Original subtitles

It's '60s week in the pottery,

and our seven remaining potters

are making vibrant, colorful vessels

in honor of that iconic decade.

A defining decade, man landing on the moon,

England winning the World Cup,

Breakfast at Tiffany's, darling,

and, of course, television in glorious Technicolor!

- Agh!

Why did no one tell me I've got a stain on my boob?

Can we go back to black and white, please?

Oh, come on.

Welcome to The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Can I get a wet wipe, please?

Audrey didn't have to deal with this nonsense.

- Last time... - It's like a war zone.

...the potters brought garden gnomes to life...

- Come on!

...and tackled the biggest throw down

ever seen in the pottery.

- That's just a bit scary. - Oh, God, it's coming off.

AJ impressed in both challenges...

You've run with a very, very different style,

and you've really pulled it off.

...and became potter of the week.

- While Christine struggled... - No, I can't. I'm not doing it.

- Dropped him? Oh, no. - Yeah.

...it was Cellan's gnomes who fell short...

For me, they're a bit on the small side.

...and he left the competition.

Just wasn't my week. Just wasn't my week.

- This week... - Life and death with mud.

...the potters go retro.

- '60s in a vase. - With vintage vessels...

Finding this one quite stressful.

...and a decorative spot test.

Whoa! Look at that purple.

With a very special guest judge.

- Oh, my God - Wow.

Who will swing their way to the top?

I just think they're brilliant. Absolutely wonderful.

I think he likes them.

And who will be facing the chop?

Focus.

The potters are back, and this week the remaining seven

will be sent back in time to the swinging '60s.

I love the '60s. My house is full of '60s stuff.

It's vibrant, it's colorful, it's fun, it's carefree.

It's all the sort of things I like to be, I suppose.

It's gonna be tricky to make something

that's made in the modern day but is very much '60s style,

especially when you're as young as me

and don't know much about it.

I don't really remember the '60s.

I do remember the '60s revival, the '80s.

I've kind of got that slight cultural connection to it

that maybe some of the younger ones don't have.

But I don't think that's gonna make a difference

up there today.

Hello, potters. Welcome back to the pottery.

It's 1960s week, which is a special week for Keith,

because he was born in 1965,

and within days was at a wheel throwing his first pot.

- That's right. - He's a natural.

For your main challenge this week, the judges would like you

to throw a pair of 1960s inspired vessels.

Yes, not one vessel, but two.

Your vessels could be vases, pitchers, jugs, or maybe a mixture,

but they must represent the extravagant style of the 1960s.

The '60s was a great decade, not just 'cause I was born,

but we want your vessels to have that leopard-skin effect

which was really, really popular throughout Europe in the 1960s.

It was an era of bold color and excess,

so we want that color to come through in your work.

Have fun, and give us some bright, colorful pieces.

Keith, I think I speak for the whole room when I say

we'd love to see you in leopard print one day.

We'd like to see that '60s style

in both the shape of your vessels and the decoration.

They need to be different forms

but feel like they come together as a very obvious pair.

You have five hours to make and refine

your pair of '60s vessels.

Your time starts now. Potters, get potting.

This is the kind of thing I make. So... excited.

Yeah, '60s week, so I will be using words

like "groovy," "radical," "far out," quite a lot,

and making two vases.

Both vessels need to be 40cm high...

There is a lot of clay to handle today.

Whoo!

...so the potters may choose to throw them in sections.

I'm gonna throw the base section and then throw another section,

and then join them when they get a bit harder.

If you can throw in one piece, it's stronger,

but it's just really hard to pull up that high,

unless you're an experienced thrower, which I'm not.

So we've headed back to the '60s, Keith.

What an era for color and bold impactful pots.

Well, it was kind of more is more, wasn't it?

Bold, bright, punchy colors and really, really ridiculous forms,

and, you know, all these different sections

that usually don't really go together.

They're sort of a bit odd, but they used to

sort of cram them all into one form

to give us these really sort of

out-of-this-world kind of vessels.

I really love it. I mean, I brought this one up, you know.

I bought this for my mum in Holland, you know,

and I just love the kind of, the bulbous form,

these kind of tiny little almost slightly out-of-proportion

sort of lugs on the side,

and then this really sort of chunky, robust rim.

It just feels outlandish and different.

I just hope that our potters embrace that exuberance.

But however they choose to do it,

they've gotta be mindful all the time

of that glaze application that's coming later.

That's it, and we've asked them

for the '60s-inspired leopard-skin effect.

We want that glaze to be really bold, confident,

and really flow and move with the form that they've made.

I mean, the fluid glazes I love, I love that sense of alchemy,

that sense that the glaze becomes fluid in the kiln.

And that needs an appropriate form to work on, you know.

It's gotta run round a beautifully voluptuous form,

or down a straight-sided cylinder.

It just, you know... The two work together.

And not only that, they need to work as a pair.

And that's where it's really tricky for our potters,

'cause not only have they gotta get it right on one pot,

they've gotta get it right on the other.

They need to feel like they're part of the same pair,

and, you know, those pots could be two very different forms,

so the glaze is gonna behave very differently

on both of those surfaces.

That's the crux of the whole challenge.

- Hello, Anna. - Hi, Anna.

- How are youse doing? - Good.

- And how are you? - I'm grand, I think.

- Good, good. - Yeah.

So, tell us, what's your design?

- I've got two designs here. - OK.

OK? This is the first design.

- You're gonna pull the handle. - Pull the handle, yeah.

And so it's gonna sort of morph onto...

