Original subtitles

Oh, hello.

A trio of potters have left,

leaving just nine potters remaining to fix the heat.

It's Raku week

and, in a first for Throw Down,

it's naked Raku.

And as our lovely potters lay themselves bare to the elements,

so shall I.

What? It's not naked, naked?

[laughs] Welcome to The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Ta-da.

Rose, get me some trousers.

-[Siobhán McSweeney] Last time... -[screams]

...the potters got fruity...

My actual plums will be slightly larger.

...sculpting some juicy ceramics.

Cor, that's a big orange.

...and took on the blindfold challenge.

I'm scared of the dark.

After judging the lemons, grapes, and bananas...

I really like it. It's fantastic.

...it was Shenyue who won best fruits

-and claimed her first Potter of the Week. -Thank you.

And although Lee's bowls cracked and Alon's rattled...

it was sadly Suz who lost her place in the Pottery.

This week, it's naked Raku...

I will be hiding over here.

...as the potters are laid bare to the Raku flames,

burning hot vases, and smelly combustibles.

-[Lee] Are you getting a good whiff? -Yeah.

And a guest judge drops in for a floral challenge.

-Ooh. -But who will come up smelling of daisies?

Absolutely fantastic.

And who will be smoked out of the Pottery?

-[Sal] Whoa. -[Rose] Ooh.

[theme music playing]

[McSweeney] The potters are back to face Raku week,

the volatile Japanese technique of firing

where pots are taken out of the kiln red-hot

and combustibles used to add unique surface decoration.

And, for the first time, we're doing it naked.

I've never done naked Raku before, but it's going to be epic.

How can I explain naked Raku. Um...

Big, hot, scary, hot.

Little bit intimidated.

I'm fully clothed in that one, I know that much.

Terrifying and hot.

Yeah, this week is scary.

Good morning, potters. Welcome to this week's

The judges, or Keith Richards as I like to call them,

would like you to throw a pair of big, beautiful,

One large, one small, with a neck and a rim.

Now, Rich, we have never done naked Raku before. What exactly is it?

It's all about the naked surface of the clay.

You need to make sure your vases have beautifully refined,

pristine, smooth burnished finishes.

Now, you're not going to be decorating these until the firing stage

when you'll use your combustible materials

directly onto the surface of the clay,

so you need to make sure you've got a really high level of finish

'cause there's no glazes to hide behind.

We want bulbous vases here, so make sure

we really push that clay out from the bottom

to create that wonderful form that we're looking for.

[McSweeney] You have a generous

two hours to throw your bulbous vases,

and your time starts now.

The judges have demanded two bulbous vases,

one measuring 15 centimetres high

and another, 30 centimetres high.

Big forms. Uh, little bit nervous.

[Jodie] I've been throwing for two years,

but I've never attempted anything this big.

And they're going to be strict about the height of these.

[Adam] It's the highest I've ever thrown,

and I haven't actually thrown it to height in any practices, so this could be a first.

So naked Raku is a first for us in the Pottery.

It is, yeah. We're talking about one of the oldest processes known in pottery.

This vase, for example,

has been burnished to a high gloss beautifully.

[Keith] And then, they've used amazing combustibles on there.

This feather design is incredible.

It's a tough,tough challenge.

We want that bulbous form because that really lends itself

to the effects they'll get from the naked Raku process.

And it's how they manage to create that form.

Are they throwing in one piece?

Or are they throwing in two?

That, for me, will show me their throwing skills.

Yeah, 'cause let's face it, two pieces could cause problems.

Any kind of seam, when you get that thermal shock

bringing that vase out of the Raku kiln,

could cause that join to just reopen.

-[Keith] Morning, Lee. -[Lee] All right?

Tell us a little bit about your design.

Like a lot of the things I do, it's kind of nature-inspired.

-Good. Good. Lovely. -You've got poppy seeds that have the bulbous form.

So I thought, "We'll put that into a pot",

so the bulbosity of the vase is...

-Bulbosity? -The bulbosity.

-Is that... Is that a word? -It is now.

-Made it a word. -[laughs]

Lee will be burning his neighbour's pet horse hair

onto the surface of his naked vases.

But before all that, he needs to throw them.

So would you say, you know, 30 centimetres high,

-that's one of the biggest things you've thrown? -Yeah.

-[Keith] And in one piece? -[Lee] Going to try.

There's always that danger

of having a weak spot, isn't it?

-As in life. -Yeah.

Throwing the largest forms the competition has seen so far won't be easy.

[Henry] Throwing in one should be quicker,

but it's tough. Not going to lie.

The potters need to throw tall and wide,

carefully pulling the clay up to achieve the height,

before pushing it out to form the bulbous shape.

The problem is when you belly out, you lose the height.

[Shenyue] It's a little bit of a push for me.

I have thrown things this big, but not very often,

so I don't want to pull too quickly and mess it up.

It's massive.

[McSweeney] Shenyue plans to use smoke to subtly decorate

two tall and elegant vases in the shape of symbolic teardrops.

