Original subtitles

Hello there. Big week here at the pottery.

It's the quarterfinals, and the five remaining potters

are making abstract self-sculptures,

and building their own kiln.

Not only that, but since breaking my leg,

this is my first week back.

I thought there'd be a bit more of a fuss, really, you know.

Thought there'd be a bit... they'd be here cheering me back,

there'd be bunting, or balloons or something,

but it's almost as if the show isn't entirely about me.

Welcome to The Great Pottery Throw Down.

Guys? I'm back.

I'm back. It's Siobhán.

Siobhán McSweeney.

- Last time... - I don't know what I'm doing.

...animal table lights lit up the pottery.

Oh, my God! That is a massive beaver!

And AJ's sea otter claimed top spot.

Genius. Beautiful.

But while Lucinda's badger wasn't quite set...

I forgot to put a hole in it. Bother.

...it was Tom who was out of his depth.

I thought I was a boring potter,

but it turns out I'm not.

I feel proud of myself.

- - Now...

- Oh, sorry. - ...it's the quarterfinal.

It looks terrifying.

As the potters construct

abstract self-sculptures...

- Great arse. - Just wanna squeeze it.

...and, in a Throw Down first, build their very own kilns.

- OK, here we go. - As well as becoming

off-the-hump candlestick makers.

Do another, do another, yes.

Who will stand proud?

Of course you're crying. You'd be a stone not to.

And who will self-destruct?

Our five remaining potters are back,

and all that stands between them and the semifinal

are two challenges and the small task

of building and firing their own kiln.

Quarterfinals. I can't believe it.

It's self-sculpture week.

This is massively intense as a challenge.

It's kind of tricky to think about

how you want to represent yourself through a pot.

Never done a self-sculpture before,

and I've never done this sort of firing before.

We have to build our own kiln as well,

so there's a lot of elements to this

and it's gonna be quite exciting.

Good morning, potters, and welcome back to the pottery.

This is a very special week, not only because I'm back,

but because it's the quarterfinals.

Congratulations to each and every one of you.

This week, the judges would like you to hand-build

a full-bodied self-sculptural object.

Yes, that's right, folks, you are the inspiration

and the ultimate vision of this week's make.

Because it's abstract in style, we want you to accentuate

some or all of those body parts.

So you'll be using a grogged white clay body

and sawdust firing in a handmade brick kiln

using combustible materials.

Your abstract self-sculptures should be smooth surfaced,

so we really want to see you

using those combustible materials

to full decorative effect.

You have six and a half hours.

Your time starts...

I like this bit.

...now.

- Oh, sorry, sorry.

It's just 'cause there's so few of us here.

- Everything's gonna sound loud. - Everything sounds louder.

I've never done any self-sculpture

or self-portraiture or anything like that before,

but I'm kind of liking the abstractness of this.

It is a tricky one. I'm feeling a bit nervous.

I'm kind of winging it.

So, Keith, what a challenge.

We're asking our potters to sculpt themselves

in an abstract form,

and we're using an alternative firing process.

I mean, we're packing a lot in here.

This is the quarterfinal, so, you know, we're upping the game,

and it's gonna be so interesting to see

what our potters really think of themselves

in that kind of abstract style.

Yeah, because, I mean, looking around the table here,

none of these examples really have a sense of realism.

They've got kind of exaggerated proportions,

or just nods to human elements,

but they are very clearly based around the human form.

Our potters have really got to think about

how they're going to assemble these structures together.

Are they gonna do slab-building, coiling, pinching?

It's quite an aggressive firing, isn't it?

You know, it puts a lot of stress and strain on the clay,

so any joins, any seams,

they need to be absolutely watertight.

And for me, getting a smooth surface is quite critical.

Definitely. I mean, some of the potters might choose to burnish.

And for that they might use a spoon or a metal kidney.

- Or a stone. - A stone, yeah.

There's so many different approaches.

And that beautifully smooth surface

is gonna act as the backdrop, the blank canvas,

for all of those flames to kind of lick and move around.

I'm so excited about this. It's so elemental.

With clay, with sort of fire, it's just kind of so raw.

The minute they put them in that chamber,

and submerge them in all that sawdust,

who knows what we might get?

- Hi, Anna. - Hello. How are youse?

- How you doing? - OK.

I'm a bit confused.

I was led to believe

that this would be chaotic,

at the very least,

and this looks quite organized to me.

Siobhán, they're dreadful liars.

I knew they were liars.

I've been saying it for years. Absolute liars.

Come on, Anna, tell us about your design.

Right, I've based my design on kind of my physical being

and who I feel I am,

so it's obviously short, squat, rounded,

but also grounded, a bit worn, but not worn out.

Certainly not worn out, yeah.

To illustrate her positive yet protective nature,

Anna's self-sculpture will have an arm across the body,

and an open head to let in the light

and take in the world.

She intends to form each of her parts separately.

So how are you joining all of these elements on?

They're gonna be hollowed out, and then it's gonna be slipping and scoring.

How are you feeling about these smooth, refined surfaces?

Because we've seen your style coming through.

It's got a lot of energy in the build.

This is about poise and refinement.

It is, isn't it? Well, we'll see how that turns out.

The more parts the sculpture is in,

the more potential there is for things to go wrong.

I hope that it fits.

And Anna isn't the only potter

creating more work for themselves.

I'm making one main body and then attaching the legs,

and the arms, and the head.

I was trying to think of when I'm happiest

and when I'm most, like, content.

