.

This week, it's bricks and mortar,

as the potters tackle slab building and these beauts.

Welcome to The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Somebody get rid of these. I'm going on my break.

[Siobhan McSweeney] Last time, Gladstone welcomed 12 new passionate potters.

Look at you, all full of hope.

-Won't last long. -[laughing]

- [McSweeney] And it was straight onto the wheel... - Ooh.

...to throw a cheese set.

-Gone fondue potty. -Come back, come back.

[McSweeney] Suz got into a pickle...

Not gonna have everything finished at this rate.

...but it was Ara...

Unfortunately, no cheese for Keith,

'cause we can't get the dome off.

I'm very disappointed.

...who was the first to leave.

Oh!

[McSweeney] While Sal enjoyed the sweet taste of success...

-It's brilliant, mate. It's brilliant. -[Sal] Thank you.

...claiming first spot in the Throw Down gallery.

-This time, the potters put away their wheels... -[Lee] Ooh.

...as they face one of the most ambitious

hand-build challenges ever on the Throw Down.

Perfect opportunity to try something bigger, more challenging.

-And in a surprising second challenge... -[contestants] Oh!

Your face.

...things get messy...

Whoa. Nice one.

...in a battle of the bricks.

But it's really fun. It's tons of aggression.

[McSweeney] Who's got the foundations to survive...

Oh, yes, spot on.

...and whose dreams will be demolished?

[gasps]

Oh!

[McSweeney] The potters are back to face a mammoth challenge.

For the first time, they're tackling hand-building,

working with huge slabs of clay.

Week two. I'm really excited.

I know that this challenge is slab and hand-building,

and that's what I'm more comfortable with, so really excited.

[Adam] I am a hand builder, so fingers crossed I'll make something impressive.

[Sal] Having won Potter of the Week

in the first challenge,

I'm going from "Yeah, yeah, I can throw"

to "Oh, my God. Head dive into the thing I can't do."

I feel positive for now. Ask me after a couple of hours.

-Hello, potters. -[contestants] Morning.

Now, for your main make challenge,

the judges would like you to slab-build a 3D building.

Now, it can be in any style you like-- a house, fantasy--

but the judges would like you to include some architectural

doors, windows, cats, tiles, ivy, I don't know.

Now, potters, we'd like you to aim for your buildings to be 40 centimetres high.

Now, make sure you've got your plans and your measurements,

and don't leave it up to guesswork.

If your buildings are made of stone, wood, brick,

we really want to see you emulate that with the clay.

Now, these buildings are going to be illuminated from the inside,

so really think about how that light works.

Great. Okay, then. Potters, you have three-and-a-half hours

to make your 3D buildings.

Potters, start pottering.

[McSweeney] The potters' fully lit ornamental buildings

must be 40 centimetres high and made using the slab-building method.

Used to do a lot more slab work back when I was younger.

But now I've sort of moved more to throwing on the wheel.

So I do have experience in it. Just, it's been a while.

[Shenyue] I'm just rolling out some slabs at the moment. I'm using the slab roller

so I get a nice, even, erm, thickness of clay.

[McSweeney] They have three-and-a-half hours

to make and dry the slabs and components

required to build their 3D structures,

and they'll be given a further three hours to erect their designs.

I always wanted to make a house.

And it's a perfect opportunity, I think,

to try something bigger, more challenging.

Hopefully it will stand straight.

So, Rich, a three-dimensional build using slabs.

Not only that, they're big. They're 40 centimetres high.

Which, just in terms of construction, is a really tough challenge.

Yeah. I mean, obviously we've got some examples here,

but they're no way 40 centimetres.

This one here is 30.

They've really got to think about

what consistency those slabs are

when they put them together.

Those joins have to be really, really good.

We want to see ambition,

we want to see these amazing structures.

But unless they get their timings right,

and there's every chance these things can just flop,

not only have they got to think about their design,

we want to see these buildings illuminated.

Absolutely. The windows here are lovely.

That textural detail working with the light shining through, for me,

that's gonna be the make-or-break of their design concept.

-[McSweeney] Hello, Suz. -[Suz] Hello.

How are you doing? Fine, thank you.

How are you feeling after last week's challenge?

Relieved and, er, lucky to get a second chance.

[laughing]

We're expecting more from you this week.

-I'm happier hand-building. -You do more hand-building?

Yes, this is up my street. Okay, brilliant.

[McSweeney] Library assistant Suz

lives in Aberdeenshire

with her three grown-up children, Kelsey, Ailee, Kieran,

-and playful pup, Mia. -Is that yummers?

Suz is building her local landmark, Fyvie Castle.

Light will shine through her windows, doors,

and lettering of the old Scots proverb meaning,

"There's no place like home."

[Suz] "Gang east and west, but hame's best."

I'm hoping to perforate that out,

so the light will come out through it.

I dread to say it. Oh, no, no.

But have you got enough time to get everything done?

I would like to think so.

I have complete faith in you.

-It's gonna be great. -Yes.

Oh, my gosh. This clay is squishy.

[McSweeney] To have any hope of constructing a building 40 centimetres high,

the potters' slabs must be firm enough to hold their own weight.

[Sal] You have to wait until these go stiff

before you can work them properly.

They just have to be dry enough to hold themselves up.

So it's all about timing.

So heavy, these slabs.

My building's a really tall rectangle that's 3D,

so if my walls are too thick, they will just, like, slump under their own weight.

Ooh, I'm quite nervous.

[McSweeney] After growing up in Kathmandu,

it's Bristol that Hannah now calls home

and where she's an active member of the community,

cooking meals for the local church.

She's building her much-loved bakery,

aiming to replicate its distinctive urban street art

and famous fire-breathing sculpture.

-[Miller] So you're making the dragon? -Yeah.

[laughter] Wow. Okay.

-That sounded a bit apprehensive. -Yeah.

It's going on the roof? It's going on the roof.