[Shenyue] The piece will represent my journey into pottery.

So the teardrop represents the blood, sweat, and tears that will inevitably come.

Still a long way off yet.

[McSweeney] Throwing the large vase in one

reduces the risk of joins cracking

in the intense Raku firing.

[Sal] It's just too big for me to throw in one.

-So, for Sal and Hannah... -Come on.

...throwing in two sections is an added pressure.

[Sal] I'm happy that it won't come apart.

That could be famous last words, of course.

Sal will use emu feathers and horse hair to burn onto her vases,

which will each have a narrow neck and a wide rim.

-I want a really nice sort of flat, wide top. -Right, yeah.

Keeping that much clay up here, to then take out is difficult.

It's all about placing the clay in the right place

to make sure you get that form that you want.

But the form that Lee wanted...

[Lee] Wasn't quite the right shape.

...is proving a little elusive.

I've decided having thrown this to the height that I could,

it's not quite there, so I'm going to do it in two.

But rather than complete the vase with an addition to the top...

Right, that's it. Done. Okay.

...Hannah plans to join her two sections

at her vases widest and most vulnerable point.

Hi, Hannah.

This is when I didn't want to see you.

-Oh, really? -No, I know.

-When you see that I can't throw. -Oh. We're off.

[Keith] We've caught you at a delicate...

You caught me at an awkward moment.

-What's going on? -This looks fab.

Um, it's just how to get this bowl

[McSweeney] Hannah's aiming for an ambitiously wide moon-shaped form

and will use lavender and sugar as combustibles

to create softer marks on her naked vases.

I just like this big flat...

-Bulbosity. -I'll... I... I'm not going...

-Bulbosity. It's a new word. -Is that what we're using now? Ooh, yes.

-No, Lee? -It's a real word.

-I'm sure it is. -Bulbosity.

So, yeah, it instinctively appeals to me,

-that shape, that big... -Bulbous shape.

-...bulbous shape. -[Keith] Yeah.

[McSweeney] But Alon is pushing the bulbous boundaries

with a different approach.

[Alon] My idea is to play with the silhouette,

so I want to not have the whole thing as one bulbous piece

but have smaller bulbous pieces within it.

If that wasn't complex enough,

he's planned a hidden inverted neck on his small vase,

and both will be decorated using

an ancient and potentially dangerous technique.

I decided to go with, um, Eastern European technique called obvara.

So you take the piece straight out of the kiln

and you dip it into this slurry of flour, yeast, and water,

and it bubbles and creates this interesting pattern,

and then immediately you quench it to stop the reaction.

-Yeah. -Which is obviously a risk.

-So is there a danger it could crack then? -Definitely. Yeah.

-Is this something you've tried? -Never tried obvara.

-[Rich] Brave as ever. -Brave as... yeah.

Potters, that is one hour gone.

Oh. Time goes so quickly.

Ooh, steady. Steady.

There's a few, like, very, very cool and intimidating pots.

My form might be one of the most boring ones.

It's supposed to kind of look like a dog sat down.

Ooh, villains. Boo.

[McSweeney] Adam has collected fur from his pet pug, Egg,

and his friend's Labrador, Duke,

to use as combustibles on his dog-shape inspired vases.

My pug is going to be the small pot.

So we... Are we looking at this, or are we looking at this?

Um, I'm looking at that one over there.

-[Keith] That's a flat pug. -Yeah.

[McSweeney] Egg and Duke aren't the only pets in the Pottery.

[Henry] My inspiration is my budgies.

My short one is going to be, you know, this big, fat, sleeping budgie,

and then the, uh, taller one is going to be slightly leaner

and more like the budgies when they're awake.

With their silhouettes immortalised in clay,

Henry's budgies, Bonnie and Clyde,

have also donated their feathers for decoration.

Whenever you're home alone, they're always chirping away

and they stop you feeling too lonely.

One potter has been inspired by feathered friends of a different kind.

-So I've got my little feather dusters. -[McSweeney] Oh, hello.

So when I was little, I'd help my mum, you know,

clean the house, so these are the things we used to use.

So can you tell us about your design?

My pots are inspired by the Greek pottery.

No, I haven't been to Greece.

I was going to ask you.

[McSweeney] Previously inspired by Polynesia, America, and Morocco,

this week, Jodie's off to Greece

with amphora-shaped vases

with large, wide shoulders and a narrow base.

-It's the first time I've ever attempted anything this big. -[Keith] Oh, okay.

-And I can honestly say I never thought I'd even try. -Well, there you go.

It's amazing what you can do when you try.

Well, that, um... Start getting emotional here.

That's the wonder of this process.

We push you and you always deliver, and it's wonderful to see.

It's everyone, to be honest.They're just really pushing themselves.

[McSweeney] For the potters who've chosen to risk joining two smaller sections

to make their larger vase, it's the moment of truth.

[Lee] I haven't really got time to make another one,

so I've got to make sure this is really dry.

If it's not dry enough, it'll sag when I put

and it'll be ruined.

You've just got the one chance to do it.