That's when I'm out, like, exploring new places,

so it's based on rocks that I found

when I was out and about exploring.

It's kind of the concept

of becoming part of the environment itself,

just sitting there and observing what's going on around you.

As well as holes in the rocks to represent change and growth,

AJ's self-sculpture will have

a hand around the knee as a symbol of security,

and the other hand touching the ground,

representing both their connection to the earth,

and the pottery they create from it.

You've been potter of the week twice, haven't you?

- Yeah. - I've got a file on all of you.

Do you feel more pressure because of that?

Yeah, I think there's, like, an expectation

of something spectacular, so...

Well, AJ, there is. No, really.

- We're at the quarterfinal now. - Pressure's on.

A join is always a weak spot.

The more joins you have, the more likely it is to fail.

Joining clay is always a worry.

I'm trying to be extra careful

when I'm sticking things together,

so that it doesn't fall apart in the firing.

But the alternative firing brings added problems.

'Cause my piece isn't one big piece, and it's lots of bits,

if the fire's really hot in one place,

and it hasn't reached another place, the pot can split.

So Lucinda will be hoping the joins on her sculpture

fire as smoothly as the inspiration behind it.

This is really about me appreciating

where I've got to in my life.

I've always had a strong faith,

whether I've been kind of going to church,

or now I practice Buddhism,

and it's put me in a very calm place.

Alongside a meditative kneeling position

and lotus flower hair bun to represent Buddhism,

the more realistic thighs and hips

of Lucinda's self-sculpture

intend to honor the beauty

of a mature mother of three.

So, yeah, I'm just trying to get the body together.

I don't want great big busts.

It wouldn't be right to have

great big pert breasts at my age.

God, this is very personal, isn't it?

But they're getting smaller.

I don't want to draw attention to anything there.

- Oh, Anna, look at you. - Check me out, my cleanness.

Slightly worrying. Are you feeling all right?

Anna, have you been putting your stuff over here?

Has she been messing up your table?

Yeah, she's been throwing clay at me all day.

You're a wicked, wicked liar.

I thought you were a friendly group.

Oh!

This isn't for the clay.

I can't seem to roll... roll coils today.

Rather than joining sections together,

Christine is approaching her build in a different way.

It's quite a fluid shape,

so I didn't want to have to,

you know, make little pieces, join them on.

I didn't think I'd get that fluidity.

So I've gone for one piece.

But constructing in one piece comes with its own risks.

If the clay thickness isn't consistent,

it will dry unevenly and crack.

And if it's too heavy, it risks slumping

and collapsing in on itself.

It's a tricky build, but I'm gaining confidence

with every new challenge that I'm being given.

And it's a challenge in her past that Christine is using

as inspiration for her self-sculpture.

I'm going back 25 years.

I was young. I got breast cancer.

I just had to, like, get on with it, you know.

My boys were very young,

so I didn't want them to know about it either,

so it was something that I kept inside.

Now, 25 years on, I feel stronger now,

and I'm celebrating the fact that I'm here.

Using the coiling method,

the hole in Christine's self-sculpture

will represent a missing breast,

and it will feature carved and imprinted words

addressed to her younger self.

She's missing a breast,

and where that's missing, I've put "strength."

And then down the side, I want to put,

"Never be ashamed of a scar. It shows a battle won."

So, for you, is this challenge quite cathartic, then?

Yeah, yeah, I couldn't have done it any other age, I think,

and in any other environment than this.

- Right, yeah, yeah. - Wow.

And what a great thing to be able to do,

to retrospectively look back

and speak to your 32-year-old self, you know.

Tell her she's gonna get through it,

and celebrate the fact that she got through it.

Well, we feel honored that you've brought this story to us.

- Absolutely. - Good luck with it.

It sounds really special.

Also drawing from her own experiences,

Jenny is aiming to use layers of clay

to illustrate the different layers of her identity.

So my sculpture is kind of about the fact

that when you become a mother,

everything is always about the kids first.

A lot of the people who I spend a lot of time with now

know me as being a mum,

and you kind of lose your identity a little bit.

So, on the reverse, there is going to be a hint

of, you know, other things that make me.

There is something about parenthood

that fundamentally changes you,

because there's that sense of care, that duty of care,

that responsibility for someone

and something other than yourself.

Sounds awful.

A thrown doughnut vase and an owl

to illustrate her love of pottery and nature

will be on the reverse side

of a loving mother guarding her two children.

Along with the two sides to her sculpture,

Jenny will also have two sides to join together.

I'm going for a solid form,

which I am gonna then hollow out.

Oh, right, OK.

I tried coiling, but because it was tall and narrow,

it worked better when I built it solid and hollowed it out.

OK, OK.

Obviously that makes two big joins

that I'm gonna have to be really careful with.

That's a nice arse, isn't it?

It is a beautiful bottom, not like mine.

This is "in my dreams" bottom.

- This is looking really great. - She's very curvaceous.

You're doing it all in one section.

I am, yes, yeah.

Nobody else, as far as I know, is doing that.

I keep hearing that every time I do something.

Sorry. I won't bring it up again.

You're OK. I'm getting used to it now.

I've chopped myself in half,

so it's just about hollowing it out now.

If I left it as a block in the kiln,

any moisture that was in the clay

would evaporate, it would turn into a gas,

and obviously when a liquid turns to a gas,

it expands, it gets bigger,

so it would be in a million pieces.

While Jenny has sliced her sculpture in two,

other potters require more delicate engineering.

I'm creating the hole in her chest,

so I've put, like, a tube through here.

