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00:00It's week three here at the pottery for our ten remaining potters and this week
00:08they are making puzzle jugs. Now puzzle jugs were very popular novelty objects
00:15about 200 years ago and the puzzling thing about them is to figure out how
00:21to get the liquid inside the jug outside of it without spilling a drop. Now I
00:26don't want to boast but I consider myself a bit of an expert here in the old
00:31ceramics so watch and behold. Cup. Puzzle jug.
00:40Welcome to the Great Pottery Throwdown. Last time. The potters told their stories through
00:59slab-billed bookends. Can't beat a dog with a hat can you? No. And although Naveed impressed with
01:05his avocado. You took a risk fortunately for you you've pulled it off. It was Kayleigh's wild man
01:10of Orford. There's just layer upon layer of detail. That won her Potter of the Week. It was wonderful
01:17well well deserved. For Kaz. I'm a bit slapdash. It's my style slapdash. The writing was on the
01:25wall. The base could have done with a bit of finishing off. Yeah. And she became the second
01:30potter. Thank you so much. What a wonderful human being you are. To kiss Gladstone goodbye.
01:35This time. I'm ready. Ready as I'll ever be. The potters face their toughest challenge yet.
01:42It's terrifying. Hand-built puzzle jugs. If this goes wrong then we're screwed. And are blindsided.
01:49Oh God. By a tricky throwdown. I think I've just butchered it taken off the wheel. Who will hit the
01:56right note. And who will crack under the pressure. Oh. The joys of pottery.
02:04In the spinning world of makers. We're all in the room to make it. So just start up the fire.
02:24It's down to the wire.
02:26It's week three and our ten remaining potters have returned. I didn't think I'd be here at week
02:42three. It's so absurd to me that I was even close to getting potter of the week. Potter of the week
02:47felt really good. This week I'm just going to give it my all and hope for the best. And they face their
02:52most technically challenging test yet. Never heard of a puzzle jug before. It's
02:57quite an elaborate build. Definitely feeling puzzled.
03:07Welcome back potters. Now for your main make challenge this week the judges would
03:12like you to make a puzzle jug. And as a nod to traditional puzzle jugs they would like
03:19you to add a fun riddle or challenge. Judges any advice for our potters?
03:24Now the main belly of your jug should be coiled but you can use slabs for the top. Now we want
03:30you to pierce the top section but be careful when you're piercing because it can undermine
03:35the structure. Now this is a really technical build and if you don't get it right your jugs
03:40just will not function. Potters you have been given six and a half hours to make and refine
03:47your puzzle jugs and your time starts now. Potters good potting.
03:54Oh God. I'm ready. I'm ready as I'll ever be. Puzzle jug. First time I've come across it. Never
04:02heard of one before. I have heard of a puzzle jug before but I can't say I would ever choose
04:06to make one. Rich, week three. Puzzle jugs. This is a tough build for our potters this week.
04:14You think it's an ordinary jug but then you look again and you think hang on a minute how do you pour
04:21that with all this piercing at the top? The liquid is just going to fall out. They were popular in the
04:251700s and 1800s. They're engineered in such a way that they have a hollow handle all the way through the jug.
04:33Yeah. Which goes into a hollow rim right the way round the jug and then it has a spout with an opening
04:40that allows you to suck the liquid up. But unless you hold a hole that's usually somewhere on the handle
04:46to create that vacuum the liquid won't travel up the handle and around the rim and out the spout.
04:51Retaining that hollow is going to be critical. They need to store the liquid in the bottom and they need to be able
04:56to extract that liquid out of the top. They have to function. It is a sort of feat of engineering really isn't it?
05:03Yeah, it's a highly, highly technical challenge. You've got coiling, slabbing, piercing, every element
05:08is going to be integral to this puzzle jug functioning and they get one aspect wrong and it just won't work.
05:14We've asked our potters to adorn it with lots of 2D and 3D decoration and of course they've then got to put some inscription on there.
05:23Traditionally, the text would allude to using the jug trying to work out how to drink from it.
05:28Yeah, I mean our potters really need to get this right because we are going to test these in judging, aren't we?
05:33Yeah, I'm quite looking forward to it. Ten puzzles.
05:38Hi, Kayleigh. Do you need us to address you as Potter of the Week?
05:43That would be nice. Yeah, you could do that all day.
05:45Tell us about your design. It's basically dedicated to my granddad.
05:49As I was growing up, we spent a lot of time on his allotment.
05:53When he passed, my parents bought his house and took on the allotments.
05:57Oh, OK. How lovely. Yeah, so it's always in the family.
06:01Nice cabbages. These are actually lettuce.
06:05Brilliant.
06:10In celebration of the plot's bountiful yield, Kayleigh will embellish her puzzle jug with sprig moulded pumpkins and blackberries.
06:17The handle, rim and spouts will be formed into snakes to represent some of the allotment's less welcome inhabitants.
06:23We've got adders that nest. Oh, really? Yeah, yeah. So you have to be careful of those.
06:28Yes. Yeah. And I made a sprig. This is actually a tiny little tomato, but I could kind of, you know, make it look like a pumpkin.
06:36Like a cabbage and a lettuce, really. Yeah. Yeah.
06:40The potters have been asked to coil build the base of their jugs.
06:45It's just all about layering.
06:47Just making sure that every layer is well and truly sort of attached to the layer below.
06:52If the coils aren't joined securely together...
06:55We keep going over and just smooth and make sure the clay is well compressed into the next layer.
07:00It could have disastrous consequences for their puzzle jugs.
07:04Don't want any cracking. It's got to hold liquid, so if they're not joined well, you can have liquid everywhere,
07:10which isn't ideal for a jug.
07:13I am dedicating my puzzle jug to my husband.
07:16The title of his sober serpent because he doesn't drink alcohol.
07:19Ooh, he's handsome.
07:20Is he? Behave yourself.
07:22Is he taken? Yes, obviously.
07:25He's born in the Chinese year of the snake. Yeah, yeah.
07:28So I am going to make him the handle and the spouts as snake's heads.
07:33Elham's five-headed mythical snake will sit atop a white jug with carved triangles and circles around the collar
07:40and be decorated with green and red underglazes.
07:43And are you a confident coiler? Are you happy with the blending and everything else?
07:47Yeah, I'm giving it like a rough blend and then I'm going to go over with the kidney that's got...