[Hannah] The top one's slightly smaller than the bottom one.

Making sure the joins are airtight is crucial...

-Get in. -...if they are to avoid explosions in the kiln.

I'm just making sure I've got a really good seal.

[Hannah] I would've liked to throw them more exact

and then have a really strong join,

but I'm not totally confident in my join. Ugh.

[Sal] I joined the top neck section

and, as far as I'm concerned, that join's a good one.

But this flat top could literally collapse at any time.

Mm-hmm.

My fault, my design.

[McSweeney] With their larger pots out of the way,

there's no time for the potters to rest.

[Shenyue] I'm going to spend about 20 minutes to throw the small one.

So this is going to have an inverted lip.

[Peter] This is the smaller one. Still a long way off yet.

But these shapes are based on a seaweed called bladderwrack.

[McSweeney] Inspired by family trips to the seaside,

Peter hopes his seaweed will be the perfect combustible to burn onto his pots.

-You've never done Raku before? -No.

So I'm really looking forward to all the fire

-and explosions and... -[Rich] Yeah.

Explosion? I sincerely hope not.

-[Rich] No. -No, we don't want explosions.

Potters, guess what?

You have half an hour left.

Oh, I've got to speed this up. Whoa.

All part of the plan.

[McSweeney] To achieve the naked finish,

it's essential their vases are as smooth as possible.

How are you get-- Oh, look at this.

[Hannah] I've got very rough surfaces,

so that's going to make my life harder tomorrow.

My clay's so wet,

so... sorry. Might be a little while.

[Shenyue] I've got quite a bit to do.

You can see this clay is quite rough.

[McSweeney] Trimming off any excess clay is vital.

If their walls or bases are too thick,

the extreme heat of the Raku firing could cause them to shatter.

-[both chuckle] -[Keith] Carry on.

[Peter] I'm trying to get it as thin

It feels like I've got a lot.

That's a big tool you've got there.

-I'm just saying. -[Peter] Yeah.

Oh, no!

Oh, my God.

Nothing ever goes smoothly.

Ooh!

[McSweeney] With time marching on,

hitting the right height is proving a tall order.

-[Peter] How high is yours? -[Alon] Not high enough.

-No, nor is mine. -Needs to be 17 or 16. And it's 20.

My pot is not the height that I planned on it being,

even, sort of, worst-case scenario,

so I'm now dissecting my chuck to make a foot.

[Peter] Just making sure that I've got a decent sized foot ring on.

-It is susceptible to coming off. -Yeah, oh, yeah.

-I can see him having a napkin ring, basically. -Yeah.

Come on, start putting stuff into the drying room, please.

-Listening. -Lee, you were always my favourite.

-Thank you. -Alon, you were always my favourite.

Come on now, come on now.

Adam, did you just put extra clay on the pot?

[Adam] I might have done.

[McSweeney] Oh, Shenyue, look at that.

Is it a bit like a catwalk?

Oh, is that how you do it?

Come on.

-How are we doing? -I'm done, I'm done.

-[McSweeney] Ten, nine... -I'm done.

-Eight, seven... -[Hannah] ooh!

-Oh, you pat me on the back. -Six...

-Can I install her this way around? -[Keith] Five, four.

As long as it's balancing.

-Three, two... -One!

-Whoo. -Get out.

Well done. You have finished this stage of the challenge.

[Lee sighs] Hannah-banana.

Potters dismissed.

[Adam] Well done, everyone.

Right in the last minute, I decided to add that bit of extra height

with a double rim. That's a new thing.

Oh, my God, mine is so bad.

[Alon] I have no idea what that second challenge might be.

Because this is naked Raku, it might be naked modelling.

But yeah, I want this one to go well.

I need one good week.

[McSweeney] While the potters could plan for their first challenge,

the second is always a complete mystery,

and this time there is even more of a surprise.

-This week, we have a very special guest judge. -[contestants gasp]

-Please welcome Rita Floyd. Come on in. -[cheering]

Hiya. Hi.

[McSweeney] Stoke born and bred, Rita Floyd has been making

bone china flowers for over 40 years.

She's considered one of the finest floral ceramic artists working in the country,

and her work is showcased all around the world.

-[Adam] Wow. -[Sal] Oh, wow.

Whoa.

Okay. So as you can see,

we're going to be making bone china daisies. Okay?

-Yeah. -Lovely.

You're going to make three.

One opened, one partly opened,

and one closed like a bud.

So this is bone china. It's beautiful clay to work with.

Why is it called bone? Like is there bone in it?

-[Rich] Yes. -[Rita] Yes.

-[Rich] Cattle bone. -[Rita] Yes, it's cow bone.

You just put a dab of oil on your fingers

and that stops the clay sticking.

You got a little marker,

now that will give you a pattern,

-and there's your little daisy petal. -[Sal] Oh, wow.

And do you find, Rita, that you break off just the right amount of clay?

That just comes naturally because I trained when I was 15.

-Right. -When I left school.

Making flowers, about 30-odd-dozen a day

'cause you were paid by the dozen.