I am cutting a hole in the back

to put the channel through the pot,

which is really scary.

Don't watch me, Rich.

I've got the basic shape that I wanted,

so it's just about getting it all back together.

What I really don't want is for it to come apart in the firing,

so if I can secure that join that I made, that will help.

- Potters. - Oh, my God.

No time to lose your head. You are halfway through.

- Halfway through, potters. - Ah, ah, ah.

The potters need to get the forms of their sculptures completed

to devote as much time as possible to refining.

Everything is together that needs to be together.

I've basically got three hours of burnishing,

making it super smooth and super shiny.

Jenny's burnishing already. My God.

Burnishing is a way of polishing the clay

without using a glaze.

It requires repeated rubbing with a hard object,

which, over time, compresses the clay

to create a shiny surface.

There is a lot of burnishing to do.

Come to me at the end of this session,

and I'll tell you whether I still like burnishing or not.

The judges are looking for a polished finish after the firing,

so it's crucial the potters achieve this smoothness

on their self-sculptures.

What do you have left to do?

I've got to put the arm on.

I've got some tidying up to do around the back of this foot.

- Are you burnishing it? - I'm not burnishing it.

I'm just getting it as smooth as I can.

I know this is going to come as a shock,

but I don't know an awful lot about pottery,

Shh. Don't tell anyone.

Isn't smoothing just sort of burnishing?

Yeah, kind of.

When I think burnishing, I think, like, shiny.

- Right. Oh, I see. OK. - Yeah.

So I'm going for super smooth rather than shiny.

I was actually wanting to focus more

on sort of getting this area burnished,

and sort of highlights burnished but not the entire body.

I am enjoying it. It is fun.

It's just nice to spend a bit of time with a piece.

Looks like something out of the Oscars at the moment.

Do you know what? It does, actually, doesn't it?

- I hadn't noticed that before. - No, but that's a good thing.

- So what are you up to now? - I'm burnishing all afternoon.

And what are you using to do that with?

I've got this pebble, bag, the spoon.

Depends which sort of little bit I'm trying to get in at.

Yeah, that's right, 'cause you really wanna

get into all those nooks and crannies, don't you?

- Definitely. - Well, look, good luck.

- Thank you. - Happy... Happy smoothing.

Oh, my gosh. Well, that's very beautiful, isn't it?

Thank you.

Do you look at this now and go,

there I am, an abstract version of you?

I think it's more of an aspirational version of me.

- A hopeful version. - Yes.

Yeah, I like that word, yeah.

- Fantastic bum.

I'm happy with the proportions.

She's a bit of a fat mama.

So cool. Great arse. Great arse.

- It's really cool. - Just wanna squeeze it.

- Lucinda. - It's just gonna be time.

How long it'll take to get that surface. Like AJ.

I'm just a bit concerned

that they're gonna leave themselves

a lot of surfaces to clean up,

because there's a lot of different facets there.

Gonna press the word strength into the side of my lassie.

I'm hoping it's not too dry.

I must admit, I do like Christine's.

But I'm a bit concerned,

because she's pressing in some of the letters.

Once you've pushed it in there, you've got that indentation.

If you make a mistake, it's very hard to pull it back.

Definitely taxing on the arms.

I can imagine I'm gonna have cramp in my hand later.

Jenny is spending the whole time burnishing.

That's all she doing. And I think that's a pretty good idea.

And Anna seems to be really, really enjoying it.

The only concern I have with Anna

is can she give us that finish?

- That smooth surface. - It's what we're looking for.

We need that to get the best decorative results

from that sawdust firing.

I'm kind of using my hands

to get it to a smooth finish and to burnish it,

because I can kind of feel what I'm doing better.

You've gotta get your hands dirty, you know, you really do.

I think it makes all the difference.

Potters, that's ten minutes remaining.

Did you see me do that?

Don't look so shocked, Christine.

Time flies.

Help! Help! More time.

I'm writing my sentence on the side of my sculpture.

I'm just tracing it, so that I've got a straight line.

I'm just trying to get it nice and smooth now.

Oh, lovely. That's very satisfying to do, isn't it?

It's like ironing.

- No. Not the way I iron. - No?

Not at all satisfying or satisfactory.

I'm just sort of going around and trying to find places

that I've missed.

Oh, that feels good.

That's really nice there now.

The rim, it was a bit too dry,

so it's rougher than I would have liked it.

But it certainly wouldn't reflect me very much

if it was perfectly neat and tidy.

- Oh, squeaky, squeaky.

Is that your piece that's squeaking?

Oh, my God. How did you get it that squeaky?

Because I've been burnishing for three hours.

That's fair enough.

Potters, you are coming up to one minute left

to get anything into the drying room.

No.

- Mammy's going in. - Yes.

Lovely. Christine is heading in, thank you very much.

One in, one out. Rose gets very confused otherwise.

In you go, in you go. Looking marvelous, Anna.

It is a bit on the heavy side, 'cause it's, like, massive.

Lucinda, are we nearly ready to bring her in?

- Yeah. - AJ? How we doing?

- Fine. - Looking great, Lucinda.

Come on, AJ. I don't want to rush you.

It's not like there's a rush.

Oh, my God, they're all so different.

You guys are all so different.

Would it help if I shouted, AJ?

Don't startle me as I'm walking.

I wouldn't do that.

And the drying room door is closed.

Well done.

Well done. You did brilliantly.

- Now, go away.

Potters, dismissed.

- Oops. - Do you want a hand?

