Lancashire-born potter James Stead has made it through to the final of Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throwdown.
James, from Kirkham but now living in Oxfordshire, comfortably made it through from the four remaining contestants to secure a place in next week’s final.
This week the potters were tasked with creating a pair of sinks and 10 decorative tiles to go with them, in a traditional style inspired by Turkish baths.
James was praised for the “wonderful” shape on his sinks bowls, the “exquisite quality” of the brushwork inside his sinks, and the cohesion between the sinks and the tiles.
One of the sinks did leak slightly when put to test, but the judges said it mattered little considering how well the other elements were done.
The second challenge this week was to tube-line a decorative pot over a pre-inked pattern and to paint the lid of the pot.
The challenge was guest judged by two designers from Moorcroft, a pottery based in Stoke-on-Trent.
Though James was praised for some elements of his pot, he came last in the challenge as there were too many points where the tube-lining did not meet up.
Given his excellent work in the initial challenge, James was still in line for Potter of the Week, but this instead went to Lois.
Going home and missing out on a place in the final was Caitlin, a student from Glasgow, leaving places in the final to go to James, Lois, and Jon.
The final of the Great Pottery Throwdown airs next Sunday evening (March 12) on Channel 4.
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