[Miller] How will you support all that?

I think it's gonna be okay.

My walls are pretty sturdy, so, yeah.

Okay.

[McSweeney] Hannah isn't the only one

recreating a place close to her heart.

[Irina] I've been inspired by this tower house in Russia.

He made it for the whole family, so we're all together.

So it's just part of me.

[McSweeney] Russian-born Irina, a flight attendant,

likes to head for the skies with pilot fiancé, Peter.

Chocks away, Peter.

[McSweeney] Her fantasy dream home

featuring a fairy-tale tower and 18 large windows

will be decorated in the pastel shades

of St. Petersburg's Hermitage Museum, where her fiancé proposed.

Well, do you think Peter would like to live in a house like this?

You know what? Peter is just trusting me and my design,

and everything I do at home, he loves.

Well, Peter sounds like a very wise man.

[McSweeney] To create a building of this scale requires multiple elements.

I'm just cutting out extra bits for details.

[Lee] Not too shabby, not too bad. Ooh.

[McSweeney] And every piece needs to be carefully planned with the utmost precision.

I've spent a lot of time preparing templates.

This is the star of my show.

Cut around it, and it just saves so much time.

-Nine and a half. -But Henry isn't taking any shortcuts.

[Henry] I grew up doing woodwork with my dad,

and he's always told me, "Measure twice, cut once,"

so I'm just listening to him now.

I think Dad would be proud of me.

[McSweeney] Henry lives in Suffolk with his parents

and two budgies, Bonnie and Clyde.

His dad Colin, a retired teacher,

is who he always turns to for expert advice.

[Henry] There we are. [Colin] Oh, look at that.

Henry's doing a mash-up of his favourite landmarks,

creating a fictional three-storey tower

with a brick-texture turret and a skatepark.

I'm hoping to make a little skateboard.

I'm really hoping I can get that in,

'cause that would bring the whole thing to life.

I like slab-building. I have an engineering background.

I've been involved in building work.

So hopefully the slab building

is gonna be a bit of a strength.

[McSweeney] Design and technology teacher Peter

lives in Buckinghamshire with wife Jill,

who's more than happy to see him spend

many an hour tinkering in his shed.

Yeah. Yes.

What do you think? Great.

His brightly coloured building,

which pays homage to famous architect Gaudí,

will have curved walls, round windows and two rooftop lizards.

I thought I'd go for a non-traditional building,

you know, just to make it exciting.

And the mood for the unconventional seems to be building.

So it's going to be a big whale breaching up, er, out of water

and then mud huts built on top of it.

Weird structure.

Oh, did we fix the lighting?

[McSweeney] Hoping to follow in his dad Yossi's footsteps,

20-year-old Alon is studying architecture at the University of Edinburgh.

His fantasy design will have a mud-hut village

precariously balanced atop a whale

with light shining from its eyes and the building's windows.

Is this a picture? Okay. [Alon] Yeah, that's, er...

Wow. That's the design.

The idea is with global warming, sea levels rising,

land has become a rare commodity, I guess,

as humans have gone to find new places to build on,

and they've chosen big marine animals.

Is this from experience?

No. I do take a lot of inspiration from my dreams.

The only thing that comes to mind when I look at this

is just these angles.

The building itself will be built straight,

and then I'll just put it on the whale at an angle.

-[Miller] Okay. -So I think it'll support itself.

[McSweeney] To create the detailed texture

the judges are looking for in their finished buildings,

the potters have some unique tools.

I get into trouble all the time for stealing kitchen utensils.

[Irina] It was my birthday recently, and my son gave me the bouquet.

Really wonderful texture.

[McSweeney] Whether wood, stone, brick or tile...

[Suz] This is gonna be roofs for the towers.

...it's a painstaking process.

[Suz] As usual, it'll be time that'll be my bugbear.

But, ach, we'll get it done. [laughs]

[Lee] In terms of the surface decoration,

mine's a textile mill made out of sandstone.

The way I'm gonna emulate that

is by rolling some hessian onto the surface,

so it creates a texture that looks like stone.

It's a Yorkshire mill, isn't it? And I'm proper Yorkshire.

[McSweeney] Lee lives in Huddersfield with his mum Anne.

In his spare time, he enjoys walking dog Marigold

around the local textile mills, which have inspired his design.

The main building features a pair of gable roofs,

which Lee will tile with a little help from his mum.

Lee, could you please explain this? I don't think you need this.

Well, as a potter, you use lots of different things.

I needed to make roof tiles,

so I raided the drawer

-and found my mum's '80s Afro comb. -[laughs]

Wow. She had a very poofy Afro.

What's your mum's name? Anne.

Anne, if you're looking for your comb, it's here.

It needs a bit of a clean. I hope your hair isn't too flat now.

Lee isn't the only potter

paying tribute to their local industrial heritage.

[Sal] Every day, when I'm walking my dogs,

I walk past this Cornish engine house.

It pumps the water out of the mines.

If you're from Cornwall, these are part of you.

Art teacher Sal is most at home

when firing her pots in the heat of a raku kiln,

a short walk from her favourite Cornish landmark.

Last week's Potter of the Week,

she's aiming to wow the judges again with her engine house

and is leaving no stone unturned

when it comes to making it look as real as possible.

Lots and lots of textures here.

Yeah, this is the roof of the building,

and this is my galvanised shed roof.

And then to accentuate all these different textures,

you're laying a bit of colour over the top?

I will be, yeah, and rubbing oxides in.

'Cause every stone's a different colour.

Good luck with it all. There's a lot going on there.

I'm not panicking at all.

[McSweeney] Potters, you are halfway through.

I now declare the drying room open.

Whoo!

Whoo.

[McSweeney] Before construction can begin,

each slab much be dried to leather-hard.

These are staying in as long as possible.

Timing is critical.

If the slabs are too wet, they'll bend.