- Do you need a hand, Anna?

- Do you want me to grab that? - Thank you.

I loved the lettering.

I did wonder if I was making a mistake,

but as I was pushing the word "strength" into it,

I absolutely loved it.

I'm proud of what I've done,

and it does feel like a piece of me.

It's gonna be bisque fired.

Obviously there are the usual concerns

about cracks in the kiln and things like that.

It shouldn't do, but in that kiln,

you never know for certain.

I enjoyed that,

but we have a second challenge coming up.

They get more and more difficult every time.

I suppose they're not gonna get any easier, are they?

It's the quarterfinal,

and the potters are back for the second challenge.

And, as usual, they have no idea

what's hiding under the hessian.

Welcome back, potters.

The second challenge this week is a throw down.

The judges would like you to make

as many candlesticks as you can

within the allocated time period off the hump.

- Oh. - Keith?

OK.

So we've given you six kilos of clay, which is more than enough.

Centering a big lump of clay, just bring it up.

Kind of lock this arm,

and then I push with this hand

onto my right hand.

Think about that top section that you're gonna use

to make that candlestick with.

So I'm now just gonna make

the little cup that goes on the top.

That's the most delicate part of the make. Just a simple action.

Press down, come up with your left hand

over the top of your finger.

We wanna see a nice sort of generous well in there

to be able to put that candlestick into.

Now I'm just squeezing that clay to start making my candlestick.

It's all about being delicate, but using that pressure

to be able to get the accent in on that stem.

Just bite that clay with your hand as you go down.

- And also not panicking.

So now I'm gonna use my plastic card,

just gently holding the stem, going in, and lifting off.

Wow.

And they wanna be identical.

Thank you very much, Keith.

Potters, back to your benches.

You have...

- 15 minutes... - No.

...to make as many identical candlesticks as possible,

off the hump, and your time starts now.

15 minutes.

In order to successfully throw off the hump,

the clay must be properly centered.

The potters will then throw each individual candlestick

off the same piece of clay.

No hanging about.

Just be really aware of that consistency of the clay.

Tricky challenge. I've never thrown off the hump before.

Come to that, I've never made a candlestick before either,

so it's kind of a whole pile of "never dones before."

Centering such a big lump of clay,

but it's also then throwing a really tall, thin structure.

Just try and remember the hand positions

so you can repeat it.

It's hard to get muscle memory

on a thing that you've never made before...

in 15 minutes.

Christine's looks beautifully centered.

Really centered. Jenny's got a bit of a ripple going on there.

It's not gonna help her out at all.

I think I'm gonna get one identical one.

Anna's cracking on. She's got a good bowl on there already.

Nice gradual pressure when you're making that stem.

Oh, God. It's really hard.

Potters, that's five minutes gone already,

so you've only ten minutes left.

- Jenny, how many have you made? - Oh, I've made ten.

Ten? Oh, brilliant. Are they all invisible?

They are, which makes them identical.

- Oh.

Anna's got one off.

- Oh, dear. - Anna's got one off.

- It's a technical term.

- Oh. - Oh, my God, I've done it.

- Well done, Lucinda. - Confidence. I like it.

I've just gotta do another one the same.

- AJ's is looking good. - Yeah, not looking too bad.

- That nearly ready to come off? - It is.

What's the hardest thing about this?

Is it me roaring at you while you're trying to do it?

- That's part of it.

Ooh, Jenny, take control of that wobble.

I think I need to just get it off and start again.

I think you're right.

Looking good, Christine. Now get it off.

- Well done. - Right, now to do another one.

- Nice. - Well done. That's one.

AJ's second one's looking similar.

Oh, my God. What the hell have I done there?

Anna's really looking at her profile of the other one,

to see if she can get it the same.

See, they're too big.

- Control that wobble, Jenny. - Oh!

I haven't got a long time, and I don't think the judges

are gonna be very impressed with two.

Oh, God.

Potters, you have five minutes left.

- Wha...? - Come on, Anna.

- How many have you done? - Two.

- Oh, you've got two? - Oh.

- Ooh. - Focus.

- It's not coming off. - Keep them coming.

Nice, Lucinda. Is that your fourth one?

Yes. But they're all a bit different.

Don't worry. We'll be the judge of that.

- OK. - Looking good, AJ.

- Yeah. - Very nice.

- Ah, come on. - Potters, guess what?

- One minute remaining. - OK.

- Hurry up.

Less than a minute left, guys. Come on.

Quality and quantity.

I think I'm doing a lot of, um, "unquality."

What about you, Jenny?

Lots of "unquality."

Has anybody got some quantity going on?

Because we've only 20 seconds.

Wha...? Wha...?

Think about what is the best use of your time.

Ten seconds. Ten seconds left, potters.

- Christine? - Yeah.

Come on, guys. Get the last ones off.

- Come on, potters. - Come on, Jenny.

Less than ten seconds left, Jenny.

- Use every minute. - Look at that! Fantastic!

Get it off, get it off! Quickly, quickly!

Yes! That's the end of it.

Potters, put your candlesticks down, step away from the wheel,

and let's all have a collective lie-down.

It's actually not much worse than the others, is it?

Well, there you go.

Keith and Rich are looking for candlesticks

that are consistent in their size, shape, and height.

Any that don't measure up will be recycled

into the bucket of doom.

- Hi, Anna. - Hello.

Shall I just pass them all over to the bucket?

You shouldn't be too harsh on yourself. How did you find it?

Really difficult. I've never thrown off the hump before.

