Browse all episodes of The Great Pottery Throw Down

The search for a top potter begins with a four-day assignment to make stackable kitchen bowls from lumps of earthenware clay.

Episode 1

Nine potters return to Stoke-on-Trent for more tests of their skills and creativity, all aiming to be named top potter. This week they must make a decorative hand basin.

Episode 2

The potters return to Stoke-on-Trent for more tests of their skills and creativity. In the main make, they must make ten identical long-necked vases using the raku technique.

Episode 3

The potters return to Stoke-on-Trent for more tests of their skills and creativity. The six potters must build a five-foot garden sculpture and transform an ordinary chimney pot.

Episode 4

It's semi-final week in Stoke-on-Trent, and just five potters remain. They face their most technically demanding challenge yet - creating a decorative chandelier in bone china.

Episode 5

It is the grand final and the four remaining potters have just three tests left before one is crowned the winner of the Great Pottery Throw Down.

Episode 6

Ten home potters compete to become the new champion of British pottery. They must test their technical prowess in front of a special guest judge, ceramic designer Emma Bridgewater.

In the throw down challenge this week, king of the wheel Keith demonstrates how to build a double-walled pot.

It's week three and the eight remaining potters must master the art of Japanese-style ceramics.

It is garden week, and the seven remaining potters must make stunning ceramics for the great outdoors.

In week five, the six remaining potters try one of the most exhilarating techniques in ceramics - pit firing.

In the quarter-final, the potters have ten minutes to throw the widest bowl they can while blindfolded.

Comedian Johnny Vegas, a former pupil of Kate Malone, demonstrates how to throw a teapot in just one minute.

Episode 7

In the final, the potters make a pair of identical, fully functioning light features out of porcelain.

Episode 8

Melanie Sykes hosts as 12 amateur potters compete against one another, with judges Keith Brymer Jones and Sue Pryke asking the contenders to throw a breakfast set and then egg cups.

Breakfast Set & Egg Cups

The eleven remaining potters are tasked with hand-building an elaborate chess set and throwing miniature vases at the wheel.

Chess Set & Mini Vases

Melanie Sykes hosts as the remaining potters tackle raku firing, hand-build two animal figurines and face the tricky ceramic technique of nerikomi

Raku & Animal Figurines

Melanie Sykes hosts as the remaining potters face a multi-coloured slip cast challenge to make two vases, and a blindfolded throwing challenge to throw the widest bowl.

Multi-Coloured Slip Cast & Blindfolded Throwing

The eight remaining potters are challenged to build a pair of matching lamp bases, hoping to impress judges Sue Pryke and Keith Brymer Jones. Later, guest judge Emma Bridgewater drops in to set an emotional ceramic challenge for the contestants.

Matching Lamp Bases & a Ceramic Challenge

It's Greek Week, and the remaining contestants are challenged to sculpt a nude Greek statue and throw Greek jugs at the wheel. Judges Keith Brymer Jones and Sue Pryke decide who will be potter of the week, and who will be leaving the competition.

Nude Greek Statues & Greek Jugs

Melanie Sykes hosts as the six remaining potters are challenged to produce handmade tiles for a fireplace and to throw a chimney for a place in the quarter-final.

Handmade Tiles & a Chimney

Melanie Sykes hosts the quarter-final as the remaining five potters make two ginger jars and face a Scraffito challenge spot test for a place in the semi-final.

Ginger Jars & a Scraffito Challenge

Melanie Sykes hosts a Victorian-themed semi-final. The potters face their biggest challenge yet... to produce a fully functioning toilet for a place in the final.

Victorian Week & a Fully Functioning Toilet

Melanie Sykes hosts the grand finale as the three potters make a quirky tea set and face a throwing challenge to impress the judges and be crowned the winner.