But too dry, and they could crack.

I want to dry the roof as much as possible, so that it's strong.

Because of what Rich was saying, will it be strong enough

to hold the weight of the dragon?

[Suz] It's toasty in here.

[Adam] Just need to remember

to not let them turn into solid biscuits.

'Cause that is the trouble. It could be too dry.

As their large pieces firm up,

attention turns to smaller decorative elements.

[Henry] I'm getting the important thing done. I'm making my skateboard.

I'm pretty nervous because one of the key centrepieces is this dragon,

which currently looks like a seal. [laughs]

I'm not a strong sculptor.

Hi, Jodie. Hello. How are you all?

Hello. Hi.

So tell us what you're making.

[Jodie] I'm making a lighthouse

-because I do open-water swimming. -Oh, look at you.

The only time I ever look at a building, really,

is to see if I'm going in the right direction.

So my inspiration is Caldey Island in West Wales.

The lighthouse there.

'Cause you said, "Put your personality into it,"

and I like colour, decoration,

so I thought I'll go for a Moroccan theme.

[Jones] Have you ever been to Morocco?

No. [Jones] Oh, okay.

Jodie is not only a dedicated nurse but an avid triathlete,

who loves training in the mountains surrounding her home.

Her lighthouse might have Welsh foundations

but will be decorated with a nod to Moroccan architecture,

and she'll be giving herself the arduous task

of cutting every tile on the roof individually.

[Jodie] This is an apple cutter, but I like the way it plunges through my

'Cause it's a bit of an oval, so rather than just flat,

hopefully that's gonna add a bit of character.

-A hundred and sixty tiles? -Yeah.

-That sounds like a lot. -[all laugh]

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...

[McSweeney] Adam's not taking any shortcuts.

He's attempting to sculpt

every last one of his 70-plus details by hand.

These are gonna be mushrooms, so 30 mushrooms,

about 25 shell fungi, and four flags.

I thought, "Why not throw everything at it?"

-Look up here. -[McSweeney] When taking a break from clay,

support worker Adam loves life drawing,

as does pet pug, Egg.

[Adam] You're like a supermodel.

Adam's letting his imagination run wild,

creating a colourful pixie palace covered in fungi,

light balls, and even a magical miniature washing line.

Have you given any thought to how you're going to illuminate it?

Yes. So this is something that I love to do, is to perforate clay.

So these will all be perforated with a pencil and look quite magical.

And also there'll be about 30 windows, I'm hoping.

Wow. I'm going to say "about"

because I don't want to put a number on it. [laughs]

[McSweeney] Because each build will be illuminated...

I shouldn't forget to cut the hole for the light. That's very important.

...Keith and Rich want to see how the potters use light

to add an extra dimension to their designs.

[Alon] That's the eye. Planning to do a little slit

to let the tiny little beam of light come out.

[Sal] We need to open up as many windows as we can,

so I'm basically using a cookie cutter.

I did try doing this by hand, but it took hours.

[McSweeney] But care must be taken,

as seeing the bulb through windows or doors could ruin the magic.

I'm gonna have loads of windows.

I'm a lover of tall, narrow windows,

so there will be plenty of light, I believe.

I'm just trying to think about interesting ways

where the light could filter through.

I've put two little people in, but kind of hidden,

so it'll just be the silhouettes.

That's me and my boyfriend,

which I thought was a fun touch.

28-year-old model Shenyue

has been potting for just 18 months,

after boyfriend Alex bought her lessons.

And it's their time at Cambridge University

that inspired her to build

the iconic court building at Emmanuel College,

with its watchtower sitting proudly on top.

My boyfriend and I, we met on a dating app.

Turns out we went to the same college,

and he just happened to go seven years before me,

so obviously we never crossed paths there.

So the building that I'm doing, it connects us in a way,

and I think really brings us together.

Potters, you have two-and-a-half hours left.

-Ah! -Where does the time go?

[McSweeney] Each of the potters' slabs must be dried...

Wow.

...to make them hard enough

to start construction.

I've cut all the windows out and everything,

so I need to crack on and get building now.

[gasps] Still a bit soft.

The idea is to have them dry enough

so that when I place this on top of the whale, it doesn't squish it.

[Peter] And I'm just pushing the slurry

into all the joints now, making sure it's strong.

So many joins. Respect to the hand-builders of the world.

Okay.

As buildings start to take three-dimensional shape...

Okay.

Oh, no.

...Suz's castle curves...

I just cut that off the wrong side.

...are proving tricky.

I just had a stupid moment.

Cut it the wrong way round because I've done it with a textured surface.

While Suz tries to get back on track...

Breathe.

...for Alon's whale, it's the moment of truth...

[exhales]

Focus, Alon, focus.

...as it prepares to take the weight of his mud-hut cargo.

[McSweeney] Alon, that looks insanely good.

[bleep]

What's that?

[Alon] I think the building was a bit too heavy.

I knew something like this could happen,

but figured I need to take the risk anyway.

So it's kind of... Yeah. It's gonna be patchwork.

[bleep]

[McSweeney] The potters have been making

their 3D buildings for five-and-a-half hours.

Ah, just time passes so quickly.

Now, just one hour remains to refine their structures...

[Jodie] This is hard.

...and the architectural details the judges are expecting...

[Adam] It looks delicate now with the chimneys and the turrets,

but actually I'm about to put on the mushrooms that are very fine and very delicate.

...ready for the drying room and their first firing.

[Adam] Oh.

[Jodie] These are all my little tiles.

Pretty sure I got twice as much as I need, mind.

I love when the roof goes up. It's such a difference, yeah?

[Adam] It's really pretty.

It's coming together. It looks more like what I wanted it to now.

There's no windows yet, which is a problem.

The wheel's coming together. [Sal] It is.

You're on track. I am.

[McSweeney] But after his whale completely collapsed,

Alon is playing catch-up.

You seem flustered.

