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00:03Hello there. It's the semi-final and our four remaining potters are making wall fountains.
00:11Like me.
00:12Problems with the fluxing point of that clay body.
00:15Well, if it doesn't vitrify, then, you know, oh, look at this, Rich.
00:18What a wonderful fountain. Looks baroque, I reckon.
00:21It's lovely. Such innocent cherub-like features.
00:26Welcome to the Great Pottery Throwdown.
00:29Hi, lads.
00:30Yeah, it's me. I'm the wall fountain.
00:32Lol.
00:36Last time.
00:37The potters not only sculpted spectacular self-portraits...
00:41Never drawn myself, never sculpted myself.
00:44..but also the kilns to cook them in.
00:46Bring on the fire!
00:48That's it, you got it.
00:49And while Anne Harrod's phenomenal form...
00:52That is fantastic!
00:54..secured her second potter of the week...
00:57It was double disappointment...
00:59Oops.
00:59..as Kayleigh and Naveed...
01:02..became the latest potters to leave the competition.
01:05Gonna miss you crazy bunch.
01:07Now, just four remain.
01:23We're all in the room to make it.
01:26Such a start of the fire.
01:29It's down through the wire.
01:32Oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:33Oh, oh, oh, oh.
01:38Birds flying high, you know how I feel...
01:41Our four remaining potters are back.
01:43Are we ready for this?
01:45Two challenges now stand between them and a place in the final.
01:50In the semi-final, baby!
01:53I'm excited for today.
01:55New day, new challenge.
01:57And I'm feeling...
01:59But today, they face a build on a scale much bigger than any they've faced to date.
02:05This is, like, a massive thing that we have to make, and I'm terrified.
02:08There's so many things that could go wrong, so I'm not thinking to the final.
02:11One day at a time.
02:12Just to get one part of the week would be absolutely lovely.
02:15You know, I'll do my best, and that's all I've done for the last eight weeks.
02:19But you never know, because the pottery can be a cruel mistress.
02:22Oh, my God, I've got sand in my eye.
02:24I still can't actually believe that I've managed to get into the semi-final.
02:28It would be amazing to make the final now.
02:30I think the cogs are finally, like, all clicking into place that it is achievable.
02:33I just need to knuckle down and get on with it.
02:36There's football play
02:39That I'm feeling good
02:47Welcome back, Potters, and welcome to the semi-final.
02:51Congratulations.
02:51Congratulations. Well, well done. I hope you're all very proud of yourselves.
02:55For your main make challenge this week, the judges would like you to hand-build a wall-mounted water fountain
03:01with an incised decorative panel.
03:04Any advice for our Potters? Keith?
03:06This is the largest and the most complex build that you've done so far, so a clever design and considered
03:13planning is really, really crucial here.
03:16Wow, no pressure. Rich?
03:18Well, we'd like you to be inspired by the Trevi Fountain, Rome's stunning Baroque masterpiece.
03:23Think grand and impressive.
03:26Oh. How long did it take to build the Trevi Fountain?
03:29About 30 years, I think.
03:31Great. Potters, you have 30 years.
03:33Oh, sorry. You have seven hours to make and refine your wall-mounted water fountain.
03:42And your time starts now. Potters get potting.
03:46Ooh. Good luck, guys.
03:48Good luck.
03:49As the Potters are being asked to channel the majesty of the Trevi Fountain, this stands to be their biggest
03:55and most elaborate build to date.
03:58And while their fountains will be a fraction of the size, they still need to produce vast slabs on an
04:04industrial scale.
04:05Right now, the most difficult part is getting a slab big enough to make the back piece, let alone the
04:11actual basin.
04:12Just handling this size of clay is more than enough.
04:14But when you start handling slabs this sort of size, you get to the point where it's just too big
04:18to handle.
04:19Oh, my God. That is so heavy.
04:21There's so many bits. I'm just like, do you know? You're just mentally like, wow, I'm scattered.
04:27I do have a list, but I've not looked at it.
04:32The semi-final, Rich. We're finally here.
04:35We have our four Potters all making one of these.
04:39It's an engineering build, it's an aesthetic build, and it's a big build as well.
04:43Yeah, and we both know from previous experience that water doesn't always work as you expect it to.
04:49You know, they really need to think about how that water is going to leave that back panel and how
04:54it then ends up in their bowl.
04:55I mean, this is a wonderful example here, because you've got the spout that's kind of concealed, it drips down,
05:01which then in turn then drips down to here, and then finally into the bowl at the bottom.
05:06And for me, one of the biggest risks is a crack in the bowl.
05:10Yeah, so our Potters are going to be making a double-walled bowl.
05:13So they've got one bowl which is underneath, which will contain the water and the pump, and then another bowl
05:18over the top, which the water will fall into and then drain back into the reservoir underneath.
05:22And that's what's going to present a challenge, because that inner bowl is just going to put stress and tension
05:27on the outer bowls.
05:28Absolutely, yeah.
05:29This is for a place in the final.
05:31It would be a real shame for our four Potters to have something that's not fit for purpose.
05:35If it doesn't work, that's it.
05:37It's a no-brainer.
05:38They're off.
05:38Completely.
05:40Hello.
05:41Hi, lovey.
05:42Hey, I'm harrid.
05:43All right.
05:44Yeah.
05:44It's scary, isn't it?
05:46Well, tell us about your design.
05:47So, I've called it the Waterbringer, and it's based on deities of fresh water, including fountains and springs.
05:55In Rome, they have four gods of it, but I've gone for a goddess, because obviously I love goddesses.
06:00I think it's quite simple, but there's so much going on in it.
06:02Simple?
06:03I think it's simple.
06:05It doesn't look simple.
06:16It doesn't look simple.
06:17Yeah, I wouldn't go too dark.
06:19No, I know.
06:20You want to celebrate the clay world.
06:22Yeah, because it's quite a light-firing clay body, so it's a good backdrop for any colour, really.
06:27Yeah, I hope it's finished well.
06:28That's my biggest thing, because I just want it to be finished well.
06:31Yeah, great.
06:32Well, look, good luck.
06:33Yeah, fabulous.
06:35Can't wait to see it.
06:36No pressure.
06:37No pressure.
06:39Anne Harrod might be aiming to please the ancient goddess of freshwater fountains.
06:43Hi, lovey.
06:44All right, Bill.
06:44Hello.
06:44But Bill's opted for something a little more salty.
06:47So, my idea's based on Neptune, the god of the sea, and on the basin itself, it's got
06:52to have an octopus.
06:53Oh.
06:54And it's going to have its arms sort of going round the bottom of the base.
06:58OK.
06:58Is it one of the biggest things you've done?
07:00Yeah, I think so.
07:01OK.
07:02And I've never made a double-skinned bowl before, so it's definitely new territory for
07:06me, but we'll see how it goes.
07:08We'll just do it one bit at a time.
07:09Try not to panic.
07:10I'm panicking.
