All language subtitles for The.Great.Pottery.Throw.Down.S04E04

Oh, hello.

A trio of potters have left,

leaving just nine potters remaining
to fix the heat.

It's Raku week

and, in a first
for Throw Down,

it's naked Raku.

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

so shall I.

What?
It's not naked, naked?

[laughs] Welcome to
The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Ta-da.

Rose, get me some trousers.

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

...the potters got fruity...

My actual plums
will be slightly larger.

...sculpting some juicy ceramics.

Cor, that's a big orange.

...and took
on the blindfold challenge.

I'm scared of the dark.

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

I really like it. It's
fantastic.

...it was Shenyue
who won best fruits

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

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

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

This week,
it's naked Raku...

I will be hiding over here.

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

burning hot vases,
and smelly combustibles.

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

And a guest judge drops in
for a floral challenge.

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

Absolutely fantastic.

And who will be smoked out
of the Pottery?

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

[theme music playing]

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

the volatile Japanese technique
of firing

where pots are taken
out of the kiln red-hot

and combustibles used
to add unique
surface decoration.

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

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

How can I explain
naked Raku. Um...

Big, hot, scary, hot.

Little bit intimidated.

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

Terrifying and hot.

Yeah, this week is scary.

Good morning, potters.
Welcome to this week's

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

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

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

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

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

You need to make sure your vases have
beautifully refined,

pristine, smooth
burnished finishes.

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

when you'll use your
combustible materials

directly onto
the surface of the clay,

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

'cause there's no glazes
to hide behind.

We want bulbous vases here,
so make sure

we really push that clay
out from the bottom

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

[McSweeney]
You have a generous

two hours to throw
your bulbous vases,

and your time starts now.

The judges have demanded
two bulbous vases,

one measuring
15 centimetres high

and another,
30 centimetres high.

Big forms.
Uh, little bit nervous.

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

but I've never attempted
anything this big.

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

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

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

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

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

This vase, for example,

has been burnished to a high gloss
beautifully.

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

This feather design
is incredible.

It's a tough,tough
challenge.

We want that bulbous form because that really
lends itself

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

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

Are they
throwing in one piece?

Or are they
throwing in two?

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

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

Any kind of seam, when you
get that thermal shock

bringing that vase out
of the Raku kiln,

could cause that
join
to just reopen.

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

Tell us a little bit
about your design.

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

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

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

so the bulbosity
of the vase is...

-Bulbosity?
-The bulbosity.

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

-Made it a word.
-[laughs]

Lee will be burning
his neighbour's pet horse
hair

onto the surface
of his naked vases.

But before all that,
he needs to throw them.

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

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

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

There's always that danger

of having a weak spot,
isn't it?

-As in life.
-Yeah.

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

[Henry] Throwing in one
should be quicker,

but it's tough.
Not going to lie.

The potters need to throw
tall and wide,

carefully pulling the clay
up
to achieve the height,

before pushing it out
to form the bulbous shape.

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

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

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

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

It's massive.

[McSweeney]
Shenyue plans to use smoke
to subtly decorate

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

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

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

Still a long way off yet.

[McSweeney] Throwing
the large vase in one

reduces the risk
of joins cracking

in the intense Raku firing.

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

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

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

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

That could be famous last words, of
course.

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

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

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

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

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

to make sure you get
that form that you want.

But the form
that Lee wanted...

[Lee] Wasn't quite
the right shape.

...is proving
a little elusive.

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

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

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

Right, that's it.
Done. Okay.

...Hannah plans to join her
two sections

at her vases widest
and most vulnerable point.

Hi, Hannah.

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

-Oh, really?
-No, I know.

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

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

You caught me
at an awkward moment.

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

Um, it's just how
to get this bowl

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

and will use lavender
and sugar as combustibles

to create softer marks
on her naked vases.

I just like this big
flat...

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

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

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

-I'm sure it is.
-Bulbosity.

So, yeah,
it instinctively
appeals to me,

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

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

[McSweeney]
But Alon is pushing
the bulbous boundaries

with a different approach.

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

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

but have smaller
bulbous pieces within it.

If that wasn't
complex enough,

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

and both will be
decorated using

an ancient and potentially
dangerous technique.

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

So you take the piece
straight out of the kiln

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

and it bubbles and creates
this interesting pattern,

and then immediately you quench it
to stop the reaction.

