The Great British Sewing Bee is back! And these are this year's contestants

the great british sewing bee series 10 contestants with esme young, kiell smith bynoe and patrick grant
EYNTK about the new Sewing Bee seriesBBC/Love Productions/James Stack

It's the news we've all been waiting for – The Great British Sewing Bee is back for 2024! The release date for the new series of Sewing Bee has been announced along with the contestants, and we can't wait to watch.

This brilliant craft TV show sees 12 amateur sewers battle it out to be crowned the best in Britain.

Each week, they must take part in three challenges: a Pattern Challenge to test their basic dressmaking skills, a Transformation Challenge to assess their creativity, and a Made to Measure Challenge to create a bespoke garment.

Each week, one sewer's creation is awarded Garment of the Week, and another is sent home from the competition. The final will see the remaining three sewers battle it out to be crowned winner.

When is The Great British Sewing Bee 2024 on TV?

The tenth series of the Sewing Bee will be on our screens on Tuesday 21 May at 9pm on BBC One and available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

There will then be a new episode of the Sewing Bee every Tuesday at the same time for nine more weeks.

In the first episode of the new series, the sewers must make an A-line denim midi skirt, and then transform a T shirt into a totally new garment. Finally, the contestants must make their models a casual day dress.

The Great British Sewing Bee announced the news of the new series on their Instagram page, with a picture of Esme, Patrick and new presenter Kiell, alongside the caption:"The Bee is back.

"The Great British Sewing Bee returns Tuesday 21st May at 9pm on BBC One."

The Great British Sewing Bee: The contestants

A new set of ten amateur sewers will be taking part in the series, in the hope of being crowned the winner.

They are: Don, Alex, Marcus, Pascha, Luke, Lauren, Comfort, Georgie, Janet, Marcus, Ailsa and Suzy.

This year's participants were announced on Sewing Bee's Instagram account, with a graphic of all them alongside Patrick, Esme and Kiell. The caption said: "We’re sew excited to present our brand new bees."

The Great British Sewing Bee: The judges

Some of our favourites stars from previous series of Sewing Bee have returned to our screens. The competition is to be judged by expert judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant.

esme young and patrick grant on the great british sewing bee
Esme Young and Patrick Grant are returning to the show as judgesBBC/Love Productions/James Stack

Esme is a designer who has enjoyed a brilliant career in the fashion industry, having taken up sewing aged just seven.

She launched her own fashion label in the 1970s called Swanky Modes, which featured in the pages of Vogue. Later in her career, she branched into costume design – perhaps most famously creating Renee Zellweger's iconic bunny outfit in Bridget Jones' Diary.

Esme will be joined by fellow judge Patrick Grant. Patrick is a designer and tailor and the owner of Savile Row tailors Norton and Sons. He also launched the social enterprise Community Clothing, which aims to selling great quality affordable clothing, while sustaining and creating great jobs in the UK's textile making regions.

The Great British Sewing Bee: The presenter

The previous series of the Sewing Bee was presented by comedian Sara Pascoe. She was on maternity leave during the filming of this series, and so comedian and actor Kiell Smith Bynoe has taken her place for series 10.

Kiell is perhaps best known for his roles in TV sitcoms Ghosts and Stath Lets Flats. Kiell presented the Sewing Bee Christmas special 2023, and was a contestant in the 2021 Christmas special, alongside Rev Kate Bottley, Antony Cotton, Anneka Rice, Lawrence Chaney, Rose Matafeo, Claire Richards and Kirsty Wark.

Apply now to be on the next series of the Sewing Bee

If you've been inspired and would like to appear on the Sewing Bee, there's still time to apply for the next series!

We've got all the details you need on how to apply here – it's a really straightforward application process. You just need to send a few details about why you love sewing, some examples of your work and a bit about you.

The Great British Sewing Bee starts on Tuesday 21 May at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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