Great Pottery Throw Down 7x7
meet the contestants
Andrew
Age: 67
Location: London
Job: actor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_macbean_ceramics
Andrew got his first taste of pottery as a child, but only rediscovered his passion for ceramics three years ago. He starts each day by eating porridge in a handmade bowl and loves choosing bespoke items when hosting his friends for dinner. Andrew is an actor and freelance executive coach. He was born in Swansea, but moved to London 40 years ago for his corporate career. At 44, he decided to pursue his dream of becoming an actor and retrained at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School. He's since appeared in TV and film and performed in the theatre.
Cadi
Age: 50
Location: Brighton
Job: record label admin assistant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cadi_f
Before settling in Brighton with her husband, two sons and pet tortoise, Cadi previously lived in France, Germany and the US. Tired of prioritising work that pays the bills, Cadi picked up pottery again recently as she felt it was finally time for her to prioritise herself. When she’s not busy throwing pots, she spends her time swimming in the sea, hiking up hills or working at her friend’s record label.
Dan
Age: 41
Location: Weymouth
Job: systems engineer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandy_pots
Dan first fell in love with clay when he took an evening pottery class but deepened his passion during a career break in Spain. He now pots in a rented studio space on Weymouth harbour. The biggest fan of his pottery is his mum! Dan moved to Weymouth three years ago as he always wanted to settle down beside the sea.
Daniel
Age: 30
Location: London
Job: data scientist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ceramics.by.dan
Daniel got into pottery as a way to get away from screens. He's passionate about inspiring others from a similar background to pursue their creative interests. His British Chinese identity is important to Daniel and he wants to bring this into his ceramic work.
Dave
Age: 58
Location: Evesham
Job: retired school teacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daveshort.pottery
Dave is a grandfather of two and a self-confessed tinkerer. He recently retired and loves to go canoeing with his wife and their dog, Izzy. Dave's first experience of working with clay took place at school. Forty years later, he bought himself a broken potter’s wheel as a repair job. It brought back such fond memories he now has his own studio in his garden shed.
Donna
Age: 44
Location: Bangor in Northern Ireland
Job: art teacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oto.ni.pottery
After a long time working in England as an art teacher, Donna returned home to Northern Ireland 11 years ago and lives by the sea with her husband and their three children. Donna first tried pottery at 15 and went on to study it at university. When she's not working with clay, Donna's a dab hand at DIY. She recently renovated her house, doing everything from the tiling to fitting the toilet and sink. In the past, Donna's used her sculpting skills to decorate cakes.
Edward
Age: 33
Location: Plymouth
Job: social housing project officer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwardkingceramics_
Edward first tried pottery at a local community centre, but is mainly self-taught through trial and error. He now pots in his conservatory at home, recently making a sink for his new house. This should come in handy for Bathroom Week! Inspired by his grandfather's stories of working in Japan, Edward has always been fascinated by the Japanese culture. He studied Japanese at university and went to live there as part of his course.
Jan
Age: 61
Location: Llanelli
Job: animal sciences lecturer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planetjanetceramics
Jan, an animal sciences lecturer for 25 years, has a real passion for wildlife and conservation. In her spare time, Jan enjoys potting in her garden shed. When recovering from breast cancer in 2014, she decided to finally address her bucket list, which included both pottery and belly dancing. She's also a keen stitcher and makes all of her own belly dancing outfits.
Princess
Age: 24
Location: London
Job: studio technician
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/princess_fingall
Princess was born in French Guyana and is bilingual. She attended school in France before moving to London with her family. Princess found clay after a short career as a pastry chef. Now happily working as a studio technician, Princess hasn’t looked back and enjoys throwing functional items.
Shani
Age: 38
Location: Bristol
Job: small business owner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanikadedunuyeomans
Shani came to the UK seventeen years ago and now lives in Bristol with her husband and their four young sons. In between taking her boys to all their clubs and activities, she finds time to run a small business refurbishing pottery equipment. She used to make pinch pots from naturally harvested clay as a child in Sri Lanka. But it was seven years ago, after watching her children play with mud, that her interest in pottery was rekindled.
Sophie
Age: 24
Location: Warwickshire
Job: design crafts graduate
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophie.wootton.design
Sophie creates pet portraits and brings all aspects of her art into her pottery. She is hoping to turn her dad’s shed into a studio, with her own wheel and kiln. Sophie grew up in a small village and still lives close to her extended family. She loves photography and using her skills to capture family gatherings.
Steven
Age: 33
Location: Oxfordshire
Job: art and design teacher
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steb_pots
Newly married Steven grew up in Oxfordshire and after some time away studying Fine Art in London and travelling in Vietnam, he returned to teach Art & Design at a Further Education College. He enjoys playing ice and roller hockey when he can, and is also in a punk band where he was described as ‘the politest punk’ ever. Steven first tried pottery on a Greek holiday six years ago. His favourite person to pot with is his three-year-old daughter.
7x7: Illuminating Light Sculptures
It's an illuminating week as the potters take on lighting sculptures and a surprise challenge. Who'll be beaming with joy and whose time in the spotlight has come to an end?
main challenge: porcelain & black clay modern abstract light sculpture
who made what: [Spoiler (click to open)]
https://instagram.com/p/C3gL3b4hqmA
Dan - night kayaking with porcelain waves
Dave - interlocking porcelain bowls to represent the iris of the eye
Donna - black depression, layers of responsibility, porcelain cylinders of positivity
Jan - malignant cancer cell, porcelain wave representing her love of dance & pottery, cloud of love
Sophie - black clay anxiety, porcelain wave
Steven - baby vase nestled in a mother vase, draped with a porcelain bedsheet
https://instagram.com/p/C3gLPSeLFhl
throw down with special guest judge Ashraf Hanna
rankings: [Spoiler (click to open)]
1 - Dan
2 - Donna
3 - Sophie
4 - Dave
5 - Steven
6 - Jan
potter of the week: [Spoiler (click to open)] Donna
eliminated: [Spoiler (click to open)] Sophie
1 2
Poll