-Yeah.
-Which is obviously a risk.

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

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

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

Potters, that
is one hour gone.

Oh. Time goes so quickly.

Ooh, steady. Steady.

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

My form might be one
of the most boring ones.

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

Ooh, villains. Boo.

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

and his friend's
Labrador, Duke,

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

My pug is going to be
the small pot.

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

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

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

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

[Henry]
My inspiration is my budgies.

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

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

and more like the budgies
when they're awake.

With their silhouettes
immortalised in clay,

Henry's budgies,
Bonnie and Clyde,

have also donated their
feathers for decoration.

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

and they stop you
feeling too lonely.

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

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

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

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

So can you tell us
about your design?

My pots are inspired
by the Greek pottery.

No, I haven't been to Greece.

I was going to ask you.

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

this week,
Jodie's off to Greece

with amphora-shaped vases

with large, wide shoulders
and a narrow base.

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

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

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

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

That's the wonder
of this process.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and it'll be ruined.

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

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

Making sure the joins are
airtight is crucial...

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

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

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

and then have a really strong join,

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

[Sal] I joined the top neck section

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

But this flat top could
literally collapse at any
time.

Mm-hmm.

My fault, my design.

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

there's no time
for the potters to rest.

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

So this is going to have
an inverted lip.

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

But these shapes are based on a seaweed
called bladderwrack.

[McSweeney] Inspired by family trips
to the seaside,

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

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

So I'm really looking forward
to all the fire

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

Explosion?
I sincerely hope not.

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

Potters, guess what?

You have half an hour left.

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

All part of the plan.

[McSweeney] To achieve
the naked finish,

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

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

[Hannah]
I've got very rough
surfaces,

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

My clay's so wet,

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

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

You can see this clay
is quite rough.

[McSweeney] Trimming off any
excess clay is vital.

If their walls or bases
are too thick,

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

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

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

It feels like I've got a lot.

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

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

Oh, no!

Oh, my God.

Nothing ever goes smoothly.

Ooh!

[McSweeney]
With time marching on,

hitting the right height
is proving a tall order.

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

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

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

even, sort of, worst-case scenario,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Come on now, come on now.

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

[Adam]
I might have done.

[McSweeney] Oh, Shenyue,
look at that.

Is it a bit like a catwalk?

Oh, is that how you do it?

Come on.

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

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

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

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

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

As long as it's balancing.

-Three, two...
-One!

-Whoo.
-Get out.

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

[Lee sighs] Hannah-banana.

Potters dismissed.

[Adam]
Well done, everyone.

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

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

Oh, my God, mine is so
bad.

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

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

But yeah, I want
this one to go well.

I need one good week.

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

the second is always
a complete mystery,

and this time there is
even more of a surprise.

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

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

Hiya. Hi.

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

bone china flowers
for over 40 years.

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

and her work is showcased
all around the world.

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

Whoa.

Okay.
So as you can
see,

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

-Yeah.
-Lovely.

You're going to make three.

One opened,
one partly
opened,

and one closed like a bud.

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

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

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

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

You just put a dab of
oil
on your fingers

and that stops
the clay
sticking.

You got a little marker,

now that will give
you
a pattern,

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

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

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

-Right.
-When I left school.

Making flowers,
about 30-odd-dozen a day

'cause you were
paid
by the dozen.

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

to get that
beautiful
bone china look.

That's really important.

So there are nine
petals
for the daisy.

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

And then the petals go on.

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

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

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

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

I'm just going
to bob these
leaves.

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

-I think so.
-[Keith] Yeah.

Now this is an important part.

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

then you've got
that beautiful flower
shape.

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

That's like a magic trick.

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

[Sal] That's amazing.

[applause]

Oh, my.

So I used to make
60 flowers an hour.

I won't expect 60 today.

Okay, potters,
back to your benches, please.

-[softly] Ahh!
-Okay.

Judges, you will
be judging blind,

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

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

-Oh.
-Your time starts now.

[Adam scatting]

This is my nightmare.

It's too little.

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

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

I'm not the
lightest
of fingered.

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

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

[gasps]
Dropped it on the floor.

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

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

What the hell
is this clay?

The clay is like
wet chewing gum.

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

the next minute,
it is stuck to your hand.

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

To make these delicate petals
that stand upright

and do what you want,
is quite tricky.