Yeah, no, it's, er... It's definitely...

What happened? I think I rushed it.

It wasn't set enough.

It tried to jump back into the ocean?

Telling you, this is why I don't like whales.

Is it back on track now?

No. [scoffs] No? God, no, not at all.

-God, no. Track? What track? Whose track? -No, we have an hour left.

And he's not alone.

Suz still has a castle to construct.

[Jones] How you doing, Suz?

Not as well as I'd like to be.

What's happening? Do you have a fear of success or something?

You seem to be...

Self-sabotaging?

Yeah. What's going on, love?

Oh, I don't know. The roofs haven't gone very well,

but I just have to keep going right to the wire.

-Okay. -So any idea of time?

Potters, you have ten minutes left.

And a reminder that your pieces

will have to be in the drying room

by the end of the challenge.

[Jodie] All my elements are together now, all the main structures.

Carving finished. And I'll be happy.

Thank goodness it's starting to look like a dragon.

Looking like you got a crazy window going on there, Peter.

Yeah. Just trying to make it Gaudí-esque.

Is that a little person? [gasps]

It's a surprise.

Is it your boyfriend going, "Help me.

Help me." "I'm trapped in the house."

[Suz] Doing the lighting and doing the roof.

There was going to be a couple of doors as well,

but run out of time, so it's as-is.

[McSweeney] Well, here we go. The moment.

-Get on with it. -Jodie, could you say "Gareth" for us?

-[Jodie in Welsh accent] Gareth. -[McSweeney] Gareth.

-[Hannah] Great. He's happy. -Yeah. Gareth, welcome.

Potters, just so you know, Sal is ready to go into the drying room.

May she be an inspiration to you all.

Oh, my God, we have Peter coming up the rear.

Remember, if they're not in when the time is called,

they are not going in.

Come on, Suz. I have faith in you.

[exhales]

Hurry up. [Adam] I'm hurrying.

[Shenyue] Why is Adam so good?

Everyone's is... Oh, my...

Oh, yeah. Spot on.

Fabulous. Here we go. The whale is on the move.

-We have Gareth the Dragon. -[exhales]

Oh, I'm very close to the chimney.

-Henry, please. -I'm going, I'm going.

Oh, fantastic. Well done, Henry.

Five, four, three...

Back to bench, back to bench. Well done.

Two, one. Well done.

Close the drying room door.

Well done, everyone.

I'm feeling delirious at the moment

because I managed to make exactly what I wanted to make.

I'm really happy with it.

I don't know what kept me going to piece it back together.

But, yeah, I was set not to make a traditional house,

and I think I did that.

[Suz] There was quite a few bits that were rushed.

I didn't finish the lettering on the side.

But if the kiln gods are kind and it comes out uncracked

and in one piece, that would be good. [chuckles]

[McSweeney] While the potters could plan

and practice for their first challenge,

for their second, a large mound of clay

has appeared on each workbench,

and, as ever, the potters have no idea what lies ahead.

As well as being the home of fine ceramics,

Staffordshire was also the home of a more functional object.

And today's challenge will draw on that rich heritage.

Potters, for your second challenge this week,

you will be making...

-bricks. -[gasps]

-Good reaction. -Your face.

Now, Rich has the look of a man

who knows his way around a brick.

In fact, in school, he was known as Brickie Ricky.

[laughter]

I told you that in confidence.

So, Rich, do you want to show them how to do it?

Indeed.

So, you've only got a very basic range of tools.

What you'll do first is just lay down a little bed of sand.

The sand is going to act as a resist between your clay and your mould.

You want to coat the inside of your mould with vegetable oil.

Take a handful of sand into your mould,

and you just want to coat every surface.

Get rid of any excess.

Then you'll take a clot of clay.

Now, the amount you take is done by eye.

And it's very sticky. Very sticky.

You roll that round in the sand

into a rectangular block shape.

Make sure that every surface is well coated in sand.

-Ooh. -Straight in.

Then you scrape the back off.

Give it a little tap. And then...

gently lift your mould off your brick.

Wire under...

and then gently, and I mean gently,

'cause it's ever so soft at this stage,

place it on the board, and I'll be able to see

if you've not treated it gently.

What we want is ten of your best bricks.

Ten? [laughter]

It'd be a lot more if we were asking you to build houses out of them.

You should have time to make your ten

and then replace any that aren't up to scratch.

Great. Thank you, Brickie Ricky.

Okay, potters, back to your benches, please.

You have 20 minutes to make ten of your best bricks.

How long would it take you to make a brick?

I would say once I was up to speed,

I'd expect to make a brick a minute.

Your time starts now.

Ooh! This is gonna be messy.

You know, it's muscles that's needed.

That's the most difficult for me.

Don't get too flustered. Just take it step by step.

More oil.

Get it in there.

[Jones] Remember, the amount of clay is critical.

[chuckles] Nice.

And Alon has just done the first brick.

[Jones] Blimey, that was quick.

But it's really fun. It's tons of aggression.

[McSweeney] The potters each have a lump of clay big enough to make 30 bricks.

Do as many as I can as quick as I can.

Judging the right amount to use is key.

Go on, Henry. A good old dollop.

Oh, that was not big enough.

[Shenyue] Ooh, that's not enough. Shove some more in.

Topping up the mould will result in a weaker brick.

[Shenyue] This is not how he did it, is it?

While too much clay will be harder to handle.

Damn. Never mind.

With the right amount of force...

Come on, Irina. Slam it down really hard.

...the clay will spread out, hitting all the corners of the mould.

More aggression.

Whoa! Nice one. Excellent. Whoa!

[McSweeney] Remember, into the mould.

Not on the ceiling, guys. That's my helpful tip.

It's not gonna come out.

Come on.

Come on. Yes!

Oh, wire it.

Yeah, remember that order of process.

Er...

[Suz] Oh. That one didn't go well.