The Final: Quirky Tea Set and a Throwing Challenge

Judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller set the 12 new potters two challenges against the clock: to throw a cheese set and port chalices, as the battle of clay kicks off at the wheel

Cheese Set & Port Chalices

It's all about bricks and mortar, as the 11 remaining potters slab-build a 3D building and, in a Throw Down first, judge Rich Miller tasks the potters with handmaking bricks

3D Slab-Build & Handmade Bricks

The remaining potters get fruity when they're challenged to make a bowl full of realistic ceramic fruits, and face a blindfolded throw down with a twist

Fruit Bowls & a Blindfolded Throw Down

It's naked raku week and the remaining potters throw, burnish and fire a pair of vases, and are set a floral challenge by guest judge and flower-making expert Rita Floyd.

Naked Raku & a Floral Challenge

It's Music Week and the remaining potters sculpt a life-like bust of a music legend, receive a surprise special message from an iconic artist, and make mini musical instruments

Music Legend Busts & Mini Musical Instruments

It's Terracotta Week in the pottery, and the potters are tasked to make their own range of cookware. Judge Rich Miller sets a second terracotta challenge to engrave tiles.

Terracotta Week

It's Garden Week, and the remaining potters face a green-fingered challenge: to build an animal water feature and throw a strawberry planter for a place in the quarter-finals.

Garden Week

It's an all-American-themed quarter-final, and the remaining potters make Acoma pottery fired in cow dung and throw an Alabama ring bottle for a place in the semi-final.

Native American Acoma Pottery & an Alabama Ring Bottle

It's the semi-final, and the remaining potters produce an elaborate and fully-functional pedestal sink and decorate a chamber pot in Bathroom Week - all for a place in the grand final

A Pedestal Sink & a Chamber Pot

In an art deco-inspired final, the potters make a punch bowl and decanter, before facing the tiniest throwing challenge ever set. Who will be crowned the winner?

The Final: 1920s Art Deco Punch Bowl & Decanters

Judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller set the 12 brand-new potters two challenges: to throw a children's crockery set and ceramic milk bottles, as the battle of clay kicks off at the wheel

Crockery Set and Ceramic Milk Bottles

The 11 remaining potters hand-build a pendulum wall clock and face a surprise blindfold challenge. Who will be crowned potter of the week and who will leave the competition?

Pendulum Wall Clock

The remaining potters make inanimate objects and judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller pay tribute to the pottery hometown of Stoke, as they set a bottle kiln challenge

Inanimate Objects and a Bottle Kiln Challenge

It's Raku week and the remaining potters throw a Japanese-inspired tea set, before guest judge and social media sensation Florian Gadsby sets them a handle pulling challenge

Japanese Tea Set & a Handle Pulling Challenge

It's Garden Week and the eight remaining potters create a trio of character gnomes, before guest judge Adam Keeling sets them the task of making a sea kale forcer

Character Gnomes and a Sea Kale Forcer

It's back to the Swinging Sixties, as the potters create a psychedelic pair of highly decorative glazed vessels, before guest judge Orla Kiely tests their repeating-pattern skills

1960s Glazed Vessels & Repeating Patterns

It's Wildlife Week and the potters hand-build a table lamp, go wild in a Throw Down first, and get a surprise visit from a familiar face. Who will make it to the quarter-final?

Wildlife Week and Hand-Built Table Lamps

Siobhán McSweeney's back, as the remaining potters create a self-sculpture, build their own sawdust kilns and make candlesticks under pressure, for a place in the semi-final

Self-Sculpture, Sawdust Kilns and Candlesticks

It's the semi-final and the potters are left feeling flushed as they make fully functional urinals, before recreating the iconic Wedgwood Jasperware, for a place in the final

Urinals and Wedgwood Jasperware

The potters make a garden totem sculpture that tells their life story, followed by a regal devil's work challenge set by Rich Miller. Who will be crowned the winner of the pottery?

The Final: Garden Totem Sculpture & a Devil's Work Challenge

The potters take on a birthday tea set challenge, and a surprise second challenge that sees them making handleless milk jugs that must survive the bucket of doom

Birthday Tea Set and Handleless Jug

The 11 remaining potters craft a keepsake box with a disguised lid before facing a surprise blindfold challenge. Who will be potter of the week and who will leave the pottery?