In my head, it's a big lump of clay, you make something big.

That's it, yeah. You're only working on that top section.

It would have been nice to have seen these

slightly more delicate sort of accents there.

I mean, this one here, this looks more like a bludgeon

than a candlestick.

- Maybe it was.

Now, that's going in, yeah.

- Whoa. That made a thud. - Wow. That made a thud, yeah.

Half the lump of clay's in there.

Do you want a hand carrying the bucket?

So, yeah, three almost perfectly formed candlesticks. Not too bad.

Little bit less in the middle, and a bit more at the base.

And less in my bucket that I can't lift up now.

- Hi, Jenny. - Hi.

Look, I mean, it's got energy. It's got energy about it.

It's certainly got a lot of energy, yeah.

Well, that's gotta go in, but it's the funniest.

- Fare thee well. - It was ten seconds.

- Ten seconds. - I know. That's great.

Bit of pressure. Never mind.

I tried to get going too soon, I think,

and I think that probably was the issue with number one.

On this one, you can see that the base and the cup

are kind of over here, and the bobbles are over this side.

- I think it's a good look. - I don't, actually, no.

Ooh!

It's certainly not identical.

So you've got four left out of the six.

Well, five and a half. And I don't think they're too bad.

Just tidier bottoms would have been nice.

- They're a lovely consistency. - Yeah.

- But that one's no good. - Yeah.

Oh, you break my heart every time you do that.

They're all fairly straight.

You can tell that you've gone

for a particular shape and a particular stem.

And you've got the two bobbles in the same place.

Yeah, lovely set of candlesticks, AJ.

- Thank you. - Yeah, well done.

Is this something that you've done before,

like throw off the hump?

I've done egg cups,

but I haven't done anything much bigger than that.

Which one was your first one, do you think?

- Yeah, I really... - That was...? Yeah.

'Cause that's... useless.

- Ooh. - Thanks.

There's another odd one out, isn't there, really?

The cup on one of them looks slightly different.

Oh, go on, then. Just do it.

Yeah, that one's no good.

Not a bad go. Yeah, excellent.

Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, Christine. How you doing?

Looking at the bucket.

Well, I mean, looking at these three here,

there looks like a certain amount of control there.

They all match. You look at the rims, they're matching.

The width of the base is very similar.

How did you find getting them off the hump?

I got it all right, and then the card slipped out of my hands,

and then it got stuck underneath, and, yeah.

What happened with this thing here?

That was just me trying to get another one.

- That's sort of... - Bye, bye.

...going in, yeah. Goodbye to that one.

- But they look great. - Yeah, well done, Christine.

- Not bad. - Thanks.

The judges will now rank the potters from worst to first.

So, in fifth position is...

Anna. Lovely effort, really, really nice.

Just could have done with them looking slightly lighter,

a little bit more finesse,

and those bottoms sort of tidied up a bit more, OK?

Fourth is Lucinda, and Christine is third.

In second place is...

- Jenny. Well done, Jenny. - Thank you.

Lovely height. Nice purposeful definition.

Slightly nicer on the bases.

- But a really good effort. - Thank you.

And so that leaves, in first place, AJ.

Lovely and delicate cups on the top there, nice definition,

fairly nicely cleaned off at the bottom,

but a really nice, even, consistent try.

- Well done. - Thank you.

That's my fourth second challenge win in a row,

which is insane.

Oh, that did not go so well.

I struggled with it. Last place in the second challenge.

There's not too much between anybody at this stage,

so that could be just a deciding factor in going home.

The potters' self-sculptures have been bisque fired,

and it's time for decoration and kiln construction.

We're setting things on fire and building our own kilns today,

so I'm really excited about that.

The first thing we're gonna be doing

is preparing them for the firing

by putting our things on that might flash some color.

It's quite exciting 'cause you don't know how it's gonna turn out.

I brought so many things in.

I'm literally throwing the works at it.

Potters, your self-sculptures have been bisque fired

and are now poised in front of you, ready for the fun part.

You will be decorating,

and then building the brick kiln with your own fair hands.

Really think about how you're gonna combine the oxides

and use your combustible materials to maximum effect

to really enhance the body of your sculpture

during this alternative firing process.

So, basically, the opposite of less is more.

- More is more. - Always.

Don't forget to be inventive with your decoration.

You've got the freedom to experiment, so don't hold back.

You have 30 minutes,

and your time starts... now.

Ooh.

Ooh, isn't she lovely?

I do have a couple of tiny cracks. It'll be OK.

It looks pretty good. I've got a stress crack.

You know, hopefully the next firing won't open it any more.

It's in one piece. It's kind of the shape I wanted it.

I've got some big cracks.

I've got a huge crack down there,

which is obviously where I cut it in half.

That's disappointing.

But, you know, I've gotta make the best of it,

so that's what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna still follow my plan for decorating it.

I'm adding some copper carbonate to the word "strength,"

just to highlight that when it comes out of the firing.

I don't know if this is gonna make any difference

or if it'll burn off.

The fire is going to determine everything.

I'm really excited now, having fun, and this seaweed stinks.

The potters are hoping that the combination

of oxides and combustibles...

I've just put steel wool all round it.

Hopefully that should give

some nice sort of pinky kind of colors.

...will bring unique decoration to their self-sculptures

during the sawdust firing.

So, look at her. Are you pleased with how she's come out?

Yeah, she's come out quite well. She has got a crack.

Don't we all?

The seaweed was a gift from Tom before he left,

but Tom also got this seaweed

from the beach that Nick does his surfing on.