07:11You're all right.
07:11You're all right.
07:12Yeah.
07:13Bill will be hoping to keep the angst at bay by showcasing his sculpting
07:17skills.
07:17Flanked by two mythical Kelpies, his hand-built bust of Neptune will deliver a single stream
07:22of water from his mouth into the bowl below.
07:27That's my foreman.
07:28Are you nervous?
07:29Very.
07:30Are you?
07:30No.
07:31Do you do better work when you're nervous or when you're not nervous?
07:34Er, when I've properly prepared.
07:37I dread to ask, have you properly prepared?
07:41Half and half, half and half.
07:47Potters, that's one hour gone.
07:49Thanks, love.
07:52By far the most complex challenge of the semi-final will be engineering the double-skinned bowl.
07:58It's fine.
07:59I've got my main basin and then that needs to be able to hold my false basin.
08:04It's like a little kind of bowl inside.
08:07So this is the inner bowl, so the water just sort of cascades into this one and then falls
08:12into the bigger basin and then this pump pumps it back up to the mouth so it goes all the
08:16way around.
08:16And with so much clay needed to form the vast outer bowl.
08:20I'm just going to stick a slab on to see how it looks.
08:23The potters are turning to formers to support these massive pots as they dry.
08:28Actually, that's not bad.
08:29This is a crucial bit.
08:31It's going to hold all the water.
08:32I need all the joints to be really nicely sealed.
08:34But while most are choosing to shape as they drape, Finn is doing things differently.
08:41Can I possibly ask you to bring that?
08:42Of course.
08:42There for me.
08:43Awesome.
08:46Cheers.
08:47Oh my gosh.
08:48Wow.
08:48Yeah, I've just made a template.
08:49It's out of roofing felt.
08:51Cut it up with a knife and it's kind of firm enough that I can leave it stuck to this
08:55whilst
08:55it's in the drawing room.
08:56I should get slightly faceted exterior to it.
08:59I'm going to take a guess here.
09:00You've never done this before, have you?
09:02No.
09:03Finn's double-skinned bull will sit below an ornate backplate designed in homage to
09:08one of ancient Roman aristocracy's most prized pets.
09:12Mine's based on eels.
09:14You know, it's the first thing you think of when you think of Rome, isn't it?
09:17Oh, yeah.
09:17The Romans were the first people to start farming fish and they invented fish ponds to
09:22have at their houses and those sort of like really high up used to pierce their dorsal
09:28fins with earrings.
09:57Wow.
10:00Next time.
10:01Next time.
10:02Next time.
10:02That's the attitude I want.
10:03Next time.
10:04Tell me about Debbie.
10:05We became so close over really her just being so kind and then one day I had the two kids
10:12and it was just, you know, when it's just hellish, like day to day, you're just getting through.
10:15And I looked out of my kitchen and I thought, what the bloody hell's going on there?
10:19She brought her lawnmower and her extension and just started cutting my grass.
10:22And then she was like, I thought I'd just cut your grass for you so the kids can go and
10:25play out.
10:26Gosh, where would we be without neighbours?
10:28Well, I'd have grass like that.
10:29Yeah, yeah, for a start, yeah.
10:32Elham will model Debbie as a goddess of abundance holding aloft a basket of fruit from which her water will
10:38flow.
10:38And the water's coming out of the basket at the top here.
10:41Yeah.
10:41It's quite a long way between.
10:42It's quite a long way, but I'm hoping that just sort of fills and cascades and runs down the body
10:46and the tiles.
10:47Tell us about the tiles.
10:49So the tiles, obviously, I love any sort of pattern that has a real structure to it.
10:53So I'm going to incise in the back some really neat tiles.
10:56So you're going to kind of incise the grout lines and then is this all hand decorated on?
11:00I'm going to incise them as well.
11:01Wow, that's a lot of work.
11:04I'm going to be like...
11:05Yeah.
11:06Best of luck with it.
11:06Good luck with it all.
11:08Absolutely, yeah.
11:09Good luck with it.
11:10I've got quite sturdy looking square tiles.
11:14I want to have the curves with it as well.
11:17She's big.
11:18Beautiful.
11:19With the separate sections of their double-skinned bowls complete...
11:22That needs to dry so much.
11:25Ready for a long stint in the drying room...
11:28It just fits.
11:30Attention turns to sculpting the decorative elements that will adorn their ornate back panels.
11:35So these bits are the columns that are going to fit either side of this structure.
11:38These are my basic shapes for my goddess and the vase, which is going to hold the water.
11:45Just made a really quick pinch pot for the head of the eel.
11:49That will be roughly where it sits.
11:50Just using this little cutter to give a sort of tile effect, and then I'm going to carve
11:56deeper into the tiles.
11:58You're in your happy place.
12:00You're sculpting the face of Neptune.
12:02Yes.
12:03It looks like my dad, but he's sort of got a flat nose.
12:06It's like him before he broke his nose 11 times.
12:08He what?
12:09He's broken his nose 11 times.
12:10Tell him to stop it.
12:12Stop doing that.
12:13What's his name?
12:14Nick.
12:15Nick, stop breaking your nose.
12:20Potters, you're halfway through, halfway through.
12:22Okay.
12:23We can do this.
12:24This is a hole for the pump.
12:26It is an essential hole.
12:27It's not a very neat hole at the moment.
12:29While Keith and Rich are expecting elaborately decorated ornamental backplates, it's crucial
12:34the potters consider how the water will flow from their fountains.
12:37We've got to bring the tubing up from the bottom of the bowl.
12:41So this will just be a collar that will allow the tube to come up into the head.
12:45But if they fail to engineer features that can control the water, they'll be at the mercy
12:50of the pump's power.
12:51This is the vase, which is going to hold the water.
12:55I'm just making a little well inside here, so the water's just going to fill up in that
12:59part, and then it's going to spill over the edge of the vase nicely, rather than gush.
13:06Hopefully, the water will fill up the bowl and cascade down.
13:10When water trickles down something, it just looks so much better, doesn't it?
13:14Like.
13:15But while most are focused on flow.
13:17You need to come out.
13:18It's coming out.
13:19Yeah?
13:20I've got to cut this bad boy.
13:23Bill's bracing to build his basin.
13:26This should hold its weight up, fingers crossed.
13:30That's quite key, actually.
13:32But if the clay isn't dry enough, the bowl could collapse under its own weight.
13:37I'm going to sort of offer it up and hold my breath.
13:44Bill?
13:47I saw that on the panics. Is that all right?
13:49Yeah, thank you.
13:51I'm sorry. It's so hard to do.
13:53You okay, Bill?
13:56All good.
13:57I don't know.
14:00Back in the drying room.
14:01The plan is to cry.
14:07Potters, that's two hours left.
14:09You've two hours left.
14:10So the bowl's gone back in the drying room.
14:13I just need to make sure the clay is a bit firmer, because rule one of slab building is
14:16to make sure your slabs are dry enough to hold their wearing weight.