07:51Oh, you're a rated edge. Yeah, so I'm going to go over just to bring it all together with that.
07:54Great. Sounds wonderful. Good luck. Thank you very much.
07:56See you later. Thanks.
07:58And it appears Elham and Kayleigh aren't the only potters with a serpentine theme.
08:03Tell us about your design.
08:05The theme is snakes. The snake's body will be the handle and then it'll terminate on the top.
08:10Have you had a look at other designs that are here?
08:12I'm trying not to.
08:13OK. Yeah.
08:15Mark's puzzle jug will depict a woodland scene with a trio of snakes climbing the trunks of the trees
08:21and up through a pierced canopy to form three functional spouts.
08:26Last week we saw amazing build. Just lacked a little bit of confidence in the decorations.
08:31I'm staying away from oxides. So what are you doing?
08:33I think it's just purely on the glaze, I think.
08:35OK.
08:36Kind of playing a bit safe.
08:38Like Mark, Naveed is also approaching this challenge with caution.
08:42A lot of it I'm not that familiar with, to be honest. I have done coiling, but not much.
08:48If you don't get it right, then it doesn't work.
08:50Hello. Hello. Tell me about your design.
08:52The jug is dedicated to my mum.
08:54Uh huh.
08:55My dad died when we were quite young and she brought up seven of us.
08:59Jeepers. What a woman.
09:00You know, she always made sure we were all fed first before she had anything.
09:06So this is her turn.
09:07That's beautiful. Gorgeous. Would she like this?
09:10I think she'd love it.
09:11Yeah.
09:12Naveed will honour his mother's sacrifice with a classic cobalt on white Punjabi inspired design.
09:18The rim will have seven sealed decoy spouts to represent him and his brothers and sisters,
09:23plus a hidden working one reserved for his mother alone.
09:27And how are you creating all of these?
09:29Yeah, these are, these are my first, first time I made sprigs.
09:32Excellent.
09:33There'll be seven of these smaller ones. I'll write my siblings' names and then.
09:36Fantastic.
09:37Just love that this jug is going to kind of sit at the heart of your family.
09:41It's just so intensely personal. It's lovely.
09:43Yeah, it's a lovely thing to do.
09:45And family is first and foremost in Anne Harrod's mind too.
09:50The inspiration is my brother loves history, medieval history.
09:55So it's going to be like a family tree with illustrations of his family, my sister-in-law and my niece and my nephew.
10:01And then I've got their two hamsters and their guinea pig Robbie who passed away this year.
10:06Alongside the portraits, Anne Harrod's contemporary twist on medieval design will feature a manuscript-style riddle
10:13and Welsh dragon to symbolise her brother Rhys' protectiveness of his family.
10:18As a design, it looks simple.
10:19Goodness.
10:20You think that looks simple?
10:21Yeah.
10:22Make that and you'll be, yeah, well away.
10:25Yeah.
10:26Yeah, I hope you manage to get everything done.
10:27Me too.
10:28Potters, the drying room is open.
10:38Must be one of those fake doorknobs because of the whole puzzle.
10:45At some point we'll have to finish and let it dry and then we can start working on the neck.
10:50With the coiled base of their puzzle jugs firming up, the potters can press on with the collar.
10:55This is just for the neck of the jug where I'm going to slab and then pierce through.
11:01While the rest of the potters are slab building theirs.
11:04It's quite a narrow join but we can fill it with a bit of clay.
11:07Emily is taking a different approach.
11:09I'm coil building the whole thing.
11:11I'm just trying to stick to all coiling, just keep it a bit simpler.
11:14Emily's puzzle jug will take the form of a whisky still as an ode to the history of illegal distilling in her Highland home.
11:22She'll illustrate the surface with tales of crofters outwitting the excisemen
11:27and fashion the spouts from Highland cow horns.
11:30Do you drink whisky?
11:32I do like it but I don't drink much anymore, no.
11:35It kind of goes one of two ways with kids.
11:37You either like...
11:38Whether they drink it or not.
11:39Well no, like you drink to cope with having kids.
11:42Or you give up drinking to cope with having kids.
11:46That's why I made the smart choice.
11:48I have whisky and no kids.
11:50This is the rim so this is the top section.
11:53The success of the potters' puzzle jug will rest on it being fit for purpose.
11:58I mean if this goes wrong then we're screwed.
12:01The handle and the rim are a bit daunting because you're meant to be able to get liquid through the handle and through the rim.
12:07Slow and steady is the name of the game.
12:10So I just rolled down the top section and folded it back on itself.
12:14So now it's hollow inside.
12:16What's the next bit?
12:18The handle.
12:19This is a bugger this one.
12:22Just like their rim, the handle will need a cavity inside and the potters can use rope to help them achieve it.
12:29So the rope makes it hollow so it will burn out during the firing.
12:33That will burn away and then that will leave the void which allows the fluid to be drawn up through the handle.
12:39It could go wrong at any stage.
12:41This is the bit I haven't really planned so well in my head I've planned it.
12:45So what's the main theme for your jug?
12:47I met my over half Marnie and then moved down to Cornwall.
12:51One of the first places we went was St Ives and we went to a little rum bar there.
12:55Kind of drawing on sea ships and then the rum cask for the main body of the jug.
13:01For his pirate rum and sea themed puzzle jug, Finn will craft a realistic wooden cask body with a ship's wheel for the rim and drinking spouts at the top all bound together by a twisted rope handle.
13:15How are you twisting that handle and keeping it hollow all the way through?
13:20I don't know yet.
13:21You're putting a lot of tension into the clay which will have a tendency to want to kind of uncoil.
13:26Clay memory.
13:27I mean it'll look spectacular.
13:29Yeah.
13:30Just as long as it works.
13:31Yeah.
13:32Right.
13:33And Finn isn't the only potter going with a nautical theme.
13:36Finn has got a very very similar design to mine.
13:40Both our handles are going to be made rope as well.
13:43We both have ship's wheel at the top rim.
13:48In keeping with the 18th century roots of the puzzle jug, Whitney's connects the histories of New Zealand and Scotland
13:55and features HMS Endeavour, Maori inspired illustrations and a riddle in the style of Caledonia's most famous poet.
14:03You have a connection to New Zealand, don't you?
14:05I went to school there.