Every petal needs to be very, very fine at the edges

to get that beautiful bone china look.

That's really important.

So there are nine petals for the daisy.

And we do the middle on the mesh, just on a tea strainer.

And then the petals go on.

And, obviously, I suppose, the spacing of those petals is quite important.

Very. Very important that you get the proportions and the spaces right

because if you don't, you won't get a completely round-shaped daisy.

-Wow. -[Rita] So what I'm going to do now,

I'm just going to bob these leaves.

That leaf just adds a little bit more depth, doesn't it?

-I think so. -[Keith] Yeah.

Now this is an important part.

Keep squeezing underneath, getting rid of all the thick clay,

then you've got that beautiful flower shape.

-And then roll it, and then you've got your... -[all] Aw.

That's like a magic trick.

-...stem. -[McSweeney] Oh, that's gorgeous.

[Sal] That's amazing.

[applause]

Oh, my.

So I used to make 60 flowers an hour.

I won't expect 60 today.

Okay, potters, back to your benches, please.

-[softly] Ahh! -Okay.

Judges, you will be judging blind,

so if I could ask Rita and Keith Richards to please leave.

Okay then, listen up, potters. We are giving you 30 minutes.

-Oh. -Your time starts now.

[Adam scatting]

This is my nightmare.

It's too little.

[Lee] It's not something I've ever done before

and I don't know if you've noticed,

I'm not the lightest of fingered.

I do love doing delicate work. Anything hand-built, and that's my bag.

Hopefully, if I calm down, this should be something I can actually do.

[gasps] Dropped it on the floor.

I like daisies. I've got one tattooed on my side.

-It's a bit mad. -[Alon] Ahh.

What the hell is this clay?

The clay is like wet chewing gum.

[Adam] One minute, it won't stick to your hand,

the next minute, it is stuck to your hand.

But I just don't want to use too much oil.

To make these delicate petals that stand upright

and do what you want, is quite tricky.

Don't like that one.

Rita makes it look really simple.

And it isn't simple.

You have to work this clay a bit

before you actually use it.

If you work it too much, it's going to just flop,

so I pride myself on being able to keep them nice and stiff.

I'm doing the open one first.

[Jodie] Oh, wow. So that is the middle of the daisy.

Oh, love this.

[Peter] You really need a delicate touch.

At the moment, I'm just trying to get the shape of a

[Shenyue] Oh, my God. This one's pretty terrible.

What's going on here?

[laughs] Not flower making, that's for certain.

Look at this fella. We need some water.

-[both laughing] -Maybe singing to it would help.

[both singing] ♪ Daisy, daisy Give me your answer do ♪

♪ Go and make flowers Not like Peter do ♪

[laughs]

Potters, no time to smell the roses.

-Ten minutes, gone. -No.

-Oh, no way. -What?

How did you make them so quick?

I'm just trying to attach the leaves. One, two, three.

That's a terrible flower, to the point that I'm just going to start another one.

That's the tester.

[Peter] Terrible. It's so flippy floppy.

Does that look like a daisy? No. It looks more like a sausage on a stick.

They're so fiddly. How did she manage to spin them like that?

-Ooh. -Ooh.

Oh. Dropped it on the floor.

Yeah, now I'm panicking now. I haven't got one done yet.

I don't think half an hour was enough time to get... Aw!

Are you kidding?

[Shenyue] I've managed a really hideous daisy

and I'm doing the next one now.

[Sally] I'm onto the middling one that's supposed to be half open

and I can't understand what the difference is between that and the full one.

I'm just hoping I've got something

that looks like a flower. [chuckles]

[Henry] I only have one done. I tried to double petal it

'cause I thought it would look cool.

Realised it takes double the time.

Probably a big mistake.

[hums]

-How are you getting on? -Ooh, I've got two.

-That's good. You need three. -I know, I'm getting there.

So I need to make one more, which is the bud.

Oh, my God, they're so ugly.

Potters, you have five minutes remaining.

-Peter, don't take it out on the tea strainer. -[laughs]

[Lee] Ahh. Five minutes

to make these monstrosities into beautiful flowers.

[Jodie] Ooh, there we are.

That one was a bit chunky.

This is looking better. Chunky flowers.

[sighs]

I'm onto my last daisy,

which will be the closed daisy.

Right, I've forgotten how she did the last one now.

Oh, that's too much. Ahh.

Just alternating the petals.

Just trying to do something a bit different 'cause I feel,

at this stage, I need to try and stand out.

That is one minute remaining.

-Ahh. -Think I'm going over, Sal.

You must bring your three daisies to your board at the end of this minute.

[softly] Okay, okay, okay.

Going to get these done.

Good man, Alon. First one down.

-That's the worst thing I've ever done in my life. -Thank you, Peter.

Excellent. Well done, darling.

[McSweeney] We have Henry coming up.

Oh, Adam's are so good.

-[McSweeney] Adam. -Oh my word.

-[McSweeney] Wonderful, Hannah. -[Sally] Come on, Jodie.