14:19And I did not do that, because I panicked.
14:22I'm really feeling it for Bill.
14:23Yeah, he's used a plastic bucket as a former, and he's wrapped cling film around it.
14:29And the problem with that is that the cling film retains the moisture, so the outside might
14:33become dry, but the inside stays very wet.
14:35And we've seen him trying to take the former away, and the clay started flopping.
14:39That's because it's not dry enough.
14:40And the more you handle that clay and distort that clay when it's not the right consistency,
14:44the harder it is to get it really uniformed.
14:47I'm going to calm down using this, and then go back to the insanity later on.
14:54I need to carve the living daylights out of this, because she's got no hair, she hasn't
15:02got hands, she's got no clothes.
15:05I'm making Debbie's dress, adding these flowy material.
15:10Debbie, don't complain, because that's the best you're going to get.
15:13This is for my carved fish.
15:16So I'm going to incise those out, like little mosaics.
15:19I'm making the pieces for the eel body.
15:22I'm hoping the water will cool in the back of his mouth, and then dribble down onto the
15:27tail.
15:27I've just really fell in love with the sculptures of people in Rome.
15:30You know the bodies, they look so realistic.
15:32That's what I want.
15:33Hiya.
15:34Hiya.
15:34Hi.
15:35So you went to the Trevi Fountain with your husband?
15:37I did, yeah, on my second pregnancy.
15:39It was just like a weekend, but it was just lovely.
15:42I was like kind of heavily pregnant on a scooter.
15:45People were looking at me, I was like, why is everyone looking at me?
15:48When I looked back at the pictures, I thought, no, that does not look safe.
15:54Potters, one hour left.
15:56It's like, what next, what next?
15:58Each bit is like, what do I do next?
16:00With their basins dried to leather hard, the double-skinned bowl build can finally begin.
16:06This was my plan.
16:07Look.
16:09It's stuck inside.
16:12Out.
16:13Think of it as a baby.
16:14Push!
16:15Look at that.
16:17Oh, my God.
16:18There are actually times where you don't push.
16:20Breathe.
16:22Deep breaths.
16:23I just need to get to one point where I...
16:28Princess has come to the rescue.
16:30I'm holding.
16:31It's a workout there.
16:32I feel like I need my knee there.
16:34Oh, my God, the knee's working.
16:36What is it, a boy or a girl?
16:39Oh, she's gorgeous.
16:41She's beautiful.
16:42Just like a mum.
16:44Yeah.
16:46And while some are off to a flying start...
16:48It's up, it's stable.
16:49I just need to add a few coils in just to strengthen those joints.
16:53Others aren't finding it quite so easy.
16:55It's not quite right, but I want to just get it on, get it sealed,
16:59get it made.
17:00Yeah, it's drying.
17:02You can feel it.
17:03OK.
17:03One, two, three.
17:08This is where it all goes to pot.
17:11Like this.
17:14I got it.
17:16I've got it.
17:16It's on.
17:17I think we're holding.
17:18It's all good.
17:20With their formers finally removed,
17:22the potters now face the tricky task of fishing their smaller basins
17:26into the larger ones.
17:27It's just getting it on and making sure it's on properly
17:30because this is, like, a key part.
17:32If this doesn't work, the whole thing doesn't work.
17:34I'm probably leaving this part to the last
17:36because I'm so nervous it's not going to work.
17:38I mean, it's not terrible, actually.
17:39That could have been a hell of a lot worse.
17:40I'm just crazily trying to, like, enjoying all these bits.
17:45Messy of what it'll do.
17:46I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but this has to be.
17:50It does fit.
17:51Just.
17:52We have a mild victory today.
17:54Just needs some work.
17:58Potters!
17:58You have half an hour left.
18:00No!
18:00Putting in the drain holes.
18:02I want to carve into this as well.
18:04I'm just adding fruit to Debbie's basket.
18:07Wonky fruit is the thing now, isn't it?
18:09I haven't got time to make the octopus,
18:11so I'm just adding some sprigs on the inside.
18:14It looks like a little rock pool.
18:16I'm just adding some little scales onto the eel.
18:21I'm just trying to use the foil to give, like, a stone effect.
18:25I've adapted a plan again.
18:27I'm just trying to get the kelpies' mane to flow down into the bowl
18:30so you can't see that joint.
18:31Potters, two minutes left.
18:34Everything needs to be in the drying room.
18:36Texture, texture, texture.
18:37Moving it to the last minute.
18:39I don't know if I'm going to get it done.
18:40I'm just going to have to wing in a prayer.
18:45Heavy?
18:46There was a choice word in there.
18:49Ten seconds.
18:50Eight.
18:51Seven.
18:52Oh, my God, that's beautiful.
18:54Five.
18:54Yours is beautiful.
18:55Three.
18:56Two.
18:58One.
18:59Wow, well done.
19:00Well done.
19:01Gosh, that was intense, wasn't it?
19:04This is good.
19:07That wasn't hard.
19:09No, that was exhausting.
19:12Week on week, you kind of just think,
19:14oh, it's only a little bit more work.
19:15But that, that was insane.
19:18It's not just making things,
19:20it's making things that fit and function and don't crack
19:22and then look pretty, but it's done.
19:25What I'd like to happen in the kiln is no cracks.
19:28I would love it if there's no warping,
19:30but I'm going to say this,
19:31I'll be very surprised if I don't have any cracks.
19:40No, no wheel.
19:42After a colossal main make,
19:44the Potters now face a mystery challenge.
19:46I'll go off his clock face.
19:47Designed to crack the tension of a gruelling semi-final.
19:50Let's be on, party on.
19:55Welcome back, Potters, for your second challenge.
19:59And this week, well, the knees aren't out,
20:01so it must be a spot test.
20:05And we have a very special judge joining us this week.
20:07Please give a very warm Pottery welcome
20:09to ceramic artist Cleo Mussi.
20:12Come on out.
20:14Hey.
20:15Hello, Potters.
20:16Hello.
20:17Thanks so much for joining us.
20:19You're welcome.
20:19I'm delighted to be here.
20:21Right.
20:21Let's see what you will be making.
20:25Wow.
20:28They're lovely.
20:30Cleo Mussi is a ceramicist specialising in figurative mosaics
20:34crafted from recycled tableware.
20:37Drawing on folk traditions,
20:39she creates contemporary decorative pieces using discarded china,
20:43much of it reclaimed from house clearances.
20:48So we've got a fantastic challenge for you today
20:51to make a fruit-inspired mosaic tile.
20:56Wow.
20:58This is my design.
20:59I try to create a lot of contrast.
21:02You don't necessarily want colours or shapes that are too similar.
21:05On your bench, you will find plain floor tile
21:09onto which you can sketch your design out.
21:12That's the circle for the lemon.
21:15Another one for the lime.
21:18And then once you've roughed out your design,
21:20you're going to be cutting.