14:06And now you're in Scotland.
14:07Yeah.
14:08Puzzle jugs are about history and mine is about Captain Cook's circumnavigating New Zealand.
14:14And Robbie Burns was actually writing his poems.
14:17Cook and Burns together at last. I've been saying it for years.
14:20I need to twist these two pieces together to get the rope twist.
14:25Then I can carve the back out to put the rope in to make the hollow in it.
14:28It will either be a great idea or an absolute flop, so we'll see.
14:32You are halfway through. That was an easy puzzle.
14:41You're halfway through, Potters. Potters, you're halfway through.
14:45With the clock ticking, the Potters need to assemble their puzzle jugs.
14:50I'm trying to get the main bits together so I can just join and add my extra fancy bits later.
14:56Making sure we get good contact all the way round. Trying to get the top section as vertical as we can.
15:02I think it's a smooth fit.
15:07But before he joins his, Andrew has some surgery to perform.
15:11Right, that's going in there. Some horrible operation.
15:15And it's scars left by an early encounter with alcohol that has inspired his puzzle jug.
15:21It's dedicated to a cousin of mine who is the first person that sort of took me out drinking.
15:25Oh, fabulous.
15:26When I was just about 18. Sure.
15:28Hiya, wink, wink. I've called it the revenge of Sir John Barleycorn.
15:31He is the personification of the growing, the harvesting, the malting, the brewing of barley to make alcohol.
15:37Andrew will sculpt Sir John's face onto the belly of his jug, enhancing the features with an impressed barley pattern.
15:45He then plans to cover the entire surface in a rich golden corn-like colour.
15:50So presumably you'll be blending a colour, a bespoke colour for that.
15:54Yeah, yeah. And actually that yellow is tricky.
15:56I do want to kind of maintain these kind of natural colours and so it does look like a nice piece of traditional sort of pottery.
16:02Well look, good luck. Thank you guys. Good luck, Andrew.
16:04See you later. Cheers.
16:05Cheers.
16:06I'm attaching the handle to my puzzle jug.
16:11The handle will be one of the most vulnerable elements of the potter's build.
16:16One of the concerns is getting the handle the right thickness and the right weight.
16:19The structure and shape will be critical in making sure it survives the kiln intact.
16:24It's just about managing the consistency, you know, of the clay and it's not too soft, making sure it can support itself.
16:33Any weakness could result in cracks and render the puzzle jug unusable.
16:38Who knows if it will work?
16:41The joys of pottery.
16:44Oh God, I'm actually shaking.
16:47You called?
16:49I did.
16:50There's a handle with a hollow in it.
16:52There is a handle with a hollow.
16:54That's all I was asked to do, wasn't it?
16:56That's it.
16:57I can go home now actually.
16:58Done.
16:59Bye everyone.
17:00I'll start the car, see you in the car park.
17:01Perfect.
17:02Great.
17:04But unfortunately for our potters, there are lots more pieces to this puzzle, including the all-important spouts.
17:11So each of the spouts will have the snake's head, almost as if the snakes have coiled up from within the woods, hopefully.
17:18Have you got snakes as well, Mark?
17:19Yeah.
17:20Have you?
17:21Where's your snakes?
17:22All over.
17:23Bloody hell.
17:24It's the Great British snake-off.
17:26Snake-off.
17:27Cheeky snakes all over the place.
17:30But snakes aren't the only wildlife in the pottery today.
17:34This is a cow I'm doing, a tipsy cow, otherwise known as a coon.
17:39He's got to get his horn well attached, because otherwise the puzzle jug isn't going to work.
17:44And Bill's bench is a hive of activity.
17:47These are my spouts.
17:49They're going to be bees.
17:50It's dedicated to bees and my friend who's got a bee house.
17:53It's got so many flowers and different things in the garden.
17:55It's lovely to spend time in our garden and just chill out.
17:58Alongside his sculpted spouts, Bill will add sprig-moulded bees, create hexagonal cut-outs to evoke honeycomb,
18:06and he'll use underglazes to paint a profusion of colourful blooms.
18:12You get used to making bees.
18:14I think they're mainly body and then little wings.
18:18It's a bit sad when you see them on the ground and they're like,
18:20Sugar water, please.
18:23Potters! One hour left. One more hour.
18:28With time running out, the potters need to turn their attention to the decorative detail that will bring their puzzle jugs to life.
18:35I felt like a good idea when I designed it.
18:37A pierced neck is essential to the illusion of a puzzle jug.
18:41Pierce then carved. Pierce then carved.
18:45But cutting into a clay structure isn't for the faint-hearted.
18:49It's terrifying.
18:50One wrong move and they could undermine the whole structure.
18:54I'm just starting to cut out the waves and the, like, little sea cut-outs in the neck.
19:02Oh, it just is so satisfying.
19:05We're gonna need a cigarette after this.
19:08Okay.
19:09Oh, you've done this before.
19:11Oh, yeah.
19:13Now do it.
19:14Oh!
19:15It's nice, isn't it?
19:18It's for you.
19:21I'm just mapping out the lines for the face now.
19:27These are my little mini pumpkins.
19:30I do love the detail. I think that is what makes a piece.
19:34It's the first time I've used sprig, so I'm just a bit nervous that they're gonna fall off.
19:40Potters, you've half an hour left. Half an hour left.
19:44Right, do some slip trailing.
19:46This is the thing I think everybody's been dreading.
19:48The rhyme on the puzzle jug is a hint as to how to solve the fiddle.
19:53I only get one shot at this, don't I?
19:55Okay.
19:56I've never slip trailed, so slow and steady.
20:00Oh, man, that's really not good.
20:03Oh, no.
20:04This thing sucks.
20:06I think it's legible. I don't know. I know what it says.
20:11Five minutes left, Potters. Five minutes left.
20:15I want to quickly try and get some last little finishing touches on.
20:19This is a worm, which was the distillation coil that came off a still.
20:24It's just a decorative thing.
20:25So, just trying to give us some definition for trunk trees,
20:29create some areas where the snakes are slithering up.
20:32Is he based on anyone?
20:34Do you recognise him?
20:35I don't know.
20:36Somebody round here?
20:37Mark, look at me.
20:38Yeah.
20:39I'm hoping it stays together.
20:44I am really worried that I've put this handle under way too much tension,
20:47but just hoping that all holds up okay.