- Yes, it sort of, yeah. - Wow. And then?

I've gone sort of for different colors,

because I think the '60s

is more about clashing colors and individuality.

And they're gonna fit together, are they?

I think they will

in their own little strange way.

In a '60s kind of way.

Well, in your little strange way.

Anna's jug and vase may be different shapes,

with clashing color combinations,

but she's aiming to make them a pair

by creating a river of leopard-skin-effect glaze

that will flow around both vessels.

I've just got a bit of doubt

that, you know, they're a matching pair.

I've got a sense of that,

but I'm hoping when they're finished,

they'll look to be a matching pair,

so we'll wait and see.

Anna might be gambling on two very different vessels,

but Tom is hoping for a more cohesive design.

So I'm making two vases.

I'm doing the opposite of what a traditional vase looks like.

So a traditional vase goes out in the middle and back up at the top.

Mine go in at the middle and out at the top,

sort of like an hour-glass shape.

Just exaggerated bulbous forms, really.

Yeah, fun things to look at.

Tom's pair of bulbous vases

will have interlocking silhouettes.

His leopard-skin effect will be broken up

with bands of orange and red zigzags,

in his nod to the vibrant colors of the decade.

Are these the kind of vases that you would like?

Yeah, definitely. I love this kind of style. I love the '60s.

Obviously I wasn't there, but the music was amazing.

- Clothes were fantastic. - The hairstyles.

- Hairstyles were great. - Don't put me near a lit flame.

Phwoar!

Also a fan of big hair is Nick's mum, Gloria.

She was an apprentice hairdresser in the '60s,

so I imagine she had the big honeycomb thing going on.

I asked her what she remembered about the '60s, really,

and she remembered all the dresses and the fabrics.

So I've kind of taken a little bit of inspiration

from some of the materials back then,

and there was lots of circular patterns.

I imagine she dressed pretty cool.

Channeling his mum's retro wardrobe,

Nick's cylindrical vases will feature

square and circular geometric sprigged motives,

stylized handles, and bold bands of color.

Quite frankly, Nick, I love those.

- Brilliant. - Absolutely amazing shapes.

Yeah, if they come out the bisque firing all right,

you know, I'll feel better glazing them.

Well, good luck. I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Yeah, if I can pull it off, I'll be, um, chuffed.

'60s in a vase.

Bold. Elaborate. Brightly colored.

And Christine's duo of vases will be all three,

with their flared necks, statement handles,

and colorful glazes which she'll paint

onto an intricately carved surface design on both vessels.

How are you putting all of this surface in?

Is that embossing? Or is that all with decoration?

I'm going to carve it back, 'cause my work is slip cast,

and what I do is I layer and then carve back from the layers.

So I thought, well, I might as well use that strength.

And are you gonna have time to do all of this?

I don't know. I hope so, yeah.

- So do we. - I know.

But throwing such large, bold shapes on the wheel...

- Ah! Rejected. - ...is no mean feat.

Only really started throwing bigger things

the last couple of months.

I am, like, a little bit in flap mode at the moment.

- Hello, Lucinda. - Hello.

- Hi, Lucinda. - Hi.

- How are you feeling? - I'm all right.

- Yeah? - I am all right.

I can't throw very tall, so I'm just kind of...

- Is that why you're on a box? - Yes.

- What's your plan? - My plan.

So let's have a look at this.

So, basically, um, started off with

what the main kind of motifs of the 1960s were,

the fabrics, the wallpapers, and it's all about circles.

Lucinda's celebration of circles

will feature doughnut-style handles

and two highly decorated curvaceous vessels,

made up of a series of spheres, cylinders and bowls.

I have got so much to do. I've got nine pieces to throw.

Lucinda may have given herself a towering to-do list...

Time is tight.

...but Jenny has chosen

one of the trickiest forms to throw on the wheel.

I'm throwing a doughnut, so at the moment

I'm just bringing up the interior wall.

So I'm gonna curve this over,

start to bring it over to meet the other wall.

It's something that I make all the time at home,

so hopefully... hopefully it'll be all right.

Jenny's doughnut vase will be joined by a disc-shaped one,

both of which she'll decorate simply

with incising, sprig molds and bands of orange

to contrast the leopard-skin-effect glaze.

How are you feeling about the glazing?

I'm excited about the glazing.

I haven't used these glazes before,

but they look beautiful.

Yeah, so really excited to get them on

and really bring the pots to life.

But then I hope I'm not setting myself up for a fall.

Focus.

- Really encouraging, that. - Yes, I know.

Potters, one hour gone.

One hour gone?

I'm gonna run out of dance moves.

This is all I've got, to be honest.

When throwing multiple sections...

This is the bottom of one, and that's the top of it.

...to create a singular flowing form...

I'm gonna bring the top in a little bit

so it's the diameter I want.

...precision is key.

The top of this pot has got to be

exactly the same size on my vase.

I'm finding this one quite stressful.

I wanna make sure that my bits fit on well.

I just don't wanna be, like,

the first person to ever walk up the front

and hand them half a vase or something.

When I practiced at home, I made a big bowl,

and then I went to put the top on it and it went through it,

like I made the opening too wide,

so I've got to not do that today.

Hoping they have their measurements spot-on today,

AJ will be throwing spheres and cylinders

to form their pair of vases,

which they will decorate in bold colors

with a band of the all-important

leopard-skin-effect glaze

dripping down over the bellied forms.

This glaze technique,

is it something you've ever done before?

- No, never. - No. No, OK.