I think getting the brick out of the mould,

I think that's definitely the trickiest part.

Oh!

One decisive slam-down.

Ah.

Come on, Irina.

Er... Aw, not good.

Ooh.

Quite noisy work, making bricks.

-Yeah, yeah. -Yes.

♪ Oil it up again ♪

[McSweeney] The mould contains a wooden former on the base

which creates an indentation known as a frog.

[Henry] That's better.

Keith and Rich will expect these to be perfectly formed.

[Jones] Well done, Henry.

Alon has just done his fifth brick.

[Miller] Wow. Five? Nice work.

Oh, my God.

I'm having fun.

Forget being a librarian. You can make libraries.

I wouldn't like my house built with them, that's for sure.

Come on. I think I have a new vocation.

I don't know how many brick foundries there are in Yorkshire.

-Potters, we are halfway through now. -[sighs]

Who knew ten minutes could go so quickly?

Panic stage.

[laughs] Every time Alon goes in with the clay, it's just like a cloud.

-Explodes. -Just bursting everywhere.

I like that it's physical, that it's fast.

[sighs] It's the hardest bit for me.

It just doesn't want to come out.

Henry has six. He's onto his seventh.

Oh, no.

Uneven brick.

[McSweeney] In the world of bricks,

uniformity is key.

This one might be a redo.

There's no place for individuality.

The judges want to see a matching set of ten.

Come on, Peter. How many do we have now?

Seven, eight, nine, ten. We have ten from Peter.

Once they make ten,

the potters must use the remaining time

to replace any bricks that don't stack up.

[Miller] Start replacing if you've got extras.

I want to see a ten best selected.

Some of them are uneven or have smooshed corners,

and I'm gonna try and do my next ones, like, really nice.

Oh... [snorts]

[laughs] That was...

Come on, guys. Last few minutes. Get those last few bricks out.

[blows raspberry]

Come on! Get your backs into it!

Bit of advice there.

This is pretty frantic. Sand in my eye.

Oh, gosh. Whoo!

-What do you think? That's 110 bricks. -Yeah.

Build a kennel.

Pizza oven. Pizza oven.

-Outdoor toilet. Just up to waist-high. -Yeah, yeah.

-Come on, Irina. Come on. -[McSweeney] Ten...

-nine, eight... -[Jones] Get it out of the mould.

-...seven, six... -[Lee] Oh, no.

...five, four...

Oh!

...three, two, one.

Potters, down tools. Well done.

[Jones] Well done, guys.

Well done.

If you could bring up ten of your best bricks. Come on.

-[Jones] Well done. Don't drop them. -[humming fanfare]

Keith and Rich, 110 bricks before you.

Would you like to start judging?

Sure. Yeah.

[McSweeney] Keith and Rich are looking

for a set of ten uniform bricks

with sharp, square edges and a well-defined frog.

I mean, this one's pretty good.

They will rank them from worst to first.

So, in eleventh place, these bricks.

Irina. They're all a little bit warped.

I think perhaps the removal was maybe a bit too heavy-handed.

Yeah, we could see as you were bashing down,

some of them were actually distorting before you took them

In tenth place, we have this set. Suz.

There's not much consistency across the range.

[Jones] And you've got a few cracks in the seam.

Yeah, so that's where the clay was going in folded over.

In ninth position, we have Adam.

Just a bit too much sand.

Some of the frogs are just completely full up with sand.

-[Miller] Yeah. -[McSweeney] Jodie is eighth,

Hannah is seventh,

Shenyue is sixth, Lee is fifth,

Sal fourth, and Peter is third.

It's a really good set of bricks.

You've got good consistency across the batch,

and the frogs are really well-defined.

It's a nice set.

In second place, we have...

Henry.

Really lovely set of bricks, actually.

Really consistent. Good, clean frog.

A nice, even covering of sand.

Well done, Henry. Yeah, nice work.

And in first place, we have Alon.

Well done, Alon. Whoo!

Really lovely set of bricks.

You look down the line, and every frog is well-defined.

Lovely crisp edges. Well done.

Yeah, it worked, so pretty happy.

Figured I had to do well in this one

'cause if something goes wrong with the whale,

then at least I have this to push me up.

Second from the bottom, it's not the bottom. So, yeah.

I don't think it's gonna be my new career. [laughs]

Mm. Coming at the end, er, doesn't feel very good.

It's a massive worry. But I really hope tomorrow it will be better.

[McSweeney] It's day two of the main make,

and studio technician Rose is up early to crack open the kiln.

The potters' 3D buildings have been through a 48-hour bisque firing

and are ready to be decorated.

But for some, it's been an anxious wait.

Bit apprehensive, 'cause it was a bit rushed at the end.

The castle could look more ruinous than it actually is.

[Alon] If something cracked, I'm just gonna cover it with colours and glaze the...

Blur their eyes, I guess.

Potters, your buildings have been bisque-fired and are out of the kiln.

Hopefully no subsidence.

Keith, have you any advice for our potters?

I really want to see some original ways

at bringing that textural detail to the fore

by the choice of your glazes.

[McSweeney] You have a range of oxides and glazes to use

and three hours to decorate your buildings.

Potters, your time starts now.

[Henry] It's not as exploded as I thought.

The only disaster is, my skateboard has totally broken.

It's the bit that's crushed me a little bit.

[Adam] Sally, yours looks amazing.

[Sal] I'm stunned that it's intact.

[Adam] Really good.

[Shenyue] The clock fell off. Maybe it means that

the time with my boyfriend is up, you know?

Is that copper carbonate? Ooh.

[McSweeney] The potters have a variety of glazes and oxides

to help them bring their builds to life.

[Suz] I'm going manganese dioxide on the slates, on the bears,

and highlight the letters that I didn't get to finish on the actual build.

But the art of glazing can be a guessing game...

[Irina] So I started to decorate my roof with iron oxide.