20:50I can't wait to see the judges drink from this.
20:53Anything that I don't carve, I can paint on.
20:55Hopefully, it just enhances it.
20:58I think most of it will come together with the colour that will shine through.
21:04Potters, I am really going to have to insist that you start bringing your puzzle jugs into the drawing room.
21:11Oh, it looks fabulous. Well done.
21:14In you go, Naveed Elham. Wonderful.
21:17Ten.
21:18Nine.
21:19Eight.
21:20Seven.
21:21Six.
21:22Five.
21:23Four.
21:24Three.
21:25Two.
21:27One.
21:28Well done.
21:29Well done.
21:30Well done.
21:31Phew.
21:32That was intense.
21:34That's definitely the hardest thing I've ever made.
21:36Hopefully, the kiln will do its thing.
21:37Whether snake heads pop off or not, I don't know.
21:40We'll see.
21:41The handle is a concern.
21:43That would be the lipness test.
21:45Well, you just don't know what's going to happen in the kiln.
21:47I really enjoyed it.
21:48Even if it ends up being really cracked and everything, it was just quite a fun little, little thing to do.
21:54Not little, it's quite big actually, but, yeah.
22:02Oh, the wheels are out.
22:03Okay.
22:04The wheels are off.
22:05The Potters are back for their second challenge.
22:07And, as ever, they have no idea what to expect.
22:13We've got this, guys.
22:14We've got this.
22:15We've got this.
22:19Welcome back, Potters, to your second challenge.
22:21And this week, you will be making a Victorian style vase.
22:26And, oh, what's this?
22:28Aw.
22:29Oh, no.
22:30Is this a blindfold?
22:32Yes, it is.
22:33Keith, would you like to take the wheel?
22:35Yeah.
22:36Thank you very much.
22:37I'm going to go back on with a blindfold.
22:39Shove your clay on.
22:40It is a big bit of clay.
22:42This is two and a half kilos.
22:44I'm actually taking quite a bit of time to make sure that it's centred, because every stage wants to be as perfect as you can possibly get it.
22:52So, you've got this clay centred.
22:55Down you go.
22:56And then just collaring up that clay nice and slowly.
23:01Check your rim.
23:02Make sure it's not too wide.
23:04As long as I can get my hand in there.
23:07Just swapping over my fingers now to bring in that clay for that neck.
23:15Throwing that neck up.
23:18Really accentuate that neck if you can.
23:21I'm going to get my template.
23:24Using the right angle, take off that clay at the bottom and use the pointy end just to get a nice groove there.
23:35Take out the excess water and then wire it off.
23:41Oh yeah, that's not too bad.
23:43What Rich and I are really looking for is that nice bulbous section down the bottom.
23:48And that nice accentuated shoulder and neck.
23:52You've got two balls of clay here.
23:54So obviously the first one will have to be taken off when you've still got the blindfold on.
23:58But you can only choose the one you want blindfolded.
24:03So feel which one you think is the right one to choose.
24:08Alright then Potters, you have been given 20 minutes to make two Victorian style vases blindfolded.
24:18And your time starts now. Remove the hessian.
24:22Oh God.
24:24That's really dark.
24:27Oh bugger.
24:31Just take your time but do it within 20 minutes.
24:34Get things centred before we start doing anything silly.
24:37Use your body Kayleigh.
24:39Yeah, that's it.
24:41I've made lots of vases but I tend to go quite miniature.
24:45I've never thrown two and a half kilograms blindfolded before.
24:48Definitely heavy. Definitely feel it on the wheel.
24:50And I'm about to open the middle so that I can start widening the base.
24:57Oh God.
24:58Yeah, just feel that speed of the wheel through your fingers.
25:02It's way too thick right now so it definitely needs to go higher.
25:06I can feel the shoulder here but the belly needs a bit more oomph.
25:09Looking good Finn.
25:12Alright.
25:13Best looking ashtray I've seen in years.
25:15Go outside.
25:16Is there a lot of water in there? I can hear it.
25:18Oh my goodness.
25:19There's a little bit of water in there.
25:20Absolutely.
25:21It's like a jacuzzi in there.
25:23Oh no, this is going bad isn't it?
25:25Take a breath, stop for a second.
25:27I want you to refocus because I think you'd be incredibly surprised.
25:31Oh.
25:32I can feel it.
25:33I think I've just caught the rim of this.
25:35I'm just going to try and prop it back up.
25:36You're halfway through, halfway through.
25:39Ooh, lift.
25:40They're cracking.
25:41They are, they are.
25:42They are.
25:43If I were me I'd just get the finger in there just to support that neck about.
25:48It looks good.
25:49I think I've just butchered it, taken it off the wheel.
25:51And that's probably the hardest bit of this to be honest is getting it off.
25:55This feels like a seance.
25:57It's like you can hear people around you.
26:00I hear voices.
26:01I feel their grandmother.
26:03I'm feeling I can't centre this one.
26:05This one's not playing.
26:06How many have you done?
26:08One and a half.
26:09Great, thank you.
26:10Whitney, how many have you done?
26:12I've done one and a third.
26:14So guys, remember it's two.
26:16It's two I need you to have done.
26:18I just need water right now.
26:20Potters, final five minutes.
26:23No, I'm panicking a bit now if I'm honest.
26:26I need to be up in that top tier so the pressure's on.
26:29It's just more knowing like when to stop and stop messing around with it, I guess.
26:33This is more, this is more, this is more, more is more.
26:36Oops.
26:37Emily's is wobbling.
26:38It's going to collapse.
26:39Oh, that's it.
26:40It's scary.
26:42The neck's collapsed into the body.
26:44Two minutes left, Potters.
26:46Two minutes.
26:47Start finishing up your second vase.
26:50I just need water.
26:51I am just going to clean out the water in the middle.
26:54Oh my gosh, where's my wire?
26:56That would help.
26:57Well done, Andrew.
26:59It's quite heavy bottom.
27:01Just place it down, place it down.
27:03Woo!
27:08Oh, it doesn't work.
27:09Oh God, we got it.
27:10Okay.
27:11The second one's always better than the first.
27:13So I hear.
27:14Oh, it's got a hole in the bottom.
27:17Oh my God.
27:18Where's that wire?
27:19I feel like I might throw up.
27:21Oh no.
27:22Really dizzy.