21:21Put your nippers just a few millimetres over the edge
21:25and then you begin to cut.
21:28You're assessing the whole time
21:30what the china can be used for,
21:32what colour you want to use,
21:34how you're going to use it,
21:36how you're going to cut it.
21:37Take a small amount of adhesive on each shard,
21:41scoop it up and then stick it on.
21:45In the true tradition, I have a few tiles that I made earlier
21:49and you can see the progression.
21:50This being the last stage before grouting.
21:54So nice.
21:56Our potters aren't actually grouting this though, are they?
21:58No.
21:59Because of the time restraints,
22:00there won't be time to cement it.
22:02Fantastic.
22:03What would be the things that you're looking for from our potters?
22:07Individual flare, use of colour and attention to detail.
22:11It would be really lovely to see your personality come through.
22:14Fantastic.
22:14Thank you so much.
22:16Now this is going to be judged blind,
22:18so you know what that means.
22:19Get out of here.
22:20Have fun.
22:21Enjoying you.
22:22Have a smashing time.
22:23Ah, very good.
22:24All right then.
22:25Back to your benches.
22:26You have been given a very generous hour and a half
22:32to make your mosaic tile based on a fruit design.
22:37And your time starts now.
22:39Remove the hessian.
22:40Whee!
22:41Ooh.
22:42The potters have each been given a range of fruit and photographs
22:45to use as inspiration.
22:47Isn't this fun?
22:49I don't know how it's going to go, but it's fun.
22:52Along with an identical selection of thrown away plates
22:55to create their mosaic.
22:57I've never done anything like this before.
22:59It's alien.
23:00I think I might struggle with this.
23:01So I've stacked up a couple of kiwi fruits.
23:03I haven't eaten them for years,
23:05and then I bought some the other day
23:07and I'd forgotten how nice they were.
23:08So, kiwi fruit it is.
23:12I'm looking at doing the kiwi and strawberry and the lemons.
23:17There's a strawberry here and this is the lemon here.
23:20Tell me what fruit you're doing.
23:21I'm doing a tomato.
23:22Great.
23:23Have we given you a tomato?
23:24No, you haven't given me a tomato.
23:25What's in here?
23:26Grapefruit, dragon fruit, lime, lemons and a strawberry.
23:30And what are you doing?
23:31Tomato.
23:31Great.
23:32I'm setting myself up.
23:33I know.
23:34I know.
23:36I want to make a pomegranate.
23:38In Iranian culture, it's used in a lot of food.
23:41We just sit and get like a crate of pomegranates.
23:43I go through them all like popcorn.
23:46So I'm just trying to get all my colours ready
23:47and then just kind of fill in as I go along.
23:50These are really nice plates.
23:52They're beautiful, aren't they?
23:53Whatever you don't use, I'll take, okay?
23:55Keep your mitts off.
23:56I need that one.
23:59Enjoy.
24:00I will.
24:01I'm very nervous about this challenge.
24:03I just want to like do a good job for Cleo.
24:06I've got some of these seeds.
24:08Then I've also got this colour, which is nice.
24:11That's like an orangey, red-y, yellow tomato.
24:15This is going to look so abstract.
24:17She's going to be like, what even is this?
24:20This is a challenge right up your street, I think.
24:23I'm loving it.
24:24That was my favourite bit.
24:25Smashing things and being allowed to.
24:28Great.
24:29This is so therapeutic.
24:31What's that?
24:33Oh.
24:34Potters, you're halfway through.
24:36Halfway through, Potters.
24:38I do need to start getting some tiles down now.
24:42There's no time to dilly-dally around.
24:44It'll be what it will be.
24:45I'm just trying to mix sort of big ones with small ones.
24:48I've only got one piece of black pottery,
24:51so I'm just trying to make the most of that
24:53and then fill it with these bits of green around it.
24:56I'm just using what I think I can remember
24:59a tomato looks like on the inside.
25:01This might look absolutely terrible.
25:03How are you getting on?
25:05Yeah, okay.
25:06I've never done anything like this before,
25:07so this is completely new territory.
25:09I'm just sticking and licking and sticking now.
25:11Licking stick, baby, licking stick.
25:13These tiles have done good for me
25:14because the flower pattern has, like,
25:16lighter and darker bits of red,
25:18which a pomegranate seed has as well.
25:19Once I've got all the little bits on the pomegranate,
25:22I'm going to try and do bigger pieces
25:24to fill out the background.
25:26Still working on the green.
25:27There will be some yellow at some point.
25:29I'm just going for let's get it done.
25:33Potters, you've half an hour left.
25:35Half an hour left.
25:37I think I'm really smashing it.
25:39Like, I'm doing a great job here.
25:41Can't let Cleo down.
25:42Come on, girl.
25:43I'm just going to try and get all my inside part filled.
25:46Why do I think this is a good idea?
25:49The yellow's going to be for the lemon.
25:51If I can get this done in time, I'll be very surprised.
25:54I'm just going to do bands of blues, I think, behind this.
25:57I want to try and get these little birds in here somewhere
25:59because I think they look really nice.
26:02Potters, you've ten minutes left.
26:05The shapes have gone totally and utterly out of the window.
26:09It's going to be quite neat, but accuracy is not my forte.
26:12Just using the next ten minutes to fill in the background.
26:17I think it's really lovely that a lot of these pieces
26:19that are going to have had some sort of past life
26:21are getting to be reused, sort of recycling and reusing pieces.
26:26How's my tomato queen?
26:28Oh, God, it felt like a really good idea.
26:31It's still a good idea.
26:32It just looks a bit messy.
26:33It's fine.
26:34Yeah?
26:35No?
26:35I'm just putting a little homage to one of the plates I've used.
26:40It's the back stamp of one of the plates I've just destroyed.
26:43Potters, final two minutes.
26:45Get those tiles stuck.
26:47I'm literally shaking.
26:49I've got these little bits left to do,
26:50so we'll see what I can fit in in the last two minutes.
26:53I'm really happy with the overall colour.
26:55Pink.
26:56I'm really happy with these going through it.
26:58Probably the most important thing is that your fruit is recognisable.
27:01It would be really awkward if she was like,
27:03yeah, what's that?
27:03I'm literally a mess right now,
27:05because I'm like, there's not enough time.
27:07It's clean-ish.
27:08It's not going to be the cleanest of things,
27:10but it's clean enough for me.
27:13Five, four, three, two, one.
27:17Down tools, step away from your tiles.
27:20Well done.
27:20Release some demons there.
27:25Cleo will now judge the potter's fruit-inspired mosaic tiles.
27:30Hello.
27:31They are amazing.
27:33Aren't they?
27:34She'll be looking for striking compositions,
27:37an interesting colour palette and clean, precise application.
27:43Well, that's a really lovely, bold piece.
27:46Is it a pomegranate?
27:47Oh, it's a tomato.
27:48It actually is a tomato.
27:50It is.