So I've kind of got Nick and Tom with me here today,

so I'm hoping they'll bring me some luck as well.

Ten minutes left, potters.

Keep throwing stuff at it.

Hopefully something will stick.

Hopefully I won't slip on any banana skins.

Banana skins add potassium,

which can give you another color effect.

So I've just... when they were there, I thought let's try them.

I'm gonna stick loads of bandages on it now.

Uh, off I go.

I've got leaves in there,

there's seaweed, wire wool,

and now I'm just going to drip some sugar in.

I'm hoping that the wire wool will catch some of the sugar.

- You haven't gone subtle. - I haven't.

I've decided against the subtle.

It looks terrifying, but it looks amazing.

- That's me after a night out.

Oh, doesn't she look lovely just like this?

She looks so cozy.

This looks insane.

It looks like I've just pulled it out of the bin.

One minute left to put more rubbish on your things.

Where does one stop with this sort of thing?

I've started putting this orange peel on,

and it absolutely stinks.

It's really gross.

So I've wrapped it in paper, so it's almost like a parcel,

and the idea is that that's breathable,

so oxygen can get to all of the combustibles.

Who knows what will happen? It's all exciting, isn't it?

Look at Anna's. It's like some kind of sea monster.

It's just a really exciting process.

I'm clueless as to how it's gonna turn out, but, hey,

that's half of the fun.

And that's it!

No time to wait, we are going straight out now,

where you're going to build your own kiln

and fire up these little beauties.

Yeah. Ooh, careful.

Potters, you have your decorated self-sculptures

all ready to get toasty

in the sawdust firing with your combustibles.

Well, this is an above-ground firing process,

and you're building your very own brick kiln.

When built, you'll pack your kiln with sawdust

and your chosen combustibles,

and after lighting, you'll be looking to achieve a temperature

of around 900 to 1,000 degrees

to really maximize that 24-hour firing process.

Now, this is the first time we've asked you

to ever prepare and build your own brick kiln.

You've gotta lay enough bricks

to equal the width and the height of your self-sculptures.

You have two hours.

We have master potter Kevin here

to help you to fire safely and successfully.

Your time starts... now.

Bit of exercise, isn't it?

Just starting building the base,

and then I'm gonna put an extra three bricks on this side,

just to make it a little bigger.

I'm not worried too much about there being any small gaps,

because that will let some air in.

I've got no experience bricklaying at all.

Other than LEGO. Does that count?

- I'm loving this.

- Anna, how's it going? - It's going good.

Do you think you've found your calling as a bricklayer?

- I think I might have.

I'm gonna put some sawdust in it now.

I've measured my lady so that she fits in there.

Her hips are gonna be slightly wide,

but I've always found that in life.

Chairs are never quite big enough.

This just looks fun.

Right... There you go.

I'm putting salt in it.

Salt kind of works at a lower temperature,

and it can give us a slightly shiny glaze effect.

Put a little bit of coffee down there as well.

If there's any extra, could you send me up a cup?

Any time.

- AJ. - Hello.

- Are you seasoning? - Sugar and spice.

I've no idea what I'm doing,

so I'm just chucking a load of stuff on it

and having a fun time.

And what's more fun than just setting fire to it afterwards?

- Oh, nothing.

What have you used as your combustibles on there?

- I've got lamb bones, walnuts. - OK, right.

Lavender, sage. I've basically used anything and everything.

It's like building a campfire.

Hello! You caught me just in the last bits

of putting this together.

Great. What have you got going on?

So we've got layers of sawdust, and I've also,

in between the layers, got some rotten wood.

Just got the last few bits to layer up.

And then we can get the flamethrower.

Get the fire started.

It does seem we are the fire starters.

Nobody else went to the extremes we did.

- I blame you.

I just like building big fires.

OK, here we go.

Come on, baby. Burn, baby, burn.

This is definitely the best bit, yeah, fire lighting.

- I love it.

We've got fire, don't we? We've got fire.

It's quite exciting, actually.

I'm still excited to see what it's gonna come out like.

It does feel a bit weird to be burning,

like, an effigy of myself.

With the potters' sawdust firings alight,

they need to wait for the naked flame to die down

before they can close up their kilns.

Let the magic happen.

Christine, how are you doing here?

My fire seems very small quite quickly, so I'm a bit worried.

Well, it's not got to do with the size of the fire,

it's the heat of it.

It's not the size that matters.

We're not interested in size here in the pottery.

Lucinda, how's yours doing?

It's getting down to embers now.

I'm down to the ashes, really.

I think it's about ready.

I'm gonna put the lid on.

I think that's all right.

Yeah, I'm happy with that.

OK, good.

My job is done.

The fire should be out, hopefully, um,

and there should be a pot with some effects in there.

But I guess we'll wait and see what happens. Fingers crossed.

Well done, potters. Now, this is going to be quite a long burn.

So why don't you have a break?

Otherwise we're just looking at a couple of bricks.

Go on. You deserve it.

Kiln built, fire started,

and left for the next 24 hours.

That was great fun.

So great to be with the elements,

outside, bit of breeze, bit of fire.

It's exciting. But don't know what's gonna happen next.

At a scale of naught to ten

for how worried I am about the cracks, yeah, ten.

Very worried. Best case scenario is it comes out in one piece.

We'll see.

After 24 hours, it's time for the potters to discover

how their self-sculptures have fared in their self-made kilns.

Let me in the kiln. Let me in.