I quite like glazes that sort of do...

almost do the decoration work for you, though,

the sort of reaction glazes.

Well, that's right, I mean, you know,

the '60s was all about

that reaction with the glazes, wasn't it?

And that vibrancy is what we're looking for.

Almost as vibrant as Ellie is looking.

Almost.

Nothing is as vibrant as me today.

- No. - Look at it.

It's like sunglasses all around.

We're not really toning, are we?

It's like muted, muted... I'm here!

- I'm just off to chop wood. - Yeah.

Potters, you are halfway through, you groovy dudes.

With all the sections of their vessels thrown...

I've got my neck, I've got my base,

I've got the doughnut, I've got my disc parts.

...the potters are about to find out...

This is the scary bit of the whole thing.

...if their diameters match up.

Well, seems pretty good, right?

This is such a crucial bit, right?

The whole thing lives or dies on this one joint.

- Life and death. - Life and death.

With mud.

Oh, yeah, baby.

Have you seen how much my hands are shaking? Ooh.

Every join must be seamless.

So, the internal diameter is pretty close,

but the external diameter on this is a lot wider,

but once that's on and set a little bit,

I can then trim it and blend it in.

But not all the joints are easy to access.

Now, I can't get inside to join this,

so I have to make sure that what I do here

is really, really solid.

Usually, you know, you get your hand inside,

and you can sort of feel what's going on, but not with this.

It doesn't quite look like the picture.

Potters, you've got half an hour.

With all their vessels joined...

I've got some sprigs to attach to this vase,

and then I've got some carving to do on the doughnut vase.

...the potters can attach any handles...

If it works, it'll be great, but...

if it doesn't, we're in trouble.

...and surface design or texture to their pieces.

I feel quite confident with the carving.

It was just I was worried that I might not actually

get the chance to get to the carving.

It's satisfying, and it's really scary,

'cause, like, the littlest, like, mistake

and you've ruined everything.

This is where the bands of color are gonna go.

- You OK, Nick? - Yeah.

Oh, you've got them on. Well done.

- Just a bit messy, but... - No, they're grand.

It's terrible when you're doing things in a hurry.

Tom's in.

How much time have we got?

- Five minutes left. - Yep.

Nick's just finishing up.

- Are you done? - I'm done.

- With time to spare. - With time to spare.

Well done, Lucinda. We're nearly there!

Look. I wanted to do so much of that sort of thing on mine.

I just didn't have time.

Five, four, three, two, one.

- Well done. - Oh, that was not groovy.

Oh, you've got circles and spheres. That's smart.

I found that quite hard-going.

If they come out all together,

I will be absolutely landed with that.

My pieces came out exactly how I wanted, yeah.

I'm really pleased with them.

I just hope I've done enough for the judges

to sort of pick them out and love them.

I mean, potter of the week would be... would be lovely,

I mean, again, but who knows?

I mean, the glazing could... could spoil it. I don't know.

I haven't used any of those glazes before.

'60s week is in full swing.

What is under the hessian?

And the potters now face a retro second challenge

that will test their decoration skills.

Potters, your second challenge this week is a spot test.

You're going to be creating a '60s-inspired repeat pattern,

like these.

- Oh! - Yes.

- I remember some of those. - Lordy.

This type of design was all the rage in the '60s,

and arguably still is if you hang out

mostly at car boot sales.

We want you to design and decorate

this kitchen utensils pot with a really bold repeat pattern.

The pattern must be continuous,

and we're looking for full coverage,

that's top to bottom, right the way round the outside.

And for the first time in Pottery Throw Down history,

we will be firing your second challenge

so it can be judged in all its beautiful technicolor glory.

This will be judged blind,

so you two can pop off and practice your twist.

- Right. - Off you go. I mean it.

I can see all your minds absolutely whirring,

so I won't keep you any longer.

You can head back to your benches.

You have 90 minutes. Your time starts now.

Potters, get potting.

OK, lots to work with.

Oh, this is not me. This is not me, but I'm doing it.

This is a ground-breaking second challenge

for Pottery Throw Down.

I absolutely love pattern.

It is completely my thing.

So, this couldn't have been any better for me.

The potters have to create and paint

their own 1960s-inspired repeat pattern,

and to make the colors pop, they'll be dipping their pots

in a transparent glaze before firing.

Time worries me, and also shaky hands is another thing,

so I'm just trying to relax.

And what they don't know

is that their final pieces will be judged

by the queen of patterns herself, Orla Kiely.

From royal wear to homeware,

Orla's iconic patterns are renowned

for their vivid, repeating motifs.

She'll be looking for designs

that reflect the '60s aesthetic

of bright colors and bold shapes.

I've got no idea what makes it a 1960s pattern,

if I'm totally honest.

Sort of really bright, bold pops of color.

There was a lot of flowers in the 1960s,

and circles and leaves seem to be a major theme.

I'm gonna do basically a flower decoration,

bright, colorful flowers, and an awful lot of them.

While most of the potters have been inspired

by '60s flower power...

If it comes out anything like my drawing,

I'll be chuffed to bits.

...Nick's considering going down

a completely different track.

The only thing that's '60s that's popping to me

is '60s hot rods.

What I think of '60s hot rods is flames, so I don't know.

I've just filled the bottom in

while I'm still thinking it over,

just something happy,

so I'm hoping that's not gonna be too risky.

- Christine. - Yeah.

Do you think I'd get away with doing a hot rod flame thing?

I don't see why not, just as long as it repeats.

- And it's '60s. - And it's '60s-inspired, yeah.