27:51Fantastic.
27:51Nice choice of contrasts of green and reds.
27:54I'd say the edges are a bit rough, not so considered,
27:59but I like the details in the centre.
28:02Great.
28:03Very good.
28:03And on to this one.
28:05Completely different.
28:06Nice, bold use of colour.
28:08Quite like the nod to the back stamp in the middle as well.
28:11And the back stamp in the middle.
28:12All the pieces have energy about them,
28:15but maybe not as controlled in the cutting.
28:18OK, moving on.
28:20Great colour palette.
28:21I like the way it's moved into the corners.
28:24Big pops of colour, little detail with the birds.
28:27Even the variety of green is lovely within the kiwi.
28:30Yeah.
28:31It is.
28:31Fantastic.
28:32Yeah.
28:33OK.
28:34Wow, this is really detailed, isn't it?
28:36There is.
28:36A lot of pieces here, a lot of small pieces.
28:39Great use of segmenting the composition into different areas
28:43with the two distinct fruits.
28:45Yeah.
28:45And then this area here.
28:47I love the vein of the leaf there.
28:48Yeah, it's quite incredible, isn't it?
28:50Yeah.
28:50So, well done.
28:51Beautiful colours.
28:52Excellent.
28:53Clea will now rank the potters from worst to first.
28:57In fourth place is this one.
29:01I love the boldness.
29:03It just doesn't feel quite complete as a design.
29:07In third place, we have this one.
29:11The tomato.
29:13Yeah.
29:13Although you didn't really manage to complete the edge
29:16and it is quite rough, there's an energy which I like.
29:20In second place, we have this one.
29:27I love the colour.
29:28I love the detail.
29:29But as a complete design that didn't quite do it for me.
29:33Which means, in first place, is this one.
29:39There's a sophistication in this tile that you've achieved
29:43in a very short amount of time.
29:45So, well done.
29:46Well done, Elham.
29:48You're the mistress of the mosaics.
29:51I'll take that.
29:52Yeah.
29:52Well done.
29:54Thank you so much.
29:55Thanks.
29:58Oh!
29:59Winner, winner.
29:59Chicken dinner.
30:00I'm really not used to doing all right in the second challenge.
30:04It's only took me nine weeks.
30:06Getting my love.
30:08I'm really happy to come second.
30:09I really enjoyed that.
30:10I mean, I've got blisters, but it was fun.
30:12I think coming fourth does make me a little bit concerned
30:15about the main make.
30:16There's very little room to hide.
30:18Obviously, getting to the final would be lovely.
30:21A panel and a basin.
30:22That's all I want.
30:24Intact.
30:25That would be lovely.
30:34It's day two in the pottery, and the potter's fountains have been bisque-fired and are
30:39ready for decoration.
30:40Oh, it's always fun, isn't it?
30:42Always fun looking under the Hessian.
30:44This is the biggest thing I've ever made, and wondering what we're going into is always
30:49the most nerve-wracking part, isn't it?
30:51I'm pretty sure there's going to be some cracks in that basin.
30:55But if I can fill it with glaze and stick it back together again, I think that's the plan.
31:01I love decorating.
31:02It's my, like, it's my calm time.
31:04I can sit down, take my time.
31:06I'm like, if it doesn't function, at least I can make it pretty.
31:10That's true, isn't it?
31:17Welcome back, potters.
31:18Now, your wall fountains have been bisque-fired and are lying there under the Hessian,
31:24waiting to be decorated.
31:26Judges, any advice at this point?
31:28Now, your pattern or scene should be vibrant, colourful and eye-catching, but it should also
31:33tie in with the overall fountain design.
31:36We'd like your fountains to look like aged stone.
31:39Now, clever use of oxides will create this effect for you, but only with thoughtful and
31:43considered application.
31:44All right then, potters, you have been given a range of oxides and some really lovely glazes,
31:51and four hours to use them.
31:54Your time starts now.
31:56Remove the Hessian.
31:59Oh, my God.
32:01Mmm.
32:04Oh, my God.
32:06And how is everything OK?
32:07Well, I've got a crack at the back.
32:11Oh, a massive crack at the back.
32:14But I'm hoping the goddess of fresh water fountains is holding it all together.
32:21There's a crack on the back of it, but it's OK.
32:24It could have been worse.
32:25It could have been right across the bottom.
32:26But while most are mourning cracks in their pillars, bowls and backplates.
32:30I've got a loose pillar that exactly lays back on.
32:33After a difficult build.
32:34All right, Bill.
32:35Bill couldn't be happier.
32:38So it survived?
32:39It survived.
32:40I can't believe it.
32:41Yeah.
32:41Well, I must confess it was a slightly unorthodox making technique, you know.
32:46So what is your plan with the decoration?
32:47I've got a base layer of oxides and then going with the colours later on.
32:51So you've got your oxides and you're going to go in with some of the glazes.
32:53Yeah.
32:54Are you familiar with these glazes?
32:55Because obviously the oxides will have a bearing on the colour.
32:58In my head, as long as I don't layer them up too much,
33:00because then they start to do that thing where they start to craze and flux
33:03like there's no tomorrow, which might...
33:05Particularly over oxides.
33:07Yeah.
33:07Well, I can't wait to see how the glaze sits over it all.
33:10Yeah, me too.
33:10Yeah.
33:12While the potters have been given the usual array of oxides
33:15to help age their ancient water fountains...
33:17At the moment, I'm putting the black iron oxide wash all over my basin.
33:21Hopefully the oxides can bring out a bit of that aged stone effect.
33:26They've also been given a selection of stoneware glazes
33:29that if used correctly should give their pieces a new dimension
33:32of texture and colour.
33:34So this is midnight blue.
33:36With glazes, they always look grey, no matter what you do.
33:39Especially blue and green.
33:40That's the blue and that's the green.
33:42A lot of these colours will react in different ways with one another.
33:45So I'm hoping by layering them up, I should get some interesting effects.
33:49But these glazes' sensitivity to the oxides and other glazes around them
33:54mean that the more the potters mix, the more unpredictable their results will be.
33:58So any carefully planned colour scheme could be put at risk.
34:03It's incredibly important to layer these glazes because you need at least two to three coats
34:07per glaze for them to properly react with one another.
34:11Bill might be hoping for maximum impact with his ambitious glaze plan for Neptune,
34:16but for her ode to delightful neighbour Debbie, Elham is taking a more subtle approach.
34:21Hi, lovey.
34:22Hello.
34:23How's it all going?
34:24Er, good.
34:25This is looking good.
34:26Yeah, I'm really happy with this.
34:27Right.
34:28I've washed down a little bit of black iron into the cracks and like the crevices.
34:33Isn't it wonderful how you just put a little slight wash on it?
34:36Yeah.
34:36And it just brings up that surface.
34:38I was literally brushing it on and I thought, oh, I didn't realise all that was there.
34:40Actually, that looks quite good.
34:42Yeah.