27:23Super dizzy.
27:24Yeah, here it is.
27:26Five, four, three, two, one.
27:31All right then, Potters.
27:33Time up.
27:35Please keep your blindfolds on and decide which of your Victorian style vases you wish to be judged.
27:44The both pots only a mother would love.
27:46I think it's got to be this one.
27:48Great.
27:49Blindfolds off.
27:50Oh.
27:51Oh, I chose the wonky one.
27:54Keith and Rich are looking for a generous Victorian vase incorporating a curvaceous body, tall neck and an even rim.
28:05How did you find it?
28:07Um, I really enjoyed it.
28:08Yeah.
28:09But at the same time, it was really intense.
28:11Well look, you've done remarkably well.
28:13I mean, the height's pretty good actually.
28:15Yeah, absolutely brilliant.
28:16Yeah, it would have been nice to accentuate that shoulder a bit more.
28:19A minor colouring in there.
28:21If you'd just done that on the profile, yeah, and you would have got that nice sort of shoulder.
28:27Cheers, Navid.
28:28Cheers.
28:30Why did you pick this one?
28:31It felt the belly was a bit more pronounced.
28:34Right, okay.
28:35The rim is nice and even.
28:36It looks like a nice even wall thickness.
28:39Yeah, not a bad effort at all.
28:40How did you find that?
28:43I was literally shaking.
28:44Yeah.
28:45My hands were shaking and my legs.
28:46Obviously you could have made much, much more use of the clay down the bottom there.
28:49You've kind of got a bit more fluted rim than you have belly, but it's very lovely clean throwing.
28:55The first thing you notice is the incredible use of the clay.
29:00You've got a really nice definition here, a nice change of direction.
29:04Maybe that could have been brought in a bit narrower, but the size is incredible, isn't it?
29:09Yeah.
29:10You've done so much with that clay.
29:11It's got so much volume.
29:12It just looks like really good confident throwing.
29:14Well done.
29:16Brilliant.
29:18This is wonderful.
29:20This is really wonderful.
29:21This belly shape there is just so fluent and really rounded.
29:24The inside is incredible.
29:26Really, really lovely.
29:27Yeah, brilliant.
29:28Cheers.
29:29I'm loving this form here.
29:32This is really nice and fluent.
29:34It could have had a bit more definition on the shoulder there.
29:37All right, Keith, all right.
29:38I'm just doing it.
29:39There you go.
29:40Look, like that.
29:41That would have been good.
29:42Everything is regular, bit contained, could have used a bit more clay.
29:51Bit of pressure at the base and that would have bellied that bottom out.
29:53Yeah, that's it.
29:54It's actually very close.
29:57So you've chosen this one, have you?
29:59Yeah.
30:00In my head, it didn't feel as bad as that.
30:02Right.
30:03Actually, you can tell that that's got your ambition in it.
30:04You know, you're pushing yourself and pushing the clay, which is good.
30:07Nice work.
30:08Well done.
30:09Foolishly, I've chosen that one.
30:12Yeah, it's slumped a bit, hasn't it?
30:13You get the sense that with this one, you've used more of the clay.
30:16Obviously, it could have done with a bit more bellying out of the bottom section of the vase.
30:20So, how did you find it?
30:24Felt really sick.
30:25Just really dizzy.
30:26I think it was the whole motion.
30:27I was like, oof.
30:28Quite disoriented.
30:29Yeah.
30:30There's definitely a definition there.
30:31It would have been a bit nicer to see that bulbous sort of belly at the bottom, really.
30:38They will now rank the potters from bottom to top.
30:41In tenth place, Kayleigh.
30:44Honestly, I know you really struggled, but it's amazing what you did.
30:49And, you know, it's fantastic.
30:51So, in ninth place, Elham.
30:54Really, really good effort.
30:56It would have been great to see that belly come out a bit more.
30:59Andrew is ace, Emily is seventh, and Harrod sixth.
31:03Whitney takes five, and Mark is fourth.
31:06In third place, Naveed.
31:09Absolutely brilliant.
31:11Really, really nice form to it.
31:13Really lovely throwing.
31:14Well done.
31:15In second place, Bill.
31:19Brilliant.
31:20Amazing volume there.
31:22So, in first place, Finn.
31:24Amazing.
31:26Congratulations, Finn.
31:27Really, really wonderful.
31:28I mean, I'm not sure whenever else I'm going to need to, like, throw with a blindfold.
31:32But, yeah, I'm really happy with that.
31:34Well, I came last, concentrating on not being sick.
31:38I'm likely going home this week.
31:40Maybe if I had have practiced at home, I would have known that I would have felt so sick.
31:43Maybe take some travel sickness pills before.
31:46I have to see how my puzzle jug comes out of the kiln, and then do the best I can from there on with the decoration.
31:53You know, I need to up the game in terms of that decoration, so it's important that that really impresses the judges.
32:00The puzzle jugs have undergone their bisque firing, and Princess is laying them out, ready for decoration.
32:13I'm a bit nervous this morning, but at the same time, looking forward to that puzzle jug coming out of the kiln.
32:20Very nervous for today.
32:21I know exactly what I need to do, different glazes, oxides.
32:24So, yeah, I'm excited to get all the glazing going, if there's something to glaze onto.
32:30Welcome back, Potters. As you can see, your puzzle jugs have been bisque-fired and are ready for decoration.
32:39We asked you to give us 2D and 3D elements.
32:42We want you to enhance and celebrate all that lovely work that you've done.
32:46If you've got your construction right, you'll have a rim and a handle that's hollow and intact.
32:52Keeping that rim hollow and the hole open is essential to the functioning of your puzzle jugs, so careful decoration is required here.
33:00Alright then, Potters, you have been given a range of glazes and oxides, and 3 hours to use them.
33:07And your time starts now!
33:11Bloody hell.
33:14Elham, are you okay?
33:16Not really.
33:17My handle's cracked, right in the middle.
33:20Cracks, cracks on the handle.
33:22Oh!
33:23Oh, I've got a big crack in the bottom.
33:25I've got a massive crack in my base. Oh, I can see through it.
33:28I've got three, so I've got one here, one here, and there's one here as well.
33:33But there are some who've come through the firing unscathed.
33:37Oh, phew-wee.
33:40All my sprigs are on perfectly, which is...
33:44..a surprise.