Don't like that one.

Rita makes it
look
really simple.

And it isn't simple.

You have to work
this clay a bit

before you actually use it.

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

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

I'm doing the open one first.

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

Oh, love this.

[Peter]
You really need
a delicate
touch.

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

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

What's going on here?

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

Look at this fella.
We need some water.

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

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

♪ Go and make flowers
Not like Peter do ♪

[laughs]

Potters, no time
to smell the roses.

-Ten minutes, gone.
-No.

-Oh, no way.
-What?

How did you make
them so quick?

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

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

That's the tester.

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

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

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

-Ooh.
-Ooh.

Oh. Dropped it on the floor.

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

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

Are you kidding?

[Shenyue] I've managed
a really hideous daisy

and I'm doing
the next one now.

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

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

I'm just hoping
I've got something

that looks like a flower.
[chuckles]

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

'cause I thought
it would look cool.

Realised it takes
double the time.

Probably a big mistake.

[hums]

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

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

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

Oh, my God,
they're so ugly.

Potters, you have
five minutes remaining.

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

[Lee] Ahh. Five minutes

to make these
monstrosities into
beautiful flowers.

[Jodie] Ooh, there we are.

That one was a bit chunky.

This is looking better.
Chunky flowers.

[sighs]

I'm onto my last daisy,

which will be
the closed daisy.

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

Oh, that's too much.
Ahh.

Just alternating the petals.

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

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

That is one minute remaining.

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

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

[softly] Okay, okay, okay.

Going to get these done.

Good man, Alon.
First one down.

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

Excellent.
Well done, darling.

[McSweeney]
We have Henry coming up.

Oh, Adam's are so good.

-[McSweeney] Adam.
-Oh my word.

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

We're only missing one.

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

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

-Time is up.
-[Jodie] Wow.

Well done, potters.

Rita will now judge
her bone china daisies,

but she won't know
whose belong to who.

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

-Absolutely brilliant.
-[all] Thank you.

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

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

So in ninth place,
whose is this, please?

They're just not quite
the round shape

that I was asking for
for a daisy.

Your petals' just
a little bit out of
shape.

And then eighth
place,
who is this, please?

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

it's slipped
all over the
place.

In seventh
place,
whose is this?

A little bit thick
under
your heads.

And I was looking
for a closed-up
bud,

but really, really good try.

[applause]

So number six?

Okay. You haven't got
the clay from
underneath

to make your stem
form
so it flows.

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

Aww, thank you.

Okay, well done. Number five?

Very well done.
Now look at
the colours
there,

they are lovely, the contrast.

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

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

So who's number four?

Okay. I love these.

They look like
they're moving.

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

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

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

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

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

-Very well done. Excellent.
-Thank you.

Okay? The runner-up,

-who did this one, please?
-Me.

-Absolutely fantastic.
-Thank you.

The shape,
the size of your
petals.

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

-Thanks.
-And the winner?

-Thanks.
-[Rita] Well done.

-[all cheering, applauding]
-Thank you.

[Rita] Absolutely
beautiful.
I love that bud.

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

Well done.

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

Well, they could. Ah.

Famous last words.

[Peter] They were awful.

It was like trying
to manipulate butter
with sausages.

[laughing]

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

their vases are leather hard
and ready for burnishing.

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

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

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

[McSweeney]
Burnishing is the process

that will give their
creations
a perfect, smooth finish,

putting the naked
in naked Raku.

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

And the smoother
their finish,

the better their combustibles
will show up when Raku fired.

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

Might do a little dance.
A Raku dance.

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

This is slow,
tedious work.

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

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

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

[Hannah] Ahh, I know.

...the harder they will
have to work today

to achieve the finish
the judges expect.

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

I spent quite a lot
of time trimming it,

which made the outside
of the pot really grainy.

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

Polishing compresses
the surface of the clay,

giving naked Raku
it's tell-tale shine.

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

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

but it's actually
just the surface.

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

I'm burnishing with
a stone and a spoon.

I'm going for
the double whammy here.

I'm getting the leather
and the hand burnish.

[Jodie]
These are my nan's spoons.

I always remember them
when I was little

'cause I'd help her wash up,

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

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

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

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

with the contents
of Lee's pockets.

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

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

Lee, can I pinch a bag?