34:43And then I'm going to go wild on the colour in here.
34:45Oh, excellent.
34:46So the tiles just pop.
34:47Great.
34:48Well, look, good luck with it all.
34:49Hello.
34:49Yeah, see you later.
34:50Thanks.
34:52Potters, you're halfway through, which means you have two hours left.
34:57Two hours, please.
34:58Two hours left.
34:59While the decoration stage is an opportunity for the potters to embellish and enhance the
35:03features of their fountains, the stoneware glazes bring an element of uncertainty.
35:08Well, I'm hoping that you get sort of those sparkly bits like dripping down, but I'm not
35:12actually going to say what I'm hoping for because then however it comes out, I'll say that's
35:16exactly what I'm hoping for.
35:16I know.
35:17You're learning.
35:18You're learning.
35:18You're learning.
35:19As they not only create new colours when combined.
35:21I want it to be slightly greeny-brown, so very like sea colours.
35:26And so I think it's a little bit more blue in there just to sort of vibe it up a
35:29little
35:29bit, so it just gets more oomph.
35:31They will also melt and move in the heat of the kiln.
35:34That glaze will become molten and then it will move.
35:37If I put some little blobs of green glaze around the rim, they will crawl down the side
35:44of this when this is in the kiln.
35:45And while most are happy to embrace the chaos.
35:48Oh, gosh.
35:49That's scary.
35:50Ann Harrod is anxious about her oxide.
35:54I literally had the terrifying thought that I might have put cobalt oxide on instead of black iron.
36:02If it's blue, it's blue.
36:03You've got to go with it.
36:04But it looks like black.
36:05It does look like black.
36:06Yeah.
36:08I'm so confused.
36:10Is that an oxide?
36:12It is an oxide, but I'm pretty sure I might have mistakenly put cobalt oxide instead of black
36:16iron oxide.
36:17On my basin.
36:18Really?
36:18Yeah.
36:19I can't wait to see.
36:20This could be horrific, but it could be beautiful.
36:21Are you keeping her like this?
36:22Kind of.
36:23She's meant to be stony.
36:25Oh, I see.
36:26Okay.
36:26I understand now.
36:27Gosh.
36:29It's a good thing I'm pretty.
36:31Beautiful.
36:32Beautiful.
36:35Potters, you've one hour left.
36:37One hour left.
36:38That is crazy.
36:40Are you sure it's going?
36:41Okay.
36:43There's just so much to bloody glaze.
36:45I am just painting my tiles.
36:48One tile done.
36:5032 to go.
36:54So many layers to go on.
36:57This takes some thought, this decoration, because the colours don't necessarily go on the way they're
37:02going to look when they come out of the kilt.
37:04No, they certainly don't.
37:04They're completely different colours.
37:05You have to really visualise what those glazes are going to look like once they're fired.
37:09I'm just trying to make some turquoises by layering up some of the glazes, using lots
37:14of like blues and greens.
37:16This is a dark green and I'm going in with an even darker colour over the top as well, which
37:20may work.
37:21It may be terrible.
37:22The arrow has got a lot of different colours.
37:25Hopefully when they fire, they'll kind of amalgamate and make a softer tone.
37:30A softer tone.
37:31You don't want to lose all that textural work through your decoration.
37:35Every sort of covered in glaze.
37:37I've got a green, brown, blues.
37:39There is a chance of it crazing or crawling, but it's all about moderation.
37:44I think my main concern is the fact that he's gone in with oxides across the whole surface.
37:50And obviously he's then layering up glazes on top of that.
37:53Now that oxide is going to affect the fundamental colours of the glazes that he's applying over
37:58the top.
37:59He could get a whole different colour range that he wasn't expecting.
38:02I've tried to go for a lighter, softer glaze for the dress so it doesn't like kill the
38:07ripples in it with it being dark and heavy.
38:10What are you going for now?
38:12The black iron.
38:14Ooh, nice.
38:14Black iron.
38:15Why not?
38:15Why not?
38:16Just another oxide.
38:17Yeah, shove it on.
38:17Yeah.
38:18Copper, red iron, black iron.
38:20It's quite a list.
38:22It's just so long as it doesn't all just come out very sludgy.
38:28Potters.
38:29Half an hour left.
38:30Oh, my God.
38:32Half an hour left between you and the final.
38:35This makes me feel very nervous.
38:37Nervous, nervous, nervous.
38:38Getting to the final would be a bonus at the minute.
38:42I just want this to work.
38:43Even if the water doesn't hold for very long and it functions a little bit, I'd be over
38:46the moon.
38:47I'm doing as much as I can today and hope that that's maybe enough to get through because
38:50it would be an amazing opportunity.
38:53What do I need to do to get into the final?
38:57Chuck everyone's things off the edge of the table.
39:00The mosaic pieces, I've only got the two colours, but I've just got to layer them up and maybe
39:05do like an oxide wash over the top.
39:07Where I've got some of these scales, I'm just building up oxides to try and get that kind
39:11of like slimy moss effect.
39:14This is just going to give more of that rustic look.
39:17Oxides are not really something that I dabble with.
39:20One minute, potters.
39:22One minute.
39:23One minute.
39:24Oh, hold on.
39:24Let me just pull something out that I've never used before.
39:27I've done my best and that's all I wanted to do, was do my best today.
39:30I don't want to keep putting this.
39:31This is very strong green, but is it strong enough?
39:35This is so risky, this one, but we're doing it.
39:38I've taken a few risks with it.
39:40Maybe it will pay off.
39:43My God, she's heavy.
39:47All right then, potters.
39:49Time's up.
39:50Cool.
39:52Down tools right now.
39:55Right now, time's up.
39:56It's very serious.
39:57It's the semi-final, I have to be serious.
40:01The potters must now take their fountains to Princess for one final firing.
40:06Hi.
40:07When they next see them, it will be judgement day.
40:11I'm hoping that the glazes sort of just run together and you can sort of see the incised parts.
40:17I hope that detail comes through, that would be a real shame if it doesn't.
40:20I'm nervous because it's got a few layers of that glaze, but I think I've got it just about right.
40:26The basin, colour-wise, I've no idea what that's going to come out looking like, but it's not worth getting
40:30too precious over a decoration technique that you're not used to, so it's kind of just lean into it.
40:35I'd love to make it to the final.
40:37It is within that much grasp, but one little mistake can cost you everything.
40:48It's judgement day and Princess is laying out the fountains.
40:52This will be the first time the potters have seen them since their 24-hour glass firing.
40:59Ninth judgement day.
41:01Woo!
41:02We're nearly at that final.
41:04Oh!
41:04Oh!
41:05Glazes.
41:06Glazes.
41:06I am really excited to see it, a little bit nervous.
41:09I've tried to keep aspects of it quite simple, but then I guess that means that I'm really hoping that
41:13the colours that I have put on there pop.
41:15I'm looking forward to seeing them, but I am sort of a little bit apprehensive about how that glaze comes
41:19out the kiln.