- On your head be it.

- That's mean, that. - I'm gonna do it.

I'm just getting the pattern on first of all

with ceramic pencil.

Messy, isn't it?

One, two, three...

Oh, it's not enough. Five. I need five.

No room to make any mistakes.

It's like a repeating pattern,

so the mistakes are gonna be very obvious.

I've gone for five lines,

because when you look at the pot,

you get one line down the middle,

and you get half of each on the side.

It just fits perfect if you do it like that.

I want to get as much planned as I can,

and then literally just sit and paint, so...

I think I might start painting, actually.

That's half an hour gone, potters.

I repeat, half an hour gone.

I'm feeling slightly less shaky

now that I've actually got a design on my pot.

I'm gonna choose a contrasting color to the purple.

Probably yellow.

That purple. Whoar! Look at that purple.

Approach at the moment is put my base layer down first,

and then I'm gonna do green leaves, and then orange flowers.

I'm just trying to get the flowers finished.

I think they want everything decorated,

so I'm gonna paint the background blue.

I'm hoping it's gonna look like

the front bonnet of a '60s hot rod,

super sharp, you know, bright, all of that.

The flames will go red, orange, yellow,

and then a black background, but it'll be mostly flamage.

Gotta go quickly.

To create the bold block-color effect

that defines 1960s patterns,

the potters need to build up layer upon layer of underglaze.

I need to make sure that my color application is good,

so I'm gonna have to try and get three layers on.

Oh, my God, there's some amazing ones.

I'm doing as many layers of this glaze as I can get done.

Two's the bare minimum, basically.

One gives you the sort of watercolor look,

and the '60s vibrant kitchenware

is not known for looking like watercolor.

But Anna is going for the opposite effect

for the background of her pattern.

I wanted it to be a brushstroke-y effect.

Just think it breaks up the solid color,

and I kind of wanted it to look like it was hand-painted.

I perhaps should have done the background first, but...

Ah, I'm not too far behind.

Potters, you have half an hour to go.

I'm under a bit of time pressure.

- Paint quicker. - I'm good for half an hour.

That just gives me a bit of time to refine.

Don't wanna make it too fussy.

Bit panicky about the time,

but I'm pretty pleased with the pattern.

I'm painting the inside.

I just want to give a completely finished vessel.

I'm not painting the background. I'm leaving it the color of the clay.

There's too much background to paint in the time we've got.

I feel I need something else there.

Red. Red, red, or orange?

Well, I hope the judge is gonna like this.

It's a bit fussy, but a lot of the '60s designs were fussy.

Ooh, I've missed a bit there. Missed that bit there.

Ten minutes left, potters. Ten minutes left.

And remember to dip it in the glaze first as well.

Transparent glaze as well.

It's now a race against time for the potters

to get their layers of underglaze finished and dried

before dipping their pots.

I'm reluctant to put another layer on

when I really need to be getting it dipped soon.

I want it to be properly, properly dry,

so that the transparent glaze adheres properly.

Any wet patches going into the glaze at this stage

will risk ruining a perfect finish.

I'm just trying to get a little bit of depth

into the petals of the flowers

by painting another layer.

I'm going for a second layer,

and I also want to touch up

any little splashed bits, of which there's a few.

- Here we go. - Right, now then.

With time running out,

the first of the potters

are taking the plunge.

Ooh, wow.

- Oh. - Gorge.

- Well done.

I'm gonna do a dip.

And then I've gotta try to keep my grip.

- Well done. - Whoo!

I'm just freehanding it now. The whole methodical thing's gone out the window.

I've done one layer of blue. I think I'm running out of time to start a second layer.

Just trying to block in an extra coat on my leaves here.

- Hot rod's going in. - Wow, look at that.

I'm a little worried about the underglaze

not being dry enough,

but I just really want that bold color.

Just making sure they know it's a '60s hot rod.

If in doubt, literally write it on the bottom.

- Just in case. - How you getting on, AJ?

Nearly there. Nearly, nearly.

We've got AJ, Tom and Anna.

I hate dipping.

- Lordy. - One minute left.

Dry.

- One minute, Tom. - Needs to dry.

- Everyone dipped? - It'll have to do.

Shove it in.

Come on, Tom. You're making me nervous.

- Swirl it round. - Easy-peasy. Perfect.

Wow.

Five, four, three,

two and one.

Well done, everybody.

The decorated '60s-inspired kitchen utensil pots

will now be fired for 24 hours.

Got finished. Can't believe it.

And the potters won't see them again until judging,

when they'll be revealed before surprise guest judge

and design legend Orla Kiely.

- Everything groovy? - Groovy indeed.

I'm really excited to see how everything's come out.

Even if it's a bit crap, I'm still excited.

I think I did a fairly traditional '60s repeat pattern.

- I think it's gonna go OK. - Looked pretty hot.

We'll have to see how the judges interpret that one.

They might absolutely love it, or they might go,

"What the heck are you doing, dude? Off you go."

24 hours after firing, the potters are about to see

their '60s-inspired kitchen utensil pots

in all their glory,

and have no idea that judging them blind

will be special guest, the queen of patterns herself.

Potters, I can feel the color

shining out from under the hessian.

So let's get cracking. Actually, do you know what?

I think we could do with a third opinion here.

Potters, please welcome someone

famous for their 1960s-inspired graphic repeat designs,

it's Orla Kiely.

- Oh. Oh! - Wow!

Oh, my word.

Hello. Hello. Hello, everyone. Lovely to be here.