33:45The base is fine, there's no cracks anywhere.
33:49We seem to be okay on the handle front.
33:51We've got a full piece.
33:53It could have been a pile of rubble, and it's not.
33:56But the real litmus test of the potter's puzzle jugs
33:59will rely on whether it's possible for liquid
34:01to travel up through the hollow handle and out through the rim.
34:05It does blow, which means it will suck as well.
34:09Don't want to suck it because I'll get a lung full of powdered rope.
34:13Don't want to slip.
34:15No.
34:17Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do.
34:22Lovely, lovely, yeah.
34:23We've got a couple of nice little cracks on the handle.
34:26Right.
34:27One down the bottom.
34:28Yeah.
34:29And one just underneath.
34:30If it was a normal handle, just pound it with a bit of grit maybe
34:32a bit of underglaze.
34:34know a bit of underglaze but obviously you've got that hole in there that that
34:37needs to work I've made some slip and I'm just going to put it over that gap
34:43just to create a little seal I'm going to try and pack them relieve them and
34:49then just glaze over top of them and hope for the best so do a little bit of
34:54underglaze and then go keep going back to it and packing it up the potters have
34:58been given an array of underglazes and oxides oh there's loads of blues to
35:03help bring their puzzle jugs to life the village where I live near Inverness was
35:08renowned for illicit whiskey stilling the main body of it all is going to be like
35:12a coppery color to make it look a bit like a still this thing is not structurally
35:15sound so I've really got to pull it out the bag on the decoration so this is
35:21actually for my older brother it's inspired by things that he loves like
35:25his family oh look at these oh so it's my brother my sister-in-law my nephew Dylan and
35:31my niece Fionn and then I don't know which one's which but Jake and Jacob and
35:35then their dead skinny pig Keith it's not Keith no Keith's the other poet no Keith
35:41is the hamster that's another hamster that's actually rich what was his name
35:46no Robbie Robbie yeah you like doing the decoration look at you a big smile
35:51already John barley corn is like he's a personification of barley this is him I
35:57want that kind of traditional sort of looking like it was probably made 200
36:01years ago that's what I'm looking for so golden yellowy harvest the colors and I
36:05think I figured out how to mix those so this is brown yellow white and purple my
36:09puzzle jug is dedicated to my mum my dad died when I was quite young so she's
36:13brought me and my six siblings mostly on her own the decoration it is quite
36:17simple different shades of blue and white which are traditional colors from
36:22Punjab where my mum was born not only is the decoration stage a chance to add
36:27color it's also the opportunity to bring out any texture they've created I'm just
36:33adding some oxides to get this to look like the sort of barrel barrel pattern the
36:38rum barrel pattern and it will just mean that where it's all gone into these
36:42cracks I'll get some nice sort of darker darker tones in the woods and when it
36:46comes to the great British snake off I am applying an underglaze this will form
36:53the kind of base blue of my snake the quest is on to bring reptile realness I am
37:01applying oxide I'm trying to just get it into the grooves of the snake print that
37:06kind of one slithery metallic five-headed snake even mark after an oxide
37:13disaster last week you're going with the oxides don't make me worry now has
37:19decided to give them another go so this is the iron oxide just to give us the
37:24browns on the tree trunk and branches you never really know just how much to apply
37:29can't afford for a splodge to happen again potters you're halfway through halfway
37:34time just is not on my side so I think I have to limit how much I put on and do what I do well I hope
37:43I'm not being too simplistic in this but it's all sort of this kind of gold yellow color and then
37:48the actual barley's kind of picked out the face is picked out I've kind of done that while Andrew
37:55might be taking things easy Bill still has plenty to keep him busy I've got the bees to glaze in their
38:02sort of colors I've got the bee sprigs and the bee sculptures to do and the flowers will take the
38:06longest so that I'm leaving that to last Kaylee is also hoping to do justice to her granddad's
38:12growing prowess so this will be a bright orange just trying to pick out all those crinkles in the
38:20pumpkin I've always loved drawing if they look like them that's the main thing so I'm doing the
38:26slip trailing which is quite an essential part of my design there is a cue okay I am channeling what
38:36my mum would like I do hand on my daughter's hands do have to have a steady hand well it was whole and
38:49now it's not disappointing sup no point crying over spilt milk well it's spilt puzzle jug here spilling
39:02will be the problem absolutely c'est la vie potters half an hour left you have half an hour left so this
39:13is a high temperature wire so this should be able to withstand the firing temperatures and then just
39:19hold the handle in place while the other glaze sticks it together but as a puzzle jug it's
39:23unlikely to function right fill me holes as the puzzle jug is for domestic use I think I have to
39:31start thinking about fucking else the potters must cover the whole thing in a transparent glaze but
39:37they'll need to be extra careful it's really important you don't block the holes because this
39:41is this is the method for drinking so if they fill with the transparent glaze when you dip the whole
39:46thing in the glaze and they get blocked up then the whole plumbing of it just stops working if I
39:52get glaze in my holes then puzzle jugs over on it I'm doing my best to try and bung it but if needs must
40:01that's it oh thank jeebus okay right have a bunged everything one two three four please work let's get this glaze up the transparent glaze will seal the porous surface making it food safe and easy to clean why am I shaking it's like I've never glazed in my entire life before this is one of my proudest moments ever I'm like five minutes
40:29early for something I'm so proud of you I knew you could do this just need to neaten things up unplug wipe
40:35the little drips out and hope that everything's fine one two three and four bungs off potter's final minute
40:48go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go go
41:18Well done, everyone.
41:22Here we go.
41:24The puzzle jugs will now be glass-fired to 1,120 degrees.
41:30Hi, Mark.
41:31The next time the potters will see them
41:33is when they're unveiled in front of the judges.
41:36Yeah, that was rubbish, wasn't it?
41:38Hey?
41:39I've got fingers crossed that the effort I've put into the decoration
41:42would just be the get-out-of-jail card.
41:44Yeah, it was fun. I enjoyed that.
41:46It was just nice to kind of just sit and paint for three hours.
41:51They can look great, but if they don't function,
41:53then that's another problem.
41:59It's time to judge the puzzle jugs.
42:03Hidden beneath the Hessian,
42:05they have undergone their final firing
42:07and there's nothing the potters can do
42:10but wait until they're revealed in front of the judges.