...as the colours they apply now

could drastically change during the final firing.

The main bit will be similar to this colour. Light turquoise.

Fingers crossed, yeah.

[Peter] I'm putting a mixture of fire-engine red underglaze

and underneath, copper carbonate.

Taking a bit of a risk, 'cause this is a colour I've never used before.

[McSweeney] But Alon has ripped up the rule book,

deciding to apply clay slip to his already fired building.

[Alon] This is slip from clay that I dug up from my garden,

so I don't really know what colour it's gonna turn out.

Hopefully reddish, terracotta sort of colour.

Tell me about this slip. I'm quite surprised to see it going on at this stage.

-Yeah, so... -Have you you used it as a biscuit slip before?

No, I haven't. [chuckles] Erm, I know you're not meant to do that

'cause it sucks out all the water, and they don't really attach.

So ideally I would've done it last time,

but I didn't have time for that.

Yeah, fingers crossed that slip stays on.

Yeah. [chuckles] Yeah.

[McSweeney] As Alon takes a gamble with his slip...

Hopefully it will come out nice.

...Jodie is playing safe...

Oh, rubbing away here. We like this bit.

...with a simple blue-and-white colour scheme for her Moroccan lighthouse.

[Jodie] You can see as you're wiping it away, all that texture's coming out.

If you couldn't do it in the make stage,

you can create texture with colour.

Just got to think of how you apply it.

Spray it, sprinkle it, paint it, sponge it.

Just have fun, innit? [chuckles]

Bringing out the texture in their buildings

requires imagination and a delicate touch.

[Adam] I love putting texture and detail into things.

I like it when you want to look at something,

but I also like it when you want to touch it.

[Henry] Just going through and picking out individual bricks.

They'll be like a darker brown, and just add a little bit of life

and a little bit of realism.

Nice thing about oxides is that it gets into the cracks,

so it gives all the textures a bit of depth.

But applying too much glaze

could result in the detail of the textures being lost.

[Miller] Hi, Irina. [Irina] Hello.

You look like you're going quickly.

[Irina] I put transfer and glaze on the top, so several layers.

Hopefully the proportions are not too strong.

-So what have you got underneath this glaze? -Er, iron oxide.

[Miller] Okay, and then you're putting the thick coat of transparent on top?

-Hopefully it doesn't let me down. [chuckles] -Yeah.

Potters, you have one hour left.

-[exhales] -Oh, my God.

[McSweeney] I know. One hour left.

Do you want to change the clock?

Yeah, there's... Where is the clock?

There's just no time. Yeah. No time.

-[laughter] -Available for weddings and christenings.

Time is very tight. I've got the door to paint and the hinges to do.

[McSweeney] While Peter's colourful Gaudí-inspired building takes shape...

[Peter] I'm just adding iron oxide.

The iron oxide will burn through all the other glazes

and give a bit of toasted edge, which is what I want.

...for Lee, there seems to be trouble at the mill.

I'm gonna get this roof done. I'm conscious of the time, though,

'cause I don't want to not do the pond right.

And Lee's not the only one fighting against time.

-How's it going? You look very stressed. -All right. [pants]

But Hannah has a shortcut to help speed up her street art decoration.

[Hannah] This is my stamp, which I'm gonna put on now.

Less things for me to paint on.

Morning, Sal. Morning.

How's it all going? It's going really well.

It's amazing how it all comes alive when you start adding colour and pigment.

[Sal] I just really want the texture of the stonework to come out.

-Yeah, yeah. -That's what's important to me.

Because obviously you've done these deep indentations here.

Yeah. I'm using the colour of the clay...

Yes. Okay, yes. ...as my mortar, basically.

-And trying to make the texture like the king, you know? -No, absolutely.

Just gonna colour the whale with underglazes and...

Yeah. Just get it really pretty.

[Lee] I'm gonna use copper carbonate

to do my drainpipes, ceiling, just to give it some age

and put some funny little things in as well.

[Hannah] I need to finish off this dragon.

I don't know why I'm avoiding it. I'm procrastinating.

[Suz] Getting there. Once I've finished painting the lettering,

I'm going to sponge off the roof slightly.

Then I'm going to do some foliage at the bottom, and job's a good 'un.

[McSweeney] Lee, how are you getting on?

Think you might like the name of my mill.

[both laugh]

"McSweeney and Sons." Finally, I amounted to something.

You own a textile mill that's crumbling in Huddersfield.

[laughing]

[Jodie] All the little rivets, they're gonna be red.

That's the Moroccan flag, so it's a little nod to them.

Looks a little bit like an ice cream at the moment.

I'm very confident it'll look fine with a clear coat on.

It'll be fabulous. Fabulous, darling.

Oh, my God, look at the clothesline.

[Adam] I hear you're a new mill owner.

Yes, I own a mill in Huddersfield.

You also own Fairyland. [chuckles]

Oh, my word! Can I say something?

You can. Have I spelt it wrong?

Yeah. [laughs] Ah!

Potters, guess what?

-What? -You have less than ten minutes.

-Ah. -Ooh.

[Shenyue] Right, I'm gonna start glazing now.

[McSweeney] Once decorated, the potters can add

a final coat of transparent glaze.

It's just a clear glaze. You have to put several layers, so one layer is not enough.

When fired, this will help their colours shine through.

Er... I forgot which one I put glaze on.

-[McSweeney] Suz? -[Suz] Yes?

-Where's the door? -Door? What door?

Gotcha. Gotcha. Right.

-You don't have doors in Scotland, do you? -No.

Famously. No. Exactly.

[laughs]

Come on. [gasps]

[gasps]

[Peter] Sorry. It's all right.

[Jones] Jesus.

Two minutes, people. Hurry up!

Phew.

I've attempted to fix my clock.

I'll glaze it and then hopefully in the kiln it will fuse together.

[Alon] That's the slip not sticking very well, which is kind of annoying.