We're only missing one.

-You got it, you got it. -[McSweeney] Five, four...

-Go, go, go, go. -...three, two, one.

-Time is up. -[Jodie] Wow.

Well done, potters.

Rita will now judge her bone china daisies,

but she won't know whose belong to who.

I'm so proud to see you making my daisies.

-Absolutely brilliant. -[all] Thank you.

She is expecting three. One in bud, one half open, and one in full bloom.

Rita will now rank the potters' daisies from worst to first.

So in ninth place, whose is this, please?

They're just not quite the round shape

that I was asking for for a daisy.

Your petals' just a little bit out of shape.

And then eighth place, who is this, please?

You've just used a little bit too much oil on your clay,

it's slipped all over the place.

In seventh place, whose is this?

A little bit thick under your heads.

And I was looking for a closed-up bud,

but really, really good try.

[applause]

So number six?

Okay. You haven't got the clay from underneath

to make your stem form so it flows.

But nice shape, and you've got your petals tapered in nicely.

Aww, thank you.

Okay, well done. Number five?

Very well done. Now look at the colours there,

they are lovely, the contrast.

Your middle is a bit big for a daisy. Got a nice shaped bud.

I like how you've done your double petals as well. Excellent.

So who's number four?

Okay. I love these.

They look like they're moving.

Just two of your petals there weren't quite tapered in enough,

but I do like the shape of all your flowers. Well done.

-Okay? So in third place, who's this, please? -It's me.

Your middle on your big daisy is just a little bit big,

but it's lovely. And I do like the length of the petals.

-Very well done. Excellent. -Thank you.

Okay? The runner-up,

-who did this one, please? -Me.

-Absolutely fantastic. -Thank you.

The shape, the size of your petals.

Then I love how you've done the different colours. Well done.

-Thanks. -And the winner?

-Thanks. -[Rita] Well done.

-[all cheering, applauding] -Thank you.

[Rita] Absolutely beautiful. I love that bud.

It just looks so natural. Very, very well done.

Well done.

What a great week to do well. Can't kick me out now.

Well, they could. Ah.

Famous last words.

[Peter] They were awful.

It was like trying to manipulate butter with sausages.

[laughing]

[McSweeney] The potters are back, and after 24 hours in the drying room,

their vases are leather hard and ready for burnishing.

-Go on in, Lee. Thank you, Adam. -Thank you.

Thank you. Oh, it's not as hideous as I thought.

-[Sally] Let's get burnishing. -Ooh.

[McSweeney] Burnishing is the process

that will give their creations a perfect, smooth finish,

putting the naked in naked Raku.

It's going to be quite relaxing, I think.

And the smoother their finish,

the better their combustibles will show up when Raku fired.

If I get a shiny pot at the end of this, I'm going to be elated.

Might do a little dance. A Raku dance.

The potters face three and a half hours of back-breaking work.

This is slow, tedious work.

My arm's killing already. It's only three and a half hours, we can do it.

And the rougher their surfaces after yesterday's refining stage...

[Keith] Your arm's going to be aching.

[Hannah] Ahh, I know.

...the harder they will have to work today

to achieve the finish the judges expect.

[Hannah] The thing that I've made difficult for myself is that

I spent quite a lot of time trimming it,

which made the outside of the pot really grainy.

Yeah, I've got a big job to get this whole thing polished.

Polishing compresses the surface of the clay,

giving naked Raku it's tell-tale shine.

[Shenyue] It's going to look so shiny.

They'll think there's a transparent glaze on there, hopefully,

but it's actually just the surface.

And to achieve that shine, the potters can use almost anything smooth.

I'm burnishing with a stone and a spoon.

I'm going for the double whammy here.

I'm getting the leather and the hand burnish.

[Jodie] These are my nan's spoons.

I always remember them when I was little

'cause I'd help her wash up,

so when she passed then I made sure I kept all the spoons.

I'm really trying hard not to think about Jodie's spoon collection.

-[Jodie] Spoon-off. -We have got a spoon-off going on.

[McSweeney] Shenyue is really pulling it out of the bag

with the contents of Lee's pockets.

-You've got your poop bag. -Yeah, from Lee.

[McSweeney] Handy, 'cause you need them that size.

Lee, can I pinch a bag?

-Yeah, yeah. -Aw, thanks.

And the exchange of tools is catching.

-Has anyone got a spare stone? -[Adam] I've got a stone.

I'm using a shammy that Sal has lent me.

And this was going to be my stone.

And Sal was like, "Adam, that stone is pants."

-Oh, is it? -Which I'm now lending to Shenyue,

so don't say anything.

-Oh, here you go. -Aw, thank you.

I'll just ruin my pot. It's fine.

Potters, one hour gone. One hour gone.

-No. -Whoa.

[Peter] Initially, I thought "Oh, this is quite a long time."

But it isn't. You have to polish so carefully.

Those minutes are ticking away.

-You seen Sally's? -Yours is so shiny, Sally.

[Lee] Oh, no. My rim's just broken.