I've got no sort of expectations of what it's gonna look like,

so I'm just really excited to see what it is.

I hope there's some color on it, you know.

First thing I thought about was how she's done?

Morning, potters.

Now you know how I feel

when I'm opening up your kilns.

All right, if you're all ready,

go take a look on how it's fired.

I'm going in.

Ooh.

Hello, my dear. She's coming out.

Peepo!

Ooh!

I've got pink!

Oh, fantastic.

Oh, that was a banana skin.

Look. Yellow! I've got yellow!

Yes! Ah-ha!

Let's do this.

Still standing.

Looks like the Ghost of Christmas Past right now.

- Oh, I see color. - Ooh, yes.

I'm really pleased with that purple. So cool!

I'm loving this fire. I want to do this again. Can we?

Ooh. Well, there's a pot in there.

Oh, I just got salt in my mouth.

Oh, look at all those colors on the back.

- That's amazing. - Ooh, it's like an oil spill.

- That's so cool. - It's in one piece.

Oh, and I can see color. Oh, my gosh!

I can see proper color. Oh, wow.

It's cracked, but it's beautiful.

I feel quite emotional. It's quite bizarre.

'Cause she's me.

There she is.

Come on, babe.

- Oh, wow. - Oh, my gosh.

I think she's beautiful.

Just... Yeah, I just love it.

That line going down here is just stunning.

"Strength" looks amazing.

It just feels like a journey is like completing.

It's quite strange.

Oh, it's so beautiful.

- Oh, Christine.

I...

That is the most beautiful thing.

- It's gorgeous. - It is just so gorgeous.

Of course you're crying. You'd be a stone not to.

It's amazing.

Thanks, girls. You're amazing.

- Can I slap her bottom? - Yeah.

Five abstract self-sculptures ready for judging.

Hello, potters.

You're all looking absolutely wonderful,

as are your abstract self-sculptures.

Anna, can we start with you, please?

Tell us about your sculpture.

I wanted my sculpture to reflect me physically,

and who I also feel that I am,

so I wanted it to feel like it was grounded

and it belongs in a wild part of a garden.

But I also wanted it to feel as though

it was comfortable in its own skin.

I think you've achieved that beautifully.

Thank you.

The proportions

of each kind of appendage,

you can tell that these are the arms,

and you can tell that that's the legs,

and I just love the way

that you've represented your headspace.

The surface that you've created with the combustibles

is incredible, it's so complex, there's so much going on.

There's the odd scruffy little bit in the corner,

which I can imagine is difficult to get a tool into.

But, you know, it's a really well-thought-out design.

And it just speaks of you. It's wonderful, Anna.

- Yeah, it's really lovely. - Thank you so much.

So my sculpture was about when you become a mother,

your priorities totally change,

and everything is about your children before anything else.

But your other identity is still there,

so the other side of the sculpture

is about the things that I love to do.

Well, the first thing I notice when you pick it up,

the surface is just lovely.

It's like a pebble that you've sort of got from the sea.

Yeah, as you turn it, I can see the shine on the surface.

You can tell you've really gone to town on it.

The making process perhaps hasn't worked in your favor.

You can very clearly see the join right the way down.

It's such a shame that seam line has opened up.

Obviously it's a build error, slightly,

but the colors, again, that you've got on this

are just absolutely brilliant.

- What was this? - That was the copper wire.

Copper wire. It's just beautiful, you know?

Those kind of slash marks, you know, the scars of life.

You know, there's so many things

that are so in keeping with your overall theme.

It is quite simple in its form,

but, I mean, that's what you were intending to go for.

Well, you should be really proud of yourself.

Thank you.

The first thing I notice is it's incredibly well constructed.

It's of a definite style.

It's kind of almost like a brutalist sculpture.

These square legs, you've stylized them

in such a way that it's really representative of what they are.

There's such volume,

and yet it feels so sort of rooted to the ground.

And the other thing that really sticks out for me is this head.

It's just wonderful.

You can tell that it's you, and I love it.

The surface is just out of this world. I mean, blimey.

I don't know what you put in that kiln, but it's...

- Everything. - Everything.

Yeah, I think what you've chosen to put where

has worked perfectly in your favor.

It's abstract, and yet very human.

And very, very you. It just works so well.

Absolutely wonderful, AJ.

- Fantastic. - Thanks very much.

Well, I mean, honestly,

I think I speak for Rich when I say this,

'cause it's absolutely wonderful.

- Definitely. - It's an incredible structure.

The surface is beautifully finished.

It's so tactile. Right into all of the crevices.

And it was very brave to do this,

because you never know with this kind of firing process

whether you're gonna get

that kind of decorative technique to come out.

It's really worked for you.

It's funny because looking at it from the side,

you very much get that kind of kneeled-down posture,

but I don't know whether you necessarily

get that from the front here.

I mean, my favorite bit, actually, is the...

- No, wait for it.

Just this backbone leading down into this sort of crevice,

and then this lovely voluptuous bottom.

It's just lovely. Well done, Lucinda.

- Thank you. - Well done, Lucinda, yeah.

It's... It's fantastic.

- Thank you. - It's wonderful.

I mean, it's wonderful.

I'm afraid I'm coming round for one too.

I just think it's so wonderful.

So wonderful.

Honestly, it's the best thing you've bloody made, anyway.

- Ever, probably. - Yeah.

Just talk us through what the whole story behind this is.

It's a representation of me at the age of 32,

and I'm trying to connect with her and tell her

that she's stronger than she realizes,

and that she's not to be ashamed of how her body looks,

even though she's, like, battle-scarred from cancer.