41:20You never know what's going to happen up there.
41:22It's just the thing about pottery.
41:23All right, ready?
41:24Applying all those glazes is a big challenge in itself and a big risk.
41:28Who knows?
41:29It might look like a Jackson Pollock when I go in there.
41:34Oh, God.
41:35Breathe.
41:36OK.
41:37What's it like?
41:40OK.
41:42Ooh!
41:43Oh, I did.
41:44I did use the cobalt.
41:45Wow.
41:45Oh, my God, though.
41:46OK.
41:47Oh, my days.
41:48Oh, but actually, I don't hate it.
41:51Not exactly how I planned, but I don't hate it, so I'm taking that.
41:55Oh, she's got full-on cracks.
41:56Oh!
41:57It was fine, but how?
41:58That wasn't even there before.
42:00It's fine.
42:00They're meant to look old.
42:02I'm genuinely over the moon.
42:04The effect on the pillar, it's probably better than what I wanted.
42:07Could be a lot worse.
42:09The kelpies have come out wonderfully.
42:10I can't fault them.
42:12That's his love with Finn.
42:13Gorgeous.
42:14I'm just amazed it's all actually together in one piece.
42:17Just hope it's enough, really.
42:21The potters must now, for the first time, unite their backplates and bowls.
42:26Tell me where you want to let go.
42:27Oh, God, I don't want you to let go.
42:29That's the thing.
42:29Don't put too much pressure on it.
42:31And while it may have taken 30 years to construct the Trevi Fountain...
42:35I've done it.
42:36You've done it?
42:37Did I just walk away now?
42:38In just seven hours...
42:39Yeah.
42:40...these four were built, and now stand ready for the judgement of Keith and Rich.
42:47Well, Potters, congratulations.
42:50Your fountains look amazing.
42:52Let's start with the judging, shall we?
42:54Yes.
42:54All right.
42:57Hello.
42:58Hey, Finn.
43:05I think, overall, it's just like a really strong composition.
43:08The way you've used the colours and the placement of those colours really draws all of the pieces together.
43:13There's just such a kind of a lovely flow and a lovely energy to the eel, to the sculpture.
43:18I just think it works really, really well.
43:20Yeah, the eel definitely feels as one, as one with the whole structure.
43:24It feels like it's growing out of the back panel.
43:26This is particularly nice, and the glazes have worked really well over that scaling of the eel.
43:32And this is typical of these particular glazes as well.
43:35I love that, yeah.
43:36That kind of lustrous movement that you've got there.
43:39The best bit I like about the whole thing is this.
43:43Yeah.
43:43The jewel.
43:44We've seen that from you, that attention to detail with your surface decoration and your surface textures.
43:49Shall we see if it works?
43:51Yeah.
43:51Yeah.
43:52Can't wait.
43:53There we are.
43:53Hey!
43:54Oh, look at that.
43:55Nice, nice.
43:56Hey!
43:57It's funny, isn't it?
43:58Because the eel almost comes to life now.
44:01Yeah.
44:01Yeah.
44:02It's great the way it works its way around the body and then finds its way into the bowl.
44:06Well done.
44:07Well done, thank you.
44:08Great stuff.
44:09Cheers.
44:16Are you pleased with how it's turned out?
44:18Well, I'm very pleased.
44:20This was not meant to be blue.
44:22I accidentally picked up the cobalt.
44:24Oh dear.
44:25But I'm weirdly happy with how it's turned out.
44:30Yeah.
44:30It's funny because the cobalt, although it was unintended, it works really, really well.
44:35It kind of brings the back panel into the bowl.
44:37Yeah.
44:37It brings the two together and then you've got that cobalt and rutile glaze on the inside.
44:40So that softens the transition between the blue and the inside somehow.
44:45Yeah.
44:45I know.
44:45I mean, that's really worked well, hasn't it?
44:47I particularly like the hair that you've done here.
44:50And the face is really, really lovely, really, really well observed.
44:54What doesn't work so well is the definition between her arm and the vase, the water jug.
45:02Yeah, if you like.
45:03So there's basically like a secret compartment in here which is meant to pool water together, which spills over into
45:09this little dish.
45:10Shall we see if it works?
45:12Shall we?
45:18Oh, here we go.
45:23That's pretty good.
45:25Well done.
45:26What's lovely about it is that you've thought of the water throughout the whole structure and the fact that you've
45:33got this dam in here.
45:34Yeah.
45:34It is really working.
45:35Yeah, and those fluid glazes on the inside just look lovely with water over them.
45:40Well done, well done.
45:51The first thing I notice is the brown.
45:54The brown is fairly strong.
45:57But then the thing that I really, really notice is this, the detail in the fish here.
46:02This is really, really lovely.
46:04And I quite like the copper that you've used here.
46:06That really works.
46:08But that brown is just a bit on the heavy side.
46:11Yeah.
46:11I mean, there's lots of lovely textures.
46:13I mean, this texture on the clay that you've created around the horse is really energetic, really lively, you know,
46:18and you've kind of retained that.
46:20And actually the oxide over the top has worked really well.
46:22I think the thing that kind of, I find a little bit striking is that I wonder whether Neptune is
46:28the colour you kind of intended for him or?
46:30I was hoping for a little bit lighter, but I think the, it's just the amount of colours I put
46:36on, I think, but it's just saturated too much basically.
46:38It's so difficult, isn't it?
46:40Because these glazes are so much about the kind of application thickness and then how they interact together, particularly with
46:46oxides as well, because you're adding them in another colourant.
46:49But I like kind of playful elements, you know, like the kind of octopus in the basin and then the
46:53way you kind of create that swirl down into the basin.
46:56I mean, the basin itself, you kind of sense the battle.
46:59I had a lot of problems with the base.
47:01The irony is that the base isn't, I mean, you've got a couple of cracks, but it's fairly, it looks
47:06fairly well intact.
47:09It'll be interesting to see how the water works with it, really.
47:13Yeah.
47:13Right.
47:15And lovely.
47:17Oh, that's lovely.
47:18It does seem to come to life a bit.
47:20Yeah.
47:21Excellent.
47:22Well done.
47:29The thing that I noticed the most is the overall colour scheme.
47:33It's really soft.
47:35It's a soft palette.
47:36It's that subtlety of that black oxide.
47:39It just accentuates the material itself.
47:43You've definitely hit the nail on the head there with that stone-like look.
47:47Yeah.
47:48It feels aged and worn somehow.
47:50I think the swags are lovely.
47:52Yeah.
47:53The material swags around the bowl are really lovely.
47:55And I just, I can't believe you've got so much incising work in there in that back panel, you know,
48:00just kind of incising all those separate tiles and decorating every individual one, you know.
48:04I did.
48:04I did have, like, moments of regret when I was there, like, real hardly with the tiles.
48:08But we've seen that from you time and time again.
48:11You do this intricate work.