- Hello.

Orla, can you tell us what you're looking for

from the potters' designs?

I'm looking for strong design,

repeats that have been thought through, good color,

and something that makes me feel joyful and happy.

OK. Here we go, the first one.

OK.

It's very charming, it's got lovely quality in the flowers,

but I think the color could have had a little bit more oomph.

And I'm noticing at that back there's two flowers that meet.

I think one more stem would have filled that space.

So, moving on, let's have a look at this one.

OK, this has got full coverage,

which I think is very nice.

The color has been applied well.

It's certainly bold.

And it's beautifully configured.

- Oh, and look! - Yeah.

- I like that. - Nice little surprise.

Yeah, you don't often see that, you know.

I think that's really cute.

Number three.

- Ooh. - Wow.

That is very cute.

That's got a nice graphic quality to it.

- The repeat is perfect. - Absolutely.

And I also really like where they've cropped the shape,

because if you thought, "I'm not gonna do that flower,"

you'd be left with a hole.

OK.

And number four, let's have a look.

OK, um, there's a lot of different things going on here.

All of these different elements are slightly competing.

And I also wonder about the flatness of color.

It feels like it's lacking that really graphic power.

OK. Moving on, number five.

So this looks interesting.

Again, it's full coverage.

Maybe the potter here wanted to have

this kind of watery-looking background,

but I would prefer if that was flatter,

and then the lovely flowers would pop out more.

But as far as a repeat is concerned, I like that.

Number six. Let's have a look.

Ooh. That's quite fiery.

Again, it's full coverage.

It's a repeat, I guess, as it goes round the vessel,

and the color is evenly applied.

And, look, a smiley face. I love that.

That's really well executed.

That is beautifully done.

- Maybe less '60s. - Last but not least.

So this is sweet.

I quite like the fact that it's, you know,

all going in one direction.

The yellow could have been a bit darker,

and then you would have seen it and seen that it was a flower.

That's been nicely designed.

I guess just in the way the color has been applied,

I feel it could have been a little bit stronger.

Orla will now rate the pots from worst to first.

To start at number seven, it's this one.

I do think there are too many elements there,

and it could have been a little bit simpler.

Number six is this one.

If you'd moved all these stems a bit closer to each other,

then there would have been a little bit more coverage.

Number five is this one.

I do think you've applied color really well.

It's maybe less of a repeat than all the other ones here.

In fourth place is Anna, in third place is Christine.

And in second place...

is this one.

Jenny, I think you've done a great job, you know.

It's graphic, it's simple, it's definitely got punch.

- Well done. - Thank you.

And in first place, this one.

That's me.

AJ, this looks super cute,

it's beautifully spaced,

the flowers are all pretty regular,

and the color looks great.

Congratulations.

Thanks so much.

Well done, AJ. Well done, all of you.

And thank you, Orla, so much for coming to the pottery.

It's been a pleasure having you here.

You're so welcome. It was really fun.

I don't think it's sunk in.

That's brilliant. Orla said it was cute.

I'm pleased with that.

I expected to come last for sure.

It could have gone a lot worse.

Little smiley face always helps, doesn't it?

Aw, I was last. You can't win 'em all.

But I hope that I can pull this out the bag

and do something good for the big vases.

Hmmm.

With the demanding discipline

of repeating patterns behind them,

the potters now face a more anarchic decorating challenge.

Want to see the pots.

First, though, it's a trip to the kiln

to see how their vessels have fared

after a 24-hour bisque firing.

- Ooh. - All right.

- Good morning, potters. - Hello.

- Morning. - I love yours, AJ.

Thank you. I'm so pleased.

I made giant maracas.

- Chh, chh, chh!

It's really good.

There's no cracks or anything. I'm so pleased.

But not everyone has been quite so lucky.

Now, Nick. Bit of an issue with your piece.

Oh, piece or pieces?

Do you wanna come and have a look in the kiln?

Ah!

- The base has blown out. - OK.

Shall we have a look how bad it is?

Oof. I'm quite happy with that. It looks quite cool.

The organic look. Right, thank you.

I'll go and, uh, polish a turd.

The potters now have two hours to decorate their vast vessels

ahead of a final firing.

I'm really pleased with my pots.

They've come out just how I'd hoped.

I've got one little issue here, as you can see,

just a bit of a crack under the handle.

Hopefully it won't stress anymore,

but I do need to tart this up a bit.

They've had a bit of a blowout.

Hopefully I can pull it back with the design,

and maybe counteract the problem in my bottom.

And while they've been given the usual array of glazes and oxides,

mastery of the unpredictable leopard-skin-effect technique

is crucial if they're to impress.

I love this kind of glaze. I use this kind of glaze at home a lot.

This is my normal style of pottery, I suppose,

big bulbous vessels, different random glazes

that melt in interesting ways.

This has gotta be the most difficult

decoration stage so far.

Absolutely, the '60s-inspired leopard-skin effect,

that's what we're trying to emulate here.

And really we're asking them to do

sort of some considered decoration,

but also with a technique that can be fairly volatile.

Yeah, 'cause essentially it's just kind of

that very fluid dark base glaze which melts

at a lower temperature than that white glaze,

so one stays sort of floating on the surface of the other.

And that's what I love about this challenge,

because it is alchemy in that kiln chamber

that they're not necessarily going to know about

until they open that kiln door.

That's it, and it's what sort of ceramics is about.

It's about everything melting in the kiln

and sort of being on the brink of disaster, you know.

Usually you're applying a glaze

and you want it to stay where it's put.