It's crumbling off.

[McSweeney] Anybody finished?

[Adam] There we go.

I think if Gaudí's watching, I think he'll be quite happy.

-[sighs] -Suz is done!

Can we actually have a round of applause for Suz?

-[laughs] -[McSweeney] How do you feel?

Really chuffed. Oh, well done.

Five seconds left.

Four, three, two, one. Down tools.

-Well done, everybody. -[applause]

Oh, you're all marvellous. They look brilliant.

[McSweeney] The potters must now take their finished buildings

to Rose for one final firing.

-Spot there. Right, we got it in. -Whoo!

When they next see them, it will be judgment time.

It's important for me to let the judges see

'cause obviously I've got a bit of ground to make up.

[Irina] I tried my best. Some of the oxides I used the first time.

Surprise result.

Worst-case scenario,

the slip I put on just crumbles off.

But that's my style. I want to go do something crazy.

I mean, we'll see. Glaze firing, anything can happen.

[McSweeney] The potters' buildings

started five days ago as lumps of clay.

After hand-building, decorating and two firings,

they are now ready to be lit up and judged.

Potters, your buildings look amazing.

I cannot wait to see them all lit up.

Adam, if you could bring up your 3D building, please.

Ooh-hoo.

Yeah, you're good.

Okay, hit the lights.

-Oh. -[Adam] Wow.

-[McSweeney] That's so cool. -[Miller] Just feels magical.

It's a feast for the eyes. I mean, where do we start? There's so much to see.

The detail is just really, really wonderful.

You've got so much texture on here,

and this attention to detail in the actual clothing on the washing line--

This is really charming. It's wonderful.

And no matter which angle you look at it from,

there's something to see and you've thought about every surface.

The textures are just enhanced by the glazes that you've put on them.

The light's really quite subtle,

but if I was walking through an enchanted forest,

this is exactly what I'd expect to see.

Absolutely wonderful.

There's something quite Dalí-esque about it

because of the mishmash of the buildings from your past.

And I love that.

The brick walls on this main building are just exquisite.

The way you've used the glazes to really enhance that texture,

and the way you've picked up little blocks with different colours,

it's so lovely.

I just want to see it lit up.

[Jones] It's working pretty well.

It's not made it through to this tower so well.

[Jones] But where the light isn't shining,

it's accentuating that beautiful detail of the brickwork.

Really beautiful. If I was a crier, I'd be in floods.

Your slabs that you've had to produce are really huge.

The fact that it's structurally sound is a feat to

And the fact that you've managed to put the dragon on here and it hasn't sagged--

Good old Gareth.

I really love the fact that you've used

some different processes for your decoration.

These pineapples, for example, they really feel like sort of urban graffiti.

[McSweeney] Lights, please.

[Miller] There's plenty of areas for that light to come out,

but these front windows in the bakery end are a little bit big.

The bulb is very visible.

Structurally, it's complex.

It feels like an engineer's build,

but an engineer who's had the opportunity to kind of free up a

because it's a crazy, bonkers mishmash of organic shapes and colours.

The iron oxide has kind of burnt out a bit, hasn't it?

-It has, yes. -Yeah. And where it could've possibly picked up

more of this detail, it kind of hasn't.

[McSweeney] Lights, please.

-[Jones] Works really well. -[Miller] It's wonderful.

I mean, you see light coming from spaces

where you didn't even know there was windows.

-Brilliant effort, Peter. -Thank you very much.

What strikes me is the realism of it.

You've got corrugated iron on the top.

You've got a wooden beam across the door there.

This stone is very indicative of that particular kind of build.

It is truly, truly wonderful.

Shall we have a look at it lit up?

Cue the lights.

Oh, wow.

Wow. I mean, it's incredible.

-Wow. -It's wonderful, Sal. Absolutely brilliant.

-Don't make me cry. -[Jones] You know, the fact that the light

comes through this door and really shows up that wooden texture--

-It's brilliant, isn't it? -[Miller] Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

It just feels like you've thought about how that light is gonna come out.

-It's just beautiful. Really, really wonderful. -Thank you.

Your design concept here is really out there.

We love that. That's very, very interesting.

On a technical point of view, it's an absolute disaster.

The sort of heavy cracking on this slip,

it's a beautiful, rich colour

and the story that it tells about it coming from your garden

and it being this raw clay is lovely.

But I almost can't help but see it as a fault.

[McSweeney] The lights, please.

[Jones] That light working through the whale's eyes--

-I really wanted the eye there. -That looks brilliant.

[Miller] The way it comes through the lip really works.

[Jones] It gives the whale an extra sort of personality.

But we've got to think, are we judging a whale or are we judging a building?

Yeah.

It looks very, very regal, and there's a real definite

Erm, I know you had a few issues with the clock falling off.

[Shenyue] Yeah, I've had trouble with cracking.

Is this you at the back here?

There's me at the back and another little surprise

at the front to represent me and my boyfriend.

-[Jones] Yeah. -And hopefully when the lights come on,

it will create a nice silhouette.

[Jones] That works really, really well.

[Miller] For a building that has such personal meaning,

it's a really lovely execution.

Aside from the clock.

[laughs] Yeah.

There's so many windows in here. That's no mean feat.

[Miller] And I love the fact that you've got

"McSweeney and Sons" over the door.

I don't know what the mill owner thinks.

I think it's as well constructed as the mill owner.

[Jones] The texture of the walls-- Remind me, you used hessian?

I would've liked to have seen a bit more detail of actual brickwork.

[Miller] I love the texture on the roof. That's really

But overall, the tone is a bit one-dimensional.

[McSweeney] Hit the lights, please.

[Miller] The light isn't quite making it up to this taller part of the tower.

Yeah, I'm gutted about that, actually.

[Miller] I think it's a bit of a shame that you ran out of time.

Yes, with the perforation of the lettering.