-Yeah, yeah.
-Aw, thanks.

And the exchange
of tools is catching.

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

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

And this was
going to be my stone.

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

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

so don't say anything.

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

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

Potters, one hour gone.
One hour gone.

-No.
-Whoa.

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

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

Those minutes
are ticking away.

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

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

Ugh. God, I almost
finished there as well.

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

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

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

-And then stick it
back on?
-Yeah.

-Are you with me?
-Okay.

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

I knew she'd have
a solution,

but it's obviously
disappointing.

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

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

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

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

the potters must add
at least three layers

of thin clay slip
called terra sigillata.

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

so it's awesome stuff.

Buffing each layer
before applying the next.

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

The potters create
a beautiful, shiny,
polished finish.

Yeah, it's getting there.

This is the most
physically exhausting thing

we've done so far
in this competition.

[sighs]

Ladies and gentlemen potters,
you have ten minutes left.

I'm buffing like a demon.

Lee's buffing like a demon.

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

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

[Rich] Think her arm
has been a complete blur

for the whole
three and a half hours.

I've just not seen
anything like it.

Mmm.

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

are putting their stuff
into the drying room.

One more minute, Lee.

I'm coming, just wiping
the bottom.

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

One!

Well done.

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

Like I am sweating.

[Jodie] My arm didn't stop.

Yeah, think I need
a bit of a massage.

How much stress
do I cause myself?

Hopefully, it'll
survive the firing.

Fingers crossed.

[McSweeney]
Forty-eight hours later,

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

[Sal]
Absolutely everything
is exciting about Raku.

The smoke, the fire,
the smells.

Morning, potters.

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

You can ruin it
with just one thing.

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

[McSweeney]
The vases have been
bisque fired overnight

and are ready to face their
ultimate test of strength

against temperatures
of nearly 1,000 degrees
centigrade.

Morning, potters.
Yoo-hoo. Up here.

-Good morning.
-[all] Hi.

As you can see,

our Raku kilns are ready.

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

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

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

Be mindful of how
you use those tongs.

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

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

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

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

There's a hairline
crack down one side.

Come on, let's go.

Excited. Really excited.

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

Good luck, little dude.

Okay, Rose.
Fingers
crossed.

-Turning it up.
-Not too quick.

There it goes.
Sounds like a jet
engine.

[McSweeney]
Raku kilns reach high
temperatures quickly,

so timing is critical.

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

and when to take them out.

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

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

the combustibles
won't burn at all.

But too hot,
and the combustibles
will burn too quickly

and not leave
any decorative marks.

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

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

-Okay. Whoa.
-[Rose] Ooh.

Sal now faces
a race against time

to decorate her vases
before the surface cools.

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

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

The sugars
a good temperature gauge.

The combustibles burn at
different temperatures,

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

Just want not
too much of anything, really.

I quite like
them slightly minimalist.

Think that's enough.

I've made another
difficult
shape to pick up.

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

I'm very happy with that.

There we go. I'm good.

[cheering]

Temper is at 920.

Okay, that's fine.

It's still on.
The rims still
on.

Woo, hot pots.

[Rose]
Oh, holy moly. Moly.

I'm only putting
horse hair on it.

[McSweeney]
And look at it burn!

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

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

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

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

[Lee]
This is the big boy.

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

You need a hairy bottom.

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

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

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

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

[Peter] Let's go.

[contestants exclaim]

[cheers]

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

This is the stuff
from Margate.

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

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

The sugar should
crystallise and burn black.

That smells
amazing,
that sugar.

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

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

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

That'll do.

Oh, no.
It's just come off.

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

[Rose]
Right, we're at 910.

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

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

I want to have
mottled dark areas.

Oh, wow.
Oh, it smells
lovely.

This smells of
a hot day in
Provence.

Shenyue is aiming
for a simple smoked effect.

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

[Shenyue] Sawdust,

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

And then
I'm using horse
hair.

Keep it simple.

[contestants cheer]

Oh, thank you, thank you.

[McSweeney]
Adam will immortalise
pet pug, Egg,

burning his fur
onto his small vase...

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

...giving Henry an idea.

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

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

-Ah!
-Yeah. Nice.

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

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

Little tiny baby feathers.

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

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

Focus, Jodie. Focus.

Jodie is using
her favourite
feather duster.

Ooh, wow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[McSweeney]
That stayed on, yes.