Ugh. God, I almost finished there as well.

Sal, what shall I do? Do you think I should stick it back on?

-It's clean. -Yes, get some wet tissue,

let that bit of that pot absorb a bit of moisture.

-And then stick it back on? -Yeah.

-Are you with me? -Okay.

[Lee] She's a good egg, Sal.

I knew she'd have a solution,

but it's obviously disappointing.

I'm not going to get the finish that I wanted,

but I just need to try and make the best of it.

I'm going to change my name to The Clumsy Potter.

[McSweeney] For the final step in achieving a perfect naked finish,

the potters must add at least three layers

of thin clay slip called terra sigillata.

[Sal] You paint it on and it's only the very finest particles of the clay,

so it's awesome stuff.

Buffing each layer before applying the next.

So it's had a couple of coats. Burnish, burnish, burnish.

The potters create a beautiful, shiny, polished finish.

Yeah, it's getting there.

This is the most physically exhausting thing

we've done so far in this competition.

[sighs]

Ladies and gentlemen potters, you have ten minutes left.

I'm buffing like a demon.

Lee's buffing like a demon.

It's just going to be a question of just being very careful on this rim.

-Look at that... [vocalises] -[squeals]

[Rich] Think her arm has been a complete blur

for the whole three and a half hours.

I've just not seen anything like it.

Mmm.

[McSweeney] I'm just saying that Sal and Peter

are putting their stuff into the drying room.

One more minute, Lee.

I'm coming, just wiping the bottom.

-[McSweeney] Three, two... -Beep, beep, beep, beep.

One!

Well done.

[Hannah] It was so much more difficult than I thought.

Like I am sweating.

[Jodie] My arm didn't stop.

Yeah, think I need a bit of a massage.

How much stress do I cause myself?

Hopefully, it'll survive the firing.

Fingers crossed.

[McSweeney] Forty-eight hours later,

and it's time for the first-ever naked Raku firing in the Pottery.

[Sal] Absolutely everything is exciting about Raku.

The smoke, the fire, the smells.

Morning, potters.

Raku, anything can happen. You can over-decorate.

You can ruin it with just one thing.

If you're bottom of the pack, there's a chance you're on your bike.

[McSweeney] The vases have been bisque fired overnight

and are ready to face their ultimate test of strength

against temperatures of nearly 1,000 degrees centigrade.

Morning, potters. Yoo-hoo. Up here.

-Good morning. -[all] Hi.

As you can see,

our Raku kilns are ready.

-And joining Rose today is our Raku expert, Andrew. -Hi.

Take extreme care at loading and unloading your vases from the kiln.

It's incredibly hot and this is a very intense firing.

Be mindful of how you use those tongs.

We really don't want to see any breakages at this stage.

Sal, Lee, Peter, you're up first.

[Lee] Let's go, let's do this. Good luck, guys.

-Lee? Did your rim survive? -[Lee] It's still on.

There's a hairline crack down one side.

Come on, let's go.

Excited. Really excited.

I'm not going to go too far. I'm gonna make sure I can get the tongs in there.

Good luck, little dude.

Okay, Rose. Fingers crossed.

-Turning it up. -Not too quick.

There it goes. Sounds like a jet engine.

[McSweeney] Raku kilns reach high temperatures quickly,

so timing is critical.

The potters must decide what temperature to heat their vases to,

and when to take them out.

[Rose] We're at 600. We're cranking it up.

-Yeah. -If their vases are not hot enough,

the combustibles won't burn at all.

But too hot, and the combustibles will burn too quickly

and not leave any decorative marks.

-891. -Go on, let's go.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, don't fall over.

-Okay. Whoa. -[Rose] Ooh.

Sal now faces a race against time

to decorate her vases before the surface cools.

-[Sal] So I reckon three minutes. -Oh.

[Sal] I'm just putting some sugar on.

The sugars a good temperature gauge.

The combustibles burn at different temperatures,

so getting each one onto the vase at the right moment is crucial.

Just want not too much of anything, really.

I quite like them slightly minimalist.

Think that's enough.

I've made another difficult shape to pick up.

I want the feathers to look like they're tumbling down the side of the pot.

I'm very happy with that.

There we go. I'm good.

[cheering]

Temper is at 920.

Okay, that's fine.

It's still on. The rims still on.

Woo, hot pots.

[Rose] Oh, holy moly. Moly.

I'm only putting horse hair on it.

[McSweeney] And look at it burn!

Lee's horse hair is making more than just marks on his vase.

[Lee] Are you getting a good whiff, guys?

-Yeah. -We're certainly getting it, yeah.

That's why you're so far off, isn't it?

[Lee] This is the big boy.

With this one, there's going to be more at the bottom than the top.

You need a hairy bottom.

[Lee] It's hard to know when to stop.

-Does it make you more nervous or less nervous seeing that? -More nervous.

-[Lee] I'm there now. -[McSweeney] Well done!

-[Rich] Hey! -Okay, Peter, we're at 944.

[Peter] Let's go.