42:13Welcome back, potters.
42:17Now, judges, shall we solve these puzzles once and for all?
42:21Yeah, absolutely.
42:21Off we go.
42:23Hello.
42:23Hello there, lovey.
42:25You ready?
42:26Absolutely, yeah.
42:28Ooh.
42:29I like it.
42:30Dear Umi, I have seven spouts and another true.
42:42A puzzle from your youngest just for you.
42:45Aw.
42:45Does that make you feel proud?
42:47Very.
42:49Should do.
42:50It's fantastic.
42:53Thanks.
42:53Yeah.
42:54Well done, mate.
42:54You're sort of very minimal with the colours that you use,
43:05but this really, really works.
43:08You've even decorated the base.
43:10These are henna patterns I do on my daughter's hands.
43:13It's wonderful.
43:14All of the sprigs have worked really, really well.
43:17Well, let's see if it works, shall we?
43:18We're not sucking because there might be some debris in there
43:22from the rope and the firing, so we're blowing.
43:27Yay.
43:28Easy.
43:29That's the sound you want.
43:30That's a really strong gurgle.
43:31Yeah.
43:32Nice.
43:32Well done.
43:34Brilliant.
43:36Hello.
43:37Hey, Kayleigh.
43:38Are you ready to see your puzzle job?
43:40Yeah.
43:42Oh!
43:43It was a squeal of delight.
43:44What impresses me most is the subtlety with the decoration.
43:55It's fantastic, Lovie.
43:56The snakes really, really work with this painterly wash.
44:00It really accentuates all that surface design.
44:03You've put dots all the way round and highlighted that cut surface.
44:07The way you've fashioned these little kind of pumpkins,
44:09there's just beauty in every layer.
44:14Yay!
44:16It worked!
44:17And, yeah, there's no leaks.
44:19Lovely.
44:20Yes.
44:20Fabulous.
44:21Hi, Lovie.
44:22Right, you ready?
44:24Yeah.
44:26Ooh.
44:33The cows are just amazing.
44:35They're so wonderfully characterful.
44:37The brown is a little bit patchy,
44:39but the quality of the illustrations,
44:41they've got so much character.
44:43Should we see if it works?
44:44Yeah.
44:44Yeah.
44:45Yes.
44:47Oh, it's leaking.
44:48Is it?
44:49Yeah.
44:50From the hull?
44:51The bottom.
44:51Oh.
44:52From the bottom.
44:53Quick, quick, quick, quick.
44:55Yay!
44:55Ooh.
44:57That's working.
44:57Yeah.
44:58Yeah.
44:58But leaking.
44:59Aw.
45:08This rope effect here works really well,
45:10along with the ship's wheel.
45:11There's a lot of piercing going on.
45:14Yeah.
45:14I mean, you've barely left any clay.
45:16I like the fact that you've tried this low relief.
45:18I just wonder whether it needs something in this gap
45:20to bring it together.
45:21Yeah.
45:22This is slightly disjointed,
45:23and we've seen that from you before.
45:25But, I mean, overall, Whitney,
45:26very tidy build.
45:30Wow.
45:31Perfect.
45:31No, that works.
45:32Works, yeah.
45:33Uh-huh.
45:33Excellent.
45:34Amazing.
45:34Well done.
45:41It's wonderful.
45:42It looks and feels like a real snake.
45:44Isn't it amazing how a clear glaze
45:46can really bring out all that sort of lovely texture
45:49and also the colours?
45:51And I love the different angles of the spouts.
45:53I mean, your decoration is just extraordinary.
45:56The quality of the writing is beautiful.
45:59You've got a crack through the handle.
46:01Aside from that, it's flawless.
46:03Let's fill her up.
46:06That should do it.
46:09Yeah, so...
46:10Yeah.
46:11So it's not working because the air is coming out of the handle.
46:15When I put my hand over it, the air makes its way through.
46:17It's a shame.
46:18It's a shame about that.
46:27I love the way that you've used the bees.
46:30They work really well.
46:31It's a very, very lovely design.
46:32I particularly like the stylised poppies.
46:35When you look close up, you can still see the three cracks,
46:39but you've done well to kind of patch them up.
46:43I can hear a bit of air coming out from that crack,
46:47but not so much that it's stopped it functioning.
46:49Three cracks in your handle, and you've managed to pull it off.
46:52Who knew?
46:53It's a miracle.
46:54It is.
46:54It is.
46:58Oh, okay.
47:00It's in one piece.
47:09Crikey.
47:09Please.
47:10It's absolutely beautiful.
47:12It's fantastic.
47:13You've got a real eye for emulating surface.
47:15It just looks aged and worn and used, and the rope just has such fluidity to it.
47:21Tiny little crack.
47:21A little crack across the top there of the rope.
47:25Okay, let's get the rum in.
47:27Oh, yeah, so it's coming through that crack in the top of the handle.
47:33In the rope.
47:34I think it's where there was a twist.
47:35Oh, that's a shame.
47:36Great observational skills, lovey.
47:38We've seen that from you time and time again, and it's a joy to look at.
47:42It really is.
47:45You ready?
47:45No.
47:46The handle was a bit of a disaster, so...
47:48Okay, okay.
47:49Right, here we go.
47:51Yeah.
47:52You broke it, Keith.
47:53Yeah.
48:02Obviously, the glaring problem is it doesn't have that handle.
48:05Bit of nycron.
48:06Was that to try and hold it in place?
48:07Try and hold it into one piece, yeah.
48:09These went to 1,100, I guess.
48:11It must have just moved enough that the weight of the handle pulled it away.
48:15So we know it's not going to work as a puzzle jug,
48:17but there are some really, really lovely elements.
48:20The quality of your coiling is incredible.
48:24I'd sort of envisaged a bit more piercing,
48:26a bit more areas you could sort of see through.
48:28The oxide's really...
48:29Woo-hoo, works really, really, finally.
48:31Yeah, it works really.
48:32The quality of your making, he says with a broken handle,
48:36on the whole is just absolutely amazing.
48:38It's just such a shame.
48:39I really feel for you, Mark, because, you know, there's a lot of work in that.
48:43I mean, obviously, we're not going to put any water in it.
48:46Yeah.
48:47What a pity.
48:47It's brilliant, lovey.
48:57I don't...
48:58It's fantastic.