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

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

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

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

Seriously, like,
the adrenaline then.

And then there was one.

Alon has brought
to the Pottery
his own yeast brew,

which he'll use in
his risky obvara technique.

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

It's been fermenting
for seven days.

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

[Adam] Uh-oh.
Mr. Explosive.

[McSweeney] If everything
goes according to plan,

the mixture will create
a bubbling liquid design.

The danger, however,
is the sharp change
in temperature

could cause thermal shock.

I will be hiding over here.

With potentially
devastating results.

The reaction of
the yeast burning
onto the hot surface

is then fixed
by plunging into water.

[Sal]
That clay is bombproof.

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

[McSweeney] Dipping it in.

Oh.

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

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

[McSweeney] Well...

[cheers and applause]

-That looks amazing.
-It worked. Ahh.

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

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

their naked Raku vases
to Keith and Rich.

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

[gasps, laughs]

So clumsy.

I would say you've got
more of that bulbosity

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

But your rim
profiles
are very good.

[Keith]
I know you had a
problem

-with this particular rim.
-Yeah.

You can just about
see where it was.

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

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

And I would just
question
whether there's enough

mark making going
through the
middle.

The forms are sublime.

To throw something
as fine and as flat as that

shows either
complete recklessness

or complete
and utter bravery.

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

You've kind of
captured
alchemy in time,

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

I should've put
a feather over it.

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

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

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

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

And you hadn't ever
thrown
that high before.

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

It is a little
on the weighty side.

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

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

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

For me,
it's these small
feathers.

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

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

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

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

But you have got
different rims.

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

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

You can see
that you've perhaps...

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

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

-Crikey. Wow.
-Yeah.

Actually, that's
quite nice now.

Somehow, it does work better.

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

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

and the weight of
that
is really nice.

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

It is like looking
at the stars at night.

-It's so deep.
-Thank you.

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

you were the
least confident about
this.

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

-Thanks.
-[Keith] Yeah.

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

Absolutely fantastic.

The way you've got
that smoky finish
there,

I look at
these,
and I just...

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

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

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

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

Thank you.

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

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

In terms of
the surface
decoration,

you've done
so incredibly
well.

You take risks,
but this has
really paid off.

Absolutely ten-fold.

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

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

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

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

[Rich] Although they're both

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

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

Yes, I had a small ring
on the bottom.

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

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

Because, you know,
we asked for a rim

and actually putting
that carbon inside

is a good way of
highlighting that rim.

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

[McSweeney] So what
an interesting seven
days.

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

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

Who, for you,
stood out,
Keith?

Shenyue is one of them.

Those pots were just amazing.

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

Her oily flowers,
unfortunately,
got her eighth
place.

No, they weren't great,
were they?

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

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

and those
pots were just amazing.

Her surfaces were exquisite.

That terra sigillata was
just burnished so well.

I suppose we've
to talk about Alon.

Well, for once,
it really paid off.

It stood out
from everything that
everybody else had done.

Who do you think is
in danger of going
home?

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

[Keith]
Game of three halves, really.

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

But the combustibles
were beautiful.

How do you think
Peter got on?

[Keith]
What didn't pay off for him

was the lack of
throwing skills.

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

such an amazing week, really.

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

Hello, lovely potters.

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

but we are back
and delighted to see you
all.

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

-it's Hannah.
-[gasps]

-Aw.
-[applause]

So surprising.

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

After the
weirdness
of this week,

the judges have come
to the conclusion

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

So we expect to see
you all back next
week.

Potters dismissed.

Awesome.

Yeah, Hannah.

Potter of the Week,
it's great.

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

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

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

you're like, um, well...

[McSweeney]
Hannah's naked Raku vases

take fourth place
in our Throw Down gallery.

[Keith] The amount of
definition and subtlety

she got with that
decoration was fantastic

and I just hope it helps
boost her confidence.

[Shenyue]
I loved Hannah's pot,

so I think
she really deserved to win.

And I also think
the judges gave me
really nice feedback

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

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

We're all back
in the house together,

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

[McSweeney] Next time...

Hi, potters.
It's Dolly here.

...there is music in the air

as our potters
go head to head...

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

-[gasps]
-It's the most ambitious

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

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

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

Who will be crowned
Potter of the Week?

And who will be
bottom of the charts?

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