[contestants exclaim]

[cheers]

[Peter] I've got this spike 'cause we want the inside to go really black.

This is the stuff from Margate.

-I've got some donkey hair. -[McSweeney] Donkey hair.

Yeah. That's nice. I'm ready to rock and roll, yeah.

The sugar should crystallise and burn black.

That smells amazing, that sugar.

I'm hoping that the seaweed is going to introduce some reds and some pinks.

[McSweeney] Oh, my. That does not mix well with the sugar.

It's a bizarre colour coming out. Doesn't look good, does it?

That'll do.

Oh, no. It's just come off.

-[Jodie] How has that come off? -It's just thermal

[Rose] Right, we're at 910.

-[Hannah] Take it out. -She's hot. So she is.

Next up, Hannah is using sugar and lavender to create a multi-layered pattern.

I want to have mottled dark areas.

Oh, wow. Oh, it smells lovely.

This smells of a hot day in Provence.

Shenyue is aiming for a simple smoked effect.

The combustible's underneath and just letting that fume is quite nice, isn't it?

[Shenyue] Sawdust,

so hopefully it'll get quite a nice, smoky bottom.

And then I'm using horse hair.

Keep it simple.

[contestants cheer]

Oh, thank you, thank you.

[McSweeney] Adam will immortalise pet pug, Egg,

burning his fur onto his small vase...

I just want to make sure there's some smaller markings down at the bottom.

...giving Henry an idea.

-[Peter] There's a haircut happening there. -[Henry] Snip it all off.

He's decided to use his own hair as a combustible...

-Ah! -Yeah. Nice.

-[McSweeney] You got plenty of hair here. -I'm so excited.

...as well as feathers donated by his pet budgies.

Little tiny baby feathers.

-Anything? Oh, there we go. -[McSweeney] Woo!

-And he's not alone. -Good grief.

Focus, Jodie. Focus.

Jodie is using her favourite feather duster.

Ooh, wow.

[Henry] So now it's going to be Henry hair all the way.

I never thought that I'd be using my own hair to do pottery,

but I'm so happy that I am 'cause it's so cool.

That one's on. That one burnt off 'cause it's so hot.

-[McSweeney] They're burning off. It's too hot. -Argh!

-It's all about timing, isn't it? -I know.

[McSweeney] Sure you want to go again? You've only got three left.

[gasps] Stay on, stay on, stay on.

-Nice. -[Jodie] Do it, do it.

[McSweeney] That stayed on, yes.

-[Lee] Woo. -[Jodie] Right, horse hair now.

[Henry] Right, we're too cold now.

-There's no more I can do to it. -Done.

-Done. Woo! -[Jodie] Thank goodness they came out.

Seriously, like, the adrenaline then.

And then there was one.

Alon has brought to the Pottery his own yeast brew,

which he'll use in his risky obvara technique.

[Alon] It's just flour and water and yeast.

It's been fermenting for seven days.

-[Rose] Okay, you ready? -I'm ready.

[Adam] Uh-oh. Mr. Explosive.

[McSweeney] If everything goes according to plan,

the mixture will create a bubbling liquid design.

The danger, however, is the sharp change in temperature

could cause thermal shock.

I will be hiding over here.

With potentially devastating results.

The reaction of the yeast burning onto the hot surface

is then fixed by plunging into water.

[Sal] That clay is bombproof.

-[Rose] Ready for the big one? -Let's go.

[McSweeney] Dipping it in.

Oh.

[McSweeney] Okay, be careful. My nerves can't take it.

[Shenyue] Oh, my God, it's so beautiful.

[McSweeney] Well...

[cheers and applause]

-That looks amazing. -It worked. Ahh.

-[Henry] Unbelievable. Woo. -[Adam] So good.

[McSweeney] It's judgement time as the potters present

their naked Raku vases to Keith and Rich.

Lee, please bring your naked Raku vase up for judging.

[gasps, laughs]

So clumsy.

I would say you've got more of that bulbosity

that you were looking for in the smaller one than you have the bigger one.

But your rim profiles are very good.

[Keith] I know you had a problem

-with this particular rim. -Yeah.

You can just about see where it was.

[Rich] I mean, you've got a good burnish as well.

You can see some of the lines where you've applied the slip.

And I would just question whether there's enough

mark making going through the middle.

The forms are sublime.

To throw something as fine and as flat as that

shows either complete recklessness

or complete and utter bravery.

You can tell that you've timed that just perfectly.

You've kind of captured alchemy in time,

-but you've got the... -[Sal] It's from the tongs.

I should've put a feather over it.

-Should've had a feather on it. -Yeah.

Honestly, Jodie, that sort of yin and yang of a feather,

-These were Greek-inspired... -[Jodie] Yeah.

-...though you haven't been to Greece. -No, no.

And you hadn't ever thrown that high before.

About 20, I'd say, was the most I've thrown.

It is a little on the weighty side.

God, it's a murder weapon. It's really heavy.

[Rich] That spoon of yours has come into its own.

It's done the job, hasn't it?

For me, it's these small feathers.