48:13You do this repeating pattern.
48:14It seems to be your thing.
48:16And what I love about it is that throughout the weeks, you've seemed to have surprised yourself.
48:20Yes.
48:20And it's wonderful because, you know, I have to say, you, for me, you've learnt the most out of the
48:27whole process.
48:28And here you are in the semi-final.
48:30No, thank you.
48:30And it's wonderful to see.
48:32It really is.
48:33OK, let's see how it works.
48:39Wow.
48:40It's amazing that it's coming out of the top there so beautifully, like, so evenly.
48:45Cascading down the dress like that, it really does bring that sort of surface to life.
48:51There are so many things here that I didn't even know I could do.
48:54Like, I've come here and almost sort of surprised myself.
48:57Well, that's certainly the impression I get, that we're looking at someone who's discovering themselves through making, which is great,
49:05isn't it, Rich?
49:06Yeah, definitely.
49:07But you should be so proud of yourself because you've unlocked that in yourself.
49:11Yeah.
49:11You've had the ambition and the drive, you know, to do that.
49:14So you should be proud.
49:16Yeah.
49:16Well done.
49:19Honestly, I'm over the moon.
49:21Over the moon.
49:21You know that when Keith cries, he's really feeling that and he can see something and clay isn't just fun
49:27and throwing it around and seeing what comes out.
49:30It is like each step is like a journey and you learn things about the clay and yourself.
49:36So, yeah, it was nice to have that from Keith.
49:40I think in hindsight, yes, I would definitely have done lots of things differently.
49:43Generally, I'm just happy that it's there and I've done it.
49:48Do you know what?
49:48I would absolutely love it if I could get into the final now.
49:51It's this close.
49:53I'd like to be there.
49:55And there's a part of me that thinks I could be there, but I don't know if I'm going to
49:59be there.
49:59And any which way it goes, it's going to be gutting because someone's going to go.
50:04And that sucks massively.
50:13Now, all decisions are important, but what you decide now will decide who will be at the final next week.
50:21Yeah, absolutely.
50:22No pressure.
50:22Yeah.
50:23It is a big responsibility to make the right decision.
50:25Well, let's go through them.
50:26Let's start with Elhan.
50:28Ah.
50:28Look at that.
50:29I love it.
50:30I love her story.
50:31I love the path that she's taken all the way through this process.
50:34Yeah, and I think her fountain was just so beautifully put together.
50:38I mean, all of our potters had cracking issues this week.
50:41But there was just something lovely about the way she'd created the texture of the stone.
50:45She judged the thickness of the oxides perfectly.
50:48And all of that incising on the back panel really popped because everything else was so pared back.
50:53When we think of Elhan's work this week and then compare it to somebody like Finn's work.
50:59For me, what I loved about his design was the application of colour on those lasers.
51:03Yeah, I think the thing that was lovely about Finn's was the overall symmetry.
51:07Yeah.
51:07And that lovely mix of kind of traditional qualities and then something very contemporary.
51:12You know, that backdrop that had all of that incised detail.
51:14It was almost psychedelic, wasn't it?
51:16Yeah, it was.
51:17Let's talk about Bill.
51:18Gosh, he had a tough all week.
51:20Yeah, he did.
51:21There were some elements that worked really beautifully, like the manes of the kelpie.
51:25The mosaic effect of the fish.
51:27The mosaic on the fish.
51:27That looked quite good.
51:28But the face of Neptune just looked a bit dark, a bit overpowering.
51:33There wasn't much subtlety there.
51:35Right.
51:36Finally, Anne Harrod.
51:37I loved the way that she'd incised all that work around those branches.
51:41And the face and the movement of the hair really, really worked.
51:45The vase and the arm, maybe not so much.
51:47But there was one mistake with the cobalt blue.
51:50Yes.
51:51Yes.
51:52And, you know, she did have a crack, but it still functioned really well.
51:55Is she in danger?
51:58Yeah, possibly.
51:58I think so.
51:59Anybody else?
52:00Bill.
52:01Bill.
52:01Bill.
52:01I love a unified judging duo.
52:05Who's in line for being Potter of the Week?
52:08I mean, I think for both of us, it's either going to be Elham or Finn.
52:11And it's a tough decision, you know, deciding on our Potter of the Week going into the final.
52:15So we need to get it right.
52:30Well done, Potters.
52:32What a semi-final.
52:35The judges have made their decision.
52:37This week's Potter of the Week and the first person who will be joining us at the final is...
52:49Elham.
52:59Well done.
53:02And now a really, really difficult decision.
53:06The judges have decided the Potter who is leaving us this week is...
53:14Bill.
53:17I knew that.
53:19Well done.
53:20I'm immensely proud of myself for getting this far.
53:22There is so much I've taken from this.
53:26Really good.
53:27It's been amazing.
53:28It's just my week.
53:29It's my week to go.
53:30And I was looking at the other three and I was thinking they go well as a final group.
53:34And I'm happy to go home.
53:36And just chill out.
53:38Gutted.
53:39Gutted that Bill is not here.
53:41I am so blooming proud of him.
53:43It's been such a pleasure having you.
53:46Well done, Bill.
53:47I might not have won part of the week.
53:50But, you know, I've won some friends.
53:53That's a win in my books.
53:56So as Bill bids farewell to the pottery, Elham's wall-mounted water fountain takes its place in the Throwdown Gallery.
54:04Oh!
54:07Woo!
54:08Elham are a potter of the week and a really fitting one.
54:11She created something that flowed very well and she just got a softness to the overall appearance.
54:17It was really extraordinary.
54:19And then there were three.
54:20We have our finalists at last.
54:23They've all been potter of the week twice.
54:25So it couldn't be more even Stevens.
54:27And that's really quite exciting.
54:29We're in the final.
54:31We're in the final.
54:32Never thought I'd go this far.
54:33Really didn't.
54:35A batch cooked and I didn't cook enough.
54:38Genuinely have not processed any of it at all.
54:41Oh my God. Oh my God.
54:43The fact that I am here is absolutely insane.
54:45One last make, one last second challenge and that's it.
54:49It's been a massive rollercoaster.
54:51My head's already spiral out into ideas and actually trying to figure out what I need to do.
54:57Roll on next week.
55:00Next time.
55:01Now the moment you've all been waiting for.
55:04The final.
55:06Oh my God.
55:07Blows my mind that I'm here now.
55:10It's quite overwhelming.
55:11It's a big deal.
55:12I'm going to give it every single bit of me.
55:17My legs are shaking.
55:19Let an arc.
55:21So much to do.
55:22This year's winner.
55:24It's not going to be an easy one, is it?
55:26Of The Great Pottery Throwdown is...
55:31If you'd like to apply for the next series of The Great Pottery Throwdown, visit channel4.com forward slash take
55:38part.
56:01We will see you next time.
56:05Good luck!
56:09You're unbelievable!
56:10You're so lucky you're good.
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