49:00It's absolutely wonderful.
49:01The illustrations are incredible.
49:03The lettering, the text is great.
49:05I mean, your abilities to illustrate are just off the scale.
49:10I mean, they are beautiful.
49:12You've got no obvious cracks on the handle.
49:15I mean, yeah, really, really well done.
49:17You should be really pleased.
49:24That's a good one.
49:25Yeah.
49:26Gurgle, gurgle.
49:27Great.
49:28Well done.
49:29Thank you very much.
49:32Hello, Andrew.
49:33Oh, yeah.
49:36Yeah, happy with that.
49:43I mean, this is amazing.
49:45The pierce work is really, really nice.
49:47Got the colour grade just right.
49:48Yeah, the colour's lovely.
49:50It feels like a warm harvest evening, crossed with a lovely honey glaze.
49:54It looks a little like you might have run out of space.
49:58That was the hardest thing in the world.
50:00You do have a few cracks on the inside.
50:02That's the only thing.
50:03And on the outside.
50:05We'll have to see what happens.
50:06Is it leaking?
50:07Probably, yeah.
50:08It's a little bit leaking.
50:09Oh, it is.
50:09It's leaking.
50:10Oh, well.
50:11Drink quickly.
50:12So, let's block all the holes.
50:16Well, that works.
50:17Bit of blue tack would be fine.
50:18There we go.
50:20Oh, dear.
50:21It's got a big crack in it.
50:24Given my ranking on the second challenge, I think I am in danger of going home.
50:27I mean, it doesn't function.
50:28It really doesn't hold water.
50:31I'm really glad the judges liked it.
50:33I'm really glad that everything was in one piece.
50:36A shame that not everything is aligned for everyone.
50:40Disappointing.
50:41I want to stay another week, but the fact that the handle was just not attached,
50:45that's not done me any favours.
50:47But we'll have to wait and see.
50:51Puzzle Jogs.
50:55Yeah.
50:55They've created something so beautiful.
50:59What a marvellous challenge.
51:00Who do you think is in line for Potter of the Week?
51:04Navid is up there.
51:05How lovely was that?
51:07It was great.
51:07The overall quality of the make was good.
51:09The coiling was nice.
51:10It was a lovely weight.
51:12And despite it looking simple, there are layers of meaning.
51:15And he came third in the second challenge.
51:17And Harrod's piece.
51:18Absolutely wonderful.
51:20She's just got such an incredible sense of style that she kind of manages to translate.
51:25All that onto a pot.
51:26Yeah.
51:27Yeah.
51:27Like the characters, the faces of her family was well built as well.
51:32And it worked.
51:32It worked.
51:33And let's not forget, some worked and some didn't.
51:36So the Potters that didn't make a puzzle jug that is functional, are they in danger of leaving?
51:41Well, I suppose they have to be, yeah.
51:43And who would they be?
51:44One would have to be Mark.
51:46Elham.
51:48Emily.
51:49Andrew.
51:51And Finn.
51:52Right.
51:52I don't know how you choose between those five.
51:54Finn is probably safe because he came first in the second challenge.
51:58I mean, Elham had a crack in her handle, but when we held it, it kind of worked again.
52:03Yeah.
52:03I love the snakes.
52:05The multi-headed snakes.
52:06The red in the mouth.
52:07Yeah.
52:08Completely.
52:08Really popped, didn't it?
52:09Yeah.
52:09Yeah, it really worked.
52:10Andrew had that spiral crack in the base.
52:12But from there up, it was fantastic.
52:16My heart is broken for Mark.
52:18I know.
52:19He gets so close each week.
52:21And then one thing goes.
52:23Yeah.
52:24Handle.
52:24The handle.
52:25The form was perfect.
52:27It was the only jug in the room that we couldn't put any water in.
52:31Emily, she had a very big crack in the base, which did let the water through.
52:36Yeah.
52:36There are real flashes of brilliance with her.
52:39Well, you both look very puzzled, so I'll leave you to it.
52:43LAUGHTER
52:44Well done, Potters, on another marvellous week.
52:58Your puzzle jugs were absolutely wonderful.
53:01You made life very difficult for our two judges, so for that I thank you.
53:06Right.
53:07First, the good news.
53:08This week's Potter of the Week is...
53:11Anne Harrod.
53:17APPLAUSE
53:17Well done.
53:20Nice.
53:21Aw, thank you.
53:22Well done.
53:23And unfortunately for every person who wins Potter of the Week, well done.
53:27There unfortunately has to be somebody who leaves the pottery.
53:30So this week, the person leaving the pottery is...
53:35Mark.
53:40Yeah, I knew.
53:43OK.
53:44No worries.
53:45It's done.
53:48Unfortunately for me, the handle was my, you know, my downfall, really.
53:52I do feel I've gone home a little bit too early, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
53:57I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
53:59You do make friendships, and hopefully they last a long time.
54:03LAUGHTER
54:04Lucky.
54:07Very lucky.
54:08Yeah, I thought I might be going out there in San Fermat.
54:11It's a real wrench, sort of somebody leaving the group like that, and I think the longer
54:14this goes on, the harder that gets.
54:16Would have been really good if you hadn't have broke my jug.
54:18LAUGHTER
54:18As Mark waves goodbye to the pottery, Anne Harrod's puzzle jug takes its place in the
54:26Throwdown Gallery.
54:28Anne Harrod, you know, I just feel so pleased that she's our Potter of the Week.
54:33Her puzzle jug was absolutely extraordinary.
54:38It worked, it was beautiful, it was everything that we asked for.
54:43She absolutely excelled this week.
54:46My brain is, like, going crazy right now.
54:49It's like this sadness and happiness kind of swinging between the two.
54:54I just can't believe that's happened.
54:55Next time...
54:57Rawr!
54:58..the Potters create parent and child animal sculptures.
55:01What could go wrong?
55:02Before a baptism of fire, release the flames!
55:07Facing one of the most volatile processes in ceramics.
55:11Waku, waku!
55:13Who will be hot stuff?
55:15It's fantastic, love it.
55:16And whose hopes of staying on will go up in flames?
55:20Ooh, that didn't sound very nice.
55:32It's fantastic.
55:47Mo selected?
55:48Huh?
55:48Yeah.
55:49What?!
55:50It doesn't sound very nice.
55:51Are you?
55:51You
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