You've managed to capture that at just the right heat.

They're so detailed, and this hair has worked really well.

Yeah, you should start bagging it up and selling it.

[Keith] As a set, you have got that bulbosity.

But you have got different rims.

-I knew the height wasn't there, so I thought... -Add a bit of clay on.

-And that's Duke's hair, is it? Brilliant. -[Adam] That is.

You can see that you've perhaps...

-[both gasp] -Dun, dun, dun.

-Right, okay. And perhaps a joining issue. -[Adam] Yeah.

-Crikey. Wow. -Yeah.

Actually, that's quite nice now.

Somehow, it does work better.

I mean, yeah, it's lucky that that survived the Raku, really.

[Keith] I love the shape. They're very Neolithic

and the weight of that is really nice.

[Rich] You've got beautiful subtlety to the surface.

It is like looking at the stars at night.

-It's so deep. -Thank you.

[Keith] Out of all the potters that were working,

you were the least confident about this.

But you've done brilliantly. Really, really wonderful.

-Thanks. -[Keith] Yeah.

-They're absolutely brilliant. -Aw, thank you so much.

Absolutely fantastic.

The way you've got that smoky finish there,

I look at these, and I just...

-I look at them and... -[chuckles]

And I just know straight away that you've been so conscious

and so thoughtful about how you were going to apply that stuff.

[Rich] And exactly the kind of bulbous vase we were looking for.

Thank you.

[Rich] Every time we say to you, just rein it in,

you've pushed too far. But I've got to commend you.

In terms of the surface decoration,

you've done so incredibly well.

You take risks, but this has really paid off.

Absolutely ten-fold.

And the fact the thing didn't crack is a testament to your making.

In terms of the form, this one doesn't have a neck.

-Inverted neck. -Inverted neck. There you go again.

-Yeah. Yeah. -You're pushing the boundaries, aren't you?

[Rich] Although they're both

bulbous in their own way, they're quite different.

[Keith] Has something happened with the base of this one?

Yes, I had a small ring on the bottom.

-It just came off. Yeah. -Ah, okay.

[Rich] But I love your inventive use of combustibles.

Because, you know, we asked for a rim

and actually putting that carbon inside

is a good way of highlighting that rim.

-[Keith] Fantastic. -[Rich] Some genius ideas.

[McSweeney] So what an interesting seven days.

That's the nature of filming safely during the pandemic.

And where we left off was with our naked Raku pots.

Who, for you, stood out, Keith?

Shenyue is one of them.

Those pots were just amazing.

She didn't do too well with the second challenge,

Her oily flowers, unfortunately, got her eighth place.

No, they weren't great, were they?

But then, you've Hannah, who came first.

What I love about Hannah is that she hasn't been the most confident of people,

and those pots were just amazing.

Her surfaces were exquisite.

That terra sigillata was just burnished so well.

I suppose we've to talk about Alon.

Well, for once, it really paid off.

It stood out from everything that everybody else had done.

Who do you think is in danger of going home?

Well, I mean, Adam's were really a, sort of, game of two halves.

[Keith] Game of three halves, really.

[Rich] It was by the time I'd finished with it.

But the combustibles were beautiful.

How do you think Peter got on?

[Keith] What didn't pay off for him

was the lack of throwing skills.

But apart from that, I mean, they've all had

such an amazing week, really.

It's going to be tough to pick between them.

Hello, lovely potters.

I know it's been a bit of a long week,

but we are back and delighted to see you all.

Okay then, this week's Potter of the Week is...

-it's Hannah. -[gasps]

-Aw. -[applause]

So surprising.

And actually, the good news doesn't end there.

After the weirdness of this week,

the judges have come to the conclusion

that it would be unfair to send anybody home this week.

So we expect to see you all back next week.

Potters dismissed.

Awesome.

Yeah, Hannah.

Potter of the Week, it's great.

I don't know, I kind of... I can't quite believe it.

It's quite surprising. There were so many good pots.

It's like being given the best star in a class, like...

you're like, um, well...

[McSweeney] Hannah's naked Raku vases

take fourth place in our Throw Down gallery.

[Keith] The amount of definition and subtlety

she got with that decoration was fantastic

and I just hope it helps boost her confidence.

[Shenyue] I loved Hannah's pot,

so I think she really deserved to win.

And I also think the judges gave me really nice feedback

on my pot as well, so I'm just really excited to keep making.

It's a really nice week 'cause no one's gone home.

We're all back in the house together,

that's really lovely. Just all good news all around.

[McSweeney] Next time...

Hi, potters. It's Dolly here.

...there is music in the air

as our potters go head to head...

-Oh, gosh, that is wobbly. -...sculpting a bust of a musical legend.

-[gasps] -It's the most ambitious

-sculpting challenge they've faced. -I'm cacking my pants here.

And can anyone hit the high note in the spot test?

I just give up. Okay, I've had enough.

Who will be crowned Potter of the Week?

And who will be bottom of the charts?

Ooh. I could feel that. I'm sorry, Dolly.