You're not expecting that glaze to flow and move

and dribble all over the pot.

And the potters need to really make sure

they get that application thickness just right

so it flows enough but not too much.

Absolutely. That leopard-skin effect.

It's gonna make their pot come alive.

I've started putting the leopard-print glaze on.

I've got two bands to do,

one on the red pot and one on the yellow pot,

but it took me a minute to start 'cause I'm terrified.

The potters will need to work fast

if they're to reproduce this iconic '60s technique.

This is the beginning of the leopard glaze,

so three coats of this sort of rusty-colored glaze,

and then three coats of white,

and it reacts then in the heat and it sort of just pulls apart

and you get this leopard-skin effect.

And with leopard-skin-effect glaze, there are no shortcuts.

So there's two hours

and obviously there's quite a lot of layers to get on.

A lot to do, so I have to work like a machine.

Tom, though, is hoping to control

this notoriously temperamental finish.

So, you're the only potter I see using masking tape.

Are you a genius, or are you a cheater?

- We'll see at the end. - OK.

It might make it worse. I'm not sure.

I think it's a really good idea.

- Do you know why I did it? - No.

I thought it'd save me time,

but everyone's already painted half their pots.

While Tom's striking '60s pattern

requires a little taping time,

some of the potters are going freehand.

I don't want really straight lines,

I want them to sort of blend together

a little bit on the edges,

so that's why I haven't bothered

masking up or anything like that,

'cause I want a soft effect where they join

rather than really harsh lines.

But as the layers of leopard-skin-effect glaze

move and shift in the heat of the kiln,

where the glaze is placed will have an impact on the pattern.

It's a deliberate decision to put this at the top,

because it might move, and then I'll get a nice contrast,

in that that's very ordered and very organized,

and this is a bit more free.

And the more dynamic the design, the greater the chance

the pattern will drift out of shape in the kiln.

It's quite a drippy glaze,

and although it's a fairly simple pattern in many respects,

I'm getting sort of drips, and I wasn't expecting it

to be quite so fluid as that.

But after a disappointing display in the spot test,

Lucinda's risking all with another punchy pattern.

The decoration is gonna be really kind of bright,

lots of lovely color and pattern.

So, yeah, I mean, you do want it to really

kind of shout out at you.

- Halfway through, potters! - Whoa.

And, my goodness, these pots are looking decorated.

- We've got an hour left? - Yeah.

- That's not fair. - It's not enough time, is it?

With an hour to go, the potters begin the second stage

of creating the leopard-skin effect,

stacking white glaze over the layers of brown.

On the white now, so it will be good to get all of that on

so that I can then move on to the colored glazes.

I do just need to get a shift on.

But with such a complex pattern,

Lucinda is starting to struggle.

Really running out of time.

I don't quite know how I'm gonna achieve this.

It just takes longer to do when you've got a bit of pattern.

I'm just gonna have to hope that I can get all of this on,

and then get some color on the rest of it,

'cause there's a heck of a lot to do.

While Lucinda panics about her pattern...

Slight flaw in the plan, but never mind.

...Tom is having trouble with his tape.

You got the white on? I'm putting white on next.

The brown hasn't dried 'cause I used masking tape,

so where it's on the masking tape, it's really wet,

so I'm smudging it everywhere.

But Nick is still bummed about his bottom.

I heard you had a blown bottom.

Yeah, bit of a problem with the old bum, yeah.

- How is it? - Have a peek under there.

Oh, there's still a bottom attached. Could be worse.

- Oh, yeah, could be worse. - Yeah.

Is leopard-skin glaze something that you've used before?

It's not something I've used, definitely wouldn't wear it.

- Not a big fan? - Not any more.

Not any more? Your leopard-skin days are behind you.

Do you see much leopard print in Barry?

In the, um, wrong places, yeah.

In the right places. I flippin' love leopard print.

- 30 minutes to go, potters.

With time running out,

those with complete coats

of leopard-skin-effect glaze

can start adding color.

So, leopard print at the top,

and then the panels are going to be green and yellow,

and then the other one,

the panels are going to be orange and red.

Right now, all I need do

is to take the tape off and put in the bright colors.

The rest must labor on with their layers.

Going fast. There's half an hour to go.

Finishing my last white coat on this one.

Then I can stick my yellow on it.

I've just slapped it on thick.

We just have no time spare to be fiddly with this.

Right, I've gotta get some color on now.

The orange and yellow should go really nice together,

flaming type effect.

I'm not expecting sharp lines,

but I'm expecting the kind of memory of sharp lines.

I know that sounds pretentious, but that's what I'm going for.

I'm just taking my time,

try and get everything as neat as I can.

- Ooh, dear.

Don't dribble on your pot.

It's very dribbly. It's nothing to do with me at all.

Potters, that's five minutes to go.

- Ha! - Time has just flown.

Copper gold on the rims.

I'm hoping it'll do some crazy stuff.

Hopefully it'll look better once it's all melted and fired on,

'cause it's a bit of a dog's dinner right now.

Remember, potters, this glaze is super reactive,

so it's very important to have clean bottoms.

Right, there you go, just gotta do the rims and I'm done.

Clean like you've never cleaned a bottom before.

- Front to back. - Front to back.

Time's up. Well done, everybody.

And breathe.

- They look brilliant. - Thanks, Anna. So do yours.

The potters must now take their finished vessels to Rose

for one final firing.

Jenny's gone rogue, two at a time.

When they next see them, it will be judgment time.