[Miller] Yeah. Because this bit further up,

I mean, that's just beautiful.

I probably would've liked to have seen...

A door? [laughs] ...a door.

That's a bit of a design flaw.

But on the plus side, I love the foliage here.

[Miller] Yeah, it's just a little burst of colour.

The manganese on the roof is inspired.

[Jones] These bears on top, although they're very, very simple,

you can definitely tell that your personality

has really, really come through on those.

Lights, please.

[Jones] So if I was trudging through the Highlands of Scotland

and I came across this,

with this warm glow coming through the turrets, and the light,

I'd feel really sort of drawn to it.

But I wouldn't be able to bloody get into the house, would I?

-No. [laughs] -Unless I climbed through a window.

The colour is brilliant. It works really, really well.

You've got lovely texture on the roof.

The iron has worked reasonably well.

You've got areas here where it's been applied a bit thicker,

so you're not getting so much of the iron through.

[Jones] I would've liked to have seen a bit more texture on the walls.

And also the detail of the windows--

Those windows are really, really large.

It's just whether that lack of detail in the windows

is going to sort of be detrimental to that light

and the way that light works through the building.

Well, one thing you can definitely say

is the light does shine through it.

I definitely can see net curtains.

[Miller] Yeah, I mean, you can see a lot of the bulb.

It's just a shame those windows were a little bit big.

Well, Jodie...

It's brilliant. It's brilliant.

It's fantastic.

It really, really is. This is inspired.

The fact that you individually made these tiles,

and the fact that you've just used one colour scheme, it's really, really paid

Everything feels finished, and finished to a really high standard.

[laughs] I'll start crying again now.

[Miller] I just love the fact that the windows lower down

throw that light onto the table.

It's just lovely. It just feels like it's all so well-considered.

For someone who's never been to Morocco, looks pretty Moroccan.

[laughing]

[Jodie] Keith, he cares. You know, he makes you care more.

So as long as they're happy tears,

he can cry all he wants. [laughs]

[Sal] When the light shone out of those windows and those doors,

that's exactly what was in my head.

It was amazing. I'm happy. I'm happy.

Could've gone better. But I really hope I'm not going home.

I want to stay and keep doing more crazy things. [laughs]

[Suz] I'm really pleased.

Okay, it's minus a door, but that's a minor detail.

It's not quite knocked it out of the park...

[chuckles] but I've definitely done better than I did last time.

I am worried. I was last in the brick competition,

and it gives me some worry, of course, yeah.

[McSweeney] Keith and Rich must now decide who will be Potter of the Week

and who will leave the competition.

What a really fun week this has been.

Definitely. Not only were the constructions amazing,

but those buildings just told us so much about them as potters.

So who do you think could be Potter of the Week this week?

Jodie's got to be up there. Definitely.

[Miller] What she managed to achieve with the glazes

and the overall structure of the build, it was just faultless.

Sal. The attention to detail

and surface textures that she got there, absolutely amazing.

Yeah, I mean, Adam's build was fantastic.

He'd really thought about the light and how that was gonna come out of it.

[Jones] You could look at that structure and see something different every time.

So is there anyone that you think is in the danger zone?

Alon. With his terracotta finish. That slip.

He could've thought of it like a design feature,

but no, technically, it was wrong.

I think Suz is probably in trouble.

There were just elements that were unfinished.

Yeah. And no doors. You can't get into the building.

Doors are overrated. Who needs them?

Irina definitely is in the danger zone.

What she really let herself down on was glaze application

and the light through the building.

She hadn't really thought about it.

And of course they didn't do too well in the second

Suz came tenth and Irina came eleventh.

I mean, I don't envy you this week at all.

I have no idea how you're going to choose between them all.

[exhales]

Potters, the judges have made their decision.

But before the horrible bit,

I get to do the really nice bit,

which is announce the Potter of the Week.

And I am delighted to say

this week's Potter of the Week is...

Jodie.

[cheering]

Now the really... [sighs] horrible bit.

The potter who is going to leave us today is...

[sighs]

Irina.

-Oh, no. -[Sal] Oh, no.

Oh, baby.

-Oh, dear. -[Shenyue] Oh, Irina.

I'm so sorry. It's okay.

[McSweeney] I'm so sorry. You did so good.

[Irina] It was very emotional. The guys are very supportive.

It's impressive how, within a short period of time,

you can make this bond, you know, together.

Hang on a sec.

I can't talk.

Get a grip.

Oh, Lee. Oh.

[Lee] I'm really sorry for Irina.

She's gonna leave, for a small girl, a very big hole in the house.

I'm really impressed and inspired

by the hard work and dedication that you've shown in the studio.

Absolutely amazing.

[Irina] I had hope, I must say.

Didn't happen. [chuckles]

It's just been heartbreaking for us to make this decision.

Irina's been such a pleasure to have around the pottery.

It was really difficult to say goodbye,

but unfortunately, Irina's piece, it just didn't quite deliver.

[McSweeney] So as Irina leaves the pottery,

Jodie's lighthouse will now take second spot

in the Throw Down gallery.

-[Jodie] Hey, Mum, you all right?

[Jodie's Mum] Yes, are you okay?

I'm all right. I got Potter of the Week.

[laughter]

[Jodie's Dad] Well done, Grot. Well done. I knew you'd do it.

[Jodie] Thank you. Speak to you soon.

That's my nickname. Grotbag.

[laughs] "Well done, Grot."

Just tell everyone, like.

-[McSweeney] Next time... -[gasps]

-...the potters breathe new life... -[exclaims]

-...into still-life... -My actual plums will be slightly larger.

...and tackle a Throw Down classic that leaves everyone...

-[frustrated groan] -...in the dark.

-[bleep] -Whose week will turn out peachy?

Mind your bananas.

And who will be left...

No, no, no, no.

...with sour grapes?

What are you doing down there?

Do you really want to know?

No. No.