And it's just me saying, "Be strong."

It's interesting, isn't it?

Because it's one of the simplest forms here,

but it's so, so powerful.

I think the fact that you've put the arms

over the top of the head

to sort of reveal the breast that's missing,

I just think it's incredibly powerful,

it's incredibly brave,

and I think it's... it's incredibly poignant.

It says everything in volumes that you want to say.

And it is brave, but so positive.

And I think that's the thing that comes through.

It feels like the phoenix from the ashes.

Yeah, it feels very triumphant.

"Never be ashamed of a scar. It shows a battle won."

That says it all. That says it all.

It's almost like you've been thinking about this

since you were 32,

and someone's just given you the opportunity...

to come up with it.

It's brilliant. It's... It's absolutely wonderful.

We couldn't have asked for more. We couldn't.

Literally couldn't have asked for more.

Well done, lovey. Well done.

I had a talk with myself before judging and thought,

"Right, just be strong and don't cry."

And then you walk up and Keith's already crying,

and how can you not?

And I'm immensely proud of her.

There was a lot of emotion in the room today.

We had to put ourselves into it, and in getting the sculpture,

that kind of got me, if you know what I mean.

That, to me, it's a big thing.

The colors achieved in that firing

were everything that I'd hoped for, and more, really.

But I'm the only person who had a build error,

and one tiny mistake could be the difference

between staying and leaving.

So here we are. The old gang back together again.

- The quarterfinal. - Sorry, what's your name again?

Who do you think is shining so far?

Well, for me, Christine.

Just the whole story,

the way she emulated that through the sculpture,

and the sculpture itself was so aesthetically pleasing.

It was incredible.

So the second challenge this week,

yet again, AJ won.

Do you think they're in the running for potter of the week?

I think they have to be.

What was astonishing from AJ's piece

was their level of introspection,

and the overall composition, the proportions.

Everything about it just felt right.

Who do you think is in danger this week?

Well, Jenny.

The quality of the overall build,

a few cracks opening up.

It just perhaps lacked some of the ambition

in terms of the overall form, the height, the width.

- It was very sort of linear. - Lucinda.

You enjoyed caressing Lucinda's sculpture.

Well, you know, it's like game of two halves with Lucinda.

I love it, but, you know,

whether there's something disjointed about it...

I like it in profile from the side

perhaps more than from the front.

And we do have to consider

that she came fourth in the second challenge.

I mean, it's so hard this week.

Anna's sculpture, again,

it's not the kind of thing that she would ever do.

But she gave us such an amazing sculpture of herself.

Maybe her surface wasn't quite as finished off

as it could possibly have been.

But we're splitting hairs here, really.

So is it getting any clearer to you

who will be potter of the week,

and who unfortunately will be leaving us?

I still reckon you should have another cup of hot chocolate.

Ai, ai, ai.

Potters, what a week it's been.

The judges have made their decision.

It hasn't been an easy decision.

The potter of the week goes to work that they described

as being triumphant, powerful, and brave.

This week's potter of the week...

is Christine.

Congratulations, Christine.

- Thank you.

- Thank you. - Absolutely.

Thank you.

OK, now the bad bit, um, which I don't enjoy doing.

The person who is leaving the pottery this week is...

- Jenny. - Yeah.

- I'm so sorry, Jenny. - Oh, Jenny.

- Jenny, Jenny. - It's all right.

Aw.

I want to say thank you. It's been an absolute dream.

You guys have all believed in me more than I believed in myself,

and I am leaving with, you know, a newfound confidence,

so thank you so much.

Thank you. That's beautiful.

Well, Jenny, you've just been amazing.

You've been... You are an amazing potter.

Apart from maybe candlesticks,

which is probably the funniest thing

I've ever seen made in pottery.

You've been absolutely wonderful.

It was just so hard to decide who was gonna go this week.

It's been such an incredibly powerful week.

You have been so honest and open and brave with your decisions

and making your self-sculptures

that it's been, really, an inspiration.

- Hasn't it, Rich? - Absolutely.

We just hugely appreciate

everything you've done this week.

To wear your hearts on your sleeves and give us everything,

you know, and literally throw them into the fire,

we can't thank you enough.

I leave with my head held high. It's the quarterfinals.

But you don't want a journey like this to ever end.

- Wonderful. - Thank you.

Yeah, just believe in yourself.

Just taking part in this is a massive thing for me.

You know, being away from my family.

It's the first time that I've done that

since I've had the children,

done something just for me.

I do feel like I've made massive strides in my pottery.

And I do think I've made friendships

that will last me a lifetime.

It's been wonderful.

As Jenny heads for the exit, Christine's self-sculpture

becomes her first entry into the Throw Down gallery.

I'm just so happy for Christine.

She could have won any single episode of any single series

with that particular sculpture.

It was amazing.

Yah! I've finally done it.

I'm proud that I put myself out there,

I'm proud that I laid myself bare,

and I'm proud of what I made.

And that piece has got me into the semifinals.

I actually can't believe it.

- Next time... - Ooh.

...it's bathroom week.

Making urinals in the semifinal.

Where our remaining potters...

I can't believe it. There's just four of us in here.

...tackle their biggest challenge yet...

So much clay. Ridiculously big.

...and face a special guest judge.

Even if you're not into pottery, you know Wedgwood.

Who will make the final three?

- I think it's great. - It is super, super cool.

And who will crack under the pressure?

If it had been week one, I might have been in tears by now.