The Great Pottery Throw Down: James Stead wins second episode in a row

James, 44, who now lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire, successfully mastered the ancient art of raku firing with a pair of hanging planters inspired by the pet chickens he has at home.

He also kept up his streak of winning every second challenge in the series so far, impressing judges Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller, as well as guest judge Freya Bramble-Carter, with an added coil to a pre-made vase.

James' pots were inspired by his pet chickens (Image: Channel 4)

For the main challenge, the nine remaining potters were tasked with creating a pair of hanging planters that needed to have a statement finial underneath.

James chose to replicate the body of his chickens, Eggletina and Henrietta, in the pot while the finials on the underside were in the shape of their heads.

READ MORE: Rishton-born James wins big on The Great Pottery Throw Down week three

After a gruelling six hours of designing and creating, they were given a further one-and-a-half hours to decorate their pots and also add resist slip and a special glaze before they were raku fired.

Raku firing is an intense way of firing clay, heating up to 1,000°C within minutes, and once finished the pieces are placed into a box filled with sawdust which helps the pieces to catch fire.

James and his fellow potters outside during the raku firing process (Image: Channel 4)

The box is then sealed, starving the pot of oxygen and starting the carbonisation process which, if completed correctly, should leave the rims of the pots and the finials underneath jet black and leave a smoky background on the rest of the pot.

All of the glaze came off of James’ two pots with no issues, revealing his design underneath which was praised as “sublime” by the two judges.

Additionally, James once again came out on top in the second challenge, which was blind-judged alongside Bramble-Carter, a contestant from series two of the programme whose pottery has gone on to be featured in British Vogue, the New York Times and Home & Garden.

The potters were given a pre-made vase and were tasked with making a 30cm coil to go on top of it that was supposed to bring out their flamboyant side.

James was praised particularly for his “beautiful shape” and good blending on the inside as well as the subtle touches of decoration.

James in the process of making his pots (Image: Channel 4)

These two results were enough to earn James the Potter of the Week award for the second week running, having created a trio of flying birds and an old-school water bottle in the previous episode.

Leaving the pottery this week was Fabiola, a nanny originally from Colombia but now living in London.

Next week James and the other seven remaining potters will have to tackle was presenter Siobhan McSweeney described as a “monstrous hand-build” and a “gargantuan throwing task”.

The Great Pottery Throw Down airs on Sunday nights on Channel 4.