Keepsake Box and Blindfold Challenge

It's Retro Week, and Siobhán McSweeney takes the remaining potters back in time as they make a trio of flying birds and tackle an old-fashioned hot water bottle surprise challenge.

Trio of Birds and Hot Water Bottle Challenge

It's Raku Week, and the potters hope to impress the judges with their hanging planters. And series two semi-finalist Freya Bramble-Carter sets a challenge with a decorative flourish.

Hanging Planters and a Decorative Challenge

The remaining potters head for the roof to create gargoyles and chimney pots for expert guest judge Gabriel Nichols. Who will be named potter of the week and who'll be cast out of the pottery?

Gargoyles and Chimney Pots

It's an illuminating week, as the potters make an embossed table light, before guest judge, fashion and lifestyle designer Henry Holland, really tests their decadent design skills

Embossed Table Light and Decadent Design Skills

The six remaining potters go wild as they create metallic-effect endangered animal sculptures fired in oil drums, before throwing a tall, thin-necked vase for a place in the quarter-final

Endangered Animal Sculptures and a Tall Vase

The remaining potters face an altered reality as they radically alter a coffee set and throw high-footed rice bowls. But whose shapeshifting creations will transport them to the semi-final?

Abstract Coffee Set and Rice Bowls

It's a bathroom-themed semi-final as the potters make Turkish bath-style sinks and tiles and attempt Moorcroft tube lining. Who will be feeling flush, and will there be waterworks?

Turkish Bath Sinks and Moorcroft Ginger Jar

The remaining potters create a stacking pyramid vase centrepiece and a daring sgraffito globe. But who will be on top of the world when they're crowned the winner?

The Final: Pyramid Vase and Sgraffito Globe

As the battle of clay kicks off at the wheel, the potters make a roast dinner set and identical side plates that must survive the bucket of doom. Who will get roasted and who will get served?

Roast Dinner Set and Identical Side Plates

The remaining potters attempt their own take on the popular gluggle jug and face a surprise second challenge - blindfolded!

Gluggle Jugs and a Surprise Blindfold Challenge

The remaining potters make Staffordshire flatbacks and face a close shave in a surprise challenge. But whose mantlepiece classic will take pride of place, and who will be left on the shelf?

Staffordshire Flatbacks and a Surprise Challenge

It's Raku week and the potters create animal busts before taking on guest judge Jacqui Atkin's decorative challenge. Who will the judges go wild for and name potter of the week?

Raku Week and Animal Busts

It's Garden Week and the potters create cascading water features and hedgehog houses. Whose structure will the judges be gushing over, and who will be hedging their bets?

Water Features and Hedgehog Houses

It's teatime and the potters make novelty teapots and majolica decorated mugs. Plus, it's the return of the bucket of doom... but will it be a storm in a teacup? And whose brew will get them through?

Novelty Teapots and Majolica Mugs

It's an illuminating week as the potters take on lighting sculptures and a surprise challenge. Who'll be beaming with joy and whose time in the spotlight has come to an end?

Illuminating Light Sculptures

It's the quarter-final and the potters make vintage-style water filters fired in their own oil drum kilns and throw a coffee filter. Who'll bring the heat with semi-final-worthy filters?

Vintage Water Filters and a Coffee Filter

In a bathroom-themed semi-final, the potters take on the infamous toilet challenge. Who'll take the plunge for a place in the final, and who'll be left with that sinking feeling?

Bathroom Week

It's the grand finale and the potters create striking chandeliers and faceted bowls. Whose dazzling design will bowl over the judges to be crowned the winner?

The Final

Ten home potters from around the country head to Stoke-on-Trent, the home of pottery, in their quest to become Top Potter.

All Episodes of The Great Pottery Throw Down

Browse all episodes of The Great Pottery Throw Down

Season 1

Episode 1

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/3/2015

Episode 2

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/10/2015

Episode 3

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 11/17/2015

Episode 4

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 11/24/2015

Episode 5

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/1/2015

Episode 6

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/8/2015