You know, as far as a '60s design,

I think I've got that pretty spot-on,

but then it's got no butt on it,

so I definitely think I'm top contender

for going home this week at the moment.

I managed to get pretty much everything I wanted to do done.

When it comes to judging who's gonna go,

I think the second challenge is important,

so fingers crossed it will be all right.

I have a sense that this might be my last time here,

and I really hope it's not, but I'm just not sure

if I've done enough at this stage,

or if everything's gonna work together,

so, yeah, I'm... I'm worried.

It's judgment day, and after a 24-hour gloss firing,

the potters' '60s vessels are ready to come out of the kiln.

Obviously, he's got a bottom missing.

Best-case scenario, the little, like, kiln elves

have gone in there and patched up the bottom, fixed it,

and I win, and everyone's happy, and we have a party.

Uh...

Whoa. They're bright, eh?

Oh, dear.

I want to so much go on

and just keep on experiencing this,

but I just am concerned that maybe

I've pushed things a little too far.

They're bright. They're extremely bright.

I'm hoping that when I see the pots for the first time,

they're sort of really bright, dazzling colors.

Oh, my God.

And I really hope the leopard print worked.

Seven pairs of '60s vessels

now face the judgment of Keith and Rich.

Hello, potters. Oh, my Lordy.

These vessels look absolutely amazing.

Best vessels I've seen in a very long time.

Shall we start the judging?

There's no option, so I'm glad you agreed.

AJ, can you bring down your vessels, please?

Well, as a pair, I think they work really well.

The forms are fantastic.

You can tell they're really well built.

But in terms of that '60s aesthetic,

yes, they look really, really good.

This is wonderful, isn't it?

The way that's bled down the side of the red.

Look at that. That's fantastic.

The curve is pristine right the way round.

The profile is perfect.

It's difficult to make a sphere

and make it feel purposeful and voluptuous

and nice and round, and you've done that.

Your choice of where to put the band as well is really sensible,

because on the top of that kind of spherical form,

you want that glaze to move and migrate downwards,

so it's the perfect place to put it.

I just feel like you've hit the nail on the head.

You've gone for a really, really simple design,

and you've executed it perfectly.

Thank you.

It's interesting, because by sort of first appearance,

they work really beautifully as a pair,

but when you kind of really look at them, you know,

the qualities in this red one,

and the spring and the life and the energy,

this form is beautiful, and this rim where it's flared out

gives it such spring, such presence,

and side by side with this one,

it's just a completely different make.

This is so purposeful, though,

this really generous incising,

and it adds an extra dimension to the vessels,

and this glaze effect, it's really, really worked.

- Thank you. - Yeah, well done, Christine.

This vase, somehow the form, there's just real volume to it.

It feels really expansive. It feels really kind of voluptuous.

This one, for me, it's a very different form.

Yeah, this isn't that purposeful,

it's slightly weak there,

but there's certainly a lot of color.

For me, you didn't need zigzags.

You could have just done lines, I think.

And maybe you would have got a bit more fluidity

with the leopard-skin glaze then.

That glaze has almost

been held up by the zigzag slightly.

It hasn't integrated and moved everything down.

If there'd been a bit more integration

between all of those glazes,

it maybe would have softened everything.

The application of the red on this one

hasn't really worked, but apart from that,

this is a wonderfully turned base.

Your finish, it seems to be getting better and better,

which is really nice to see.

I think they very much feel of the '60s,

and they're a very obvious pair.

It's just some of the attributes that you've got

kind of lack that exuberance, of the handles, essentially.

Like this spout on the jug is just a bit mean and a bit small.

I'm with Rich.

If you're gonna do a lip,

especially if it's in the '60s,

make it really come out, you know,

get that lip really pushing out.

I always kind of look down the profile

when things have been altered and moved.

- And that is slightly off. - It's so crooked.

Slightly crooked, but for me what it lacks in the forms,

you've made up for with the decoration.

This is brilliant, and, of course,

we've got this leopard-skin effect.

We wanted that free movement, and you've done it.

You've kind of understood

the aesthetic that you were going for,

and, boy, have you delivered it.

In terms of them working together as a pair,

I was really worried during your build stage

that they were just gonna be so different,

but I think the thing that's really saved that

is that graphic edge between that leopard-skin glaze

and the colors that you've put on them.

The one thing for me in terms of the form,

I feel like the handle probably wanted to be on this side,

'cause I feel like actually that would have given it real lift.

It feels a bit sort of sad and a bit downward-facing.

So as a '60s inspired structure,

this is a bit too organic for me.

It would have been nice to have this maybe more brutalist.

But I'm loving this green and blue.

I was just drawn to that straightaway.

It's like a lava lamp. It's sort of so reminiscent of the '60s.

Well done.

I kind of had a lot of high hopes for the two forms.

I was thinking, yeah,

it's indicative of that classic '60s design,

and that's really worked well for you.

They are a bit on the old heavy side.

That's maybe why that's blown out.

That must have been really, really thick.

I mean, I know you haven't been throwing for that long,

but, yeah, that base going is not great.

I mean, there's some lovely elements to it.

The glaze has worked really well.

I'm really liking all these drips.

I think the thing that really lets them down for me

is those bands just feel a bit lackluster.

They haven't got that precise quality and they're a bit messy.

You've got a bit of cobalt that's sprung across here.

Just that glaze application's let it down a bit,

and that blowout, it's a real shame.

Well, I'm not even gonna ask you what you think.

I just think they're brilliant. I think you've really nailed it.

They hit the brief completely.

They are '60s-esque inspired, absolutely wonderful.

The forms are great. They look like a pair.

I love the Ying and Yang kind of thing you've got going on here,

the way that glaze has broken over the surface.

It's fantastic.

The leopard-skin effect that you've got is really wonderful.

This is nice, and bleeds really nicely into the form.

These handles are perfect, absolutely wonderful. I mean...

I think he likes them.

I'm just so pleased for you.

What can I say? I can't really add much, can I?

They feel really ambitious.

There's no holding back in terms of the form.

I think they show real kind of aptitude for bold design.

I think these rims are just delightful, you know.

The way that's broken on the rim is just beautiful.

I mean, for weeks now, six, actually, we've seen you,

and you haven't quite hit the nail on the head.

But these have just really come together for you.

I'm just so pleased.

I loved it.

Look, honestly, Jenny, it really shows,

and they're really wonderful to see.

- Thank you. - Thanks, Jenny.

Thank you.

That went so well.

I'd looked at my pots and thought,

"I'm really pleased with them, I love them,"

but to get that confirmation was just, yeah, really emotional.

I feel like I let them down, 'cause there were so into my design.

I think it does come down to my experience and naivety

on this one unfortunately, which was gonna happen at some point.

I'm feeling deflated.

Keith preferred some things, Rich preferred other things,

but overall they sort of agreed

where the things that could be improved on were,

so I'm in significant trouble,

and I do feel my time's come to an end.

Well, what a brilliant week in the pottery.

The '60s has really brought the whole place alive.

How have you found it?

There's just been a great vibe.

I just think all of the color

and the exuberance and the forms,

it's been a real release, I think, for our potters.

Yeah, I mean, we were looking for excess,

we were looking for bold colors.

And they delivered. It was brilliant.

Who do you think's had a really good week in the pottery?

Well, I would say AJ's had a fantastic week.

The forms were just voluptuous and beautiful.

The leopard-skin glaze was put

in exactly the right place on the form.

I just thought they were fantastic.

For me, Jenny, she really, really nailed it this week.

That incising and the sprig work,

and the way the color broke over that surface detail.

And the forms themselves, the shapes,

they were just brilliant.

They were so indicative of the '60s.

And both of those potters also did very well in the second challenge.

AJ came first, Jenny came second,

so they've really had a great week all round.

Yeah, they have, yeah.

So who's in danger of leaving the pottery?

Well, I think, unfortunately, this week, Nick.

His vases, you know, they had such promise,

the design intention was there, just so evocative of the '60s,

but, you know, that blowout,

and that decoration, it just lacked that precision.

Yeah, it was surprising, really,

because we've seen so much observational skills from Nick,

and those colors were just a bit on the stiff side,

they didn't really work for the whole aesthetic of the piece.

I mean, Lucinda's not had a great week either.

I mean, you know, she set the bar very high with that design.

She didn't quite meet it. It was slightly disjointed in the form.

And she came last in the second challenge,

so it's not been a great week for her.

Yeah, and the other one,

she kind of saved herself, really, was Anna.

You know, the forms weren't exactly '60s,

but she did really, really well

at piecing the two together as a pair

because of the way she applied that leopard-skin glaze.

And what about Tom? You weren't so mad on his zigzags.

No, he didn't need to do that, you know.

He spent all that time blocking out the zigzag pattern.

He could have got away with just doing a big thick band

and let that leopard-skin effect dribble slightly over.

For me, it looked like he'd thrown the kitchen sink at it,

and it didn't quite work for me.

Well, it sounds like you have a lot to talk about.

- Yeah, absolutely. - We do.

I'll go and get us some Babychams, take the edge off.

Nice.

Potters, thank you for another brilliant week.

Crikey. It's getting a bit hard now.

Let's go for the good news first of all.

This week's potter of the week garnered rave reviews all round

and has really made me crave a doughnut.

It's Jenny. Congratulations, Jenny.

Well done, Jenny.

And now to the rubbish bit. Oh, my goodness.

I hate this so much.

The person sadly leaving us this week is...

Nick. Oh, we're so sorry.

All right. Come on, bring it in.

Oh, it's been a blast.

Lovely creative space, creative people.

I'm gonna miss everyone.

Sad to see you go, Nick.

I'm absolutely shocked.

I really was fully prepared

for my name to come out there, and then it was Nick,

and I'm so sad to see Nick go.

This week really hasn't been Nick's week.

He had a blowout in one of the vessels,

and that precise application we were looking for, it just wasn't there.

I'd like to think I brought my own unique style to all my pieces.

- You can go surfing now. - I know. I can, can't I?

I'll never do anything like this again,

unless I take up sewing or baking.

You might see me again.

As Nick leaves the pottery,

Jenny's '60s vessels become her first piece

in the Throw Down gallery.

- Hello. - Hello.

Are you potter of the week?

- Yes! - Oh, well done!

I'm so pleased for Jenny.

For weeks now she's been close but no cigar.

'60s week was definitely her week.

I think this week I've shown

that I can do it and I can achieve.

It's just a massive confidence boost.

Yeah, it has given me more belief.

I'm just buzzing.

Next time...

Think I might chop his neck off.

...the potters go wild...

Literally doing tooth implants.

...with hand-built animal table lamps.

I think this is gonna work.

Oh, that's cool.

And a surprise second challenge

that lets their imaginations run wild.

It's easier when we're told what to do.

Who will be flying through to the quarterfinal?

How do you even pick it up?

- - And who will be going home?

Do you know what? I forgot to put a hole in it.