Great Pottery Throwdown winner is crowned after an emotional final
Warning: This article contains spoilers about the Great Pottery Throwdown final.
After a tense and emotional final episode, the winner of the Great Pottery Throwdown has finally been announced.
Pottery lovers from up and down the country have spent the last ten weeks battling it out to be crowned the best home potter in the UK in one of our favourite craft shows.
Only three made it to the final: James, Lois and Jon, after competitor Caitlin was knocked out in a gruelling semi-final. Judges Keith Brymer-Jones and Rich Miller were set the difficult task of decided who was the best potter out of the talented bunch, while proceedings were overseen by host Siobhan McSweeney.
And after 20 tough challenges over the ten week competition, Lois from Ramsgate was crowned the winner of the Great Pottery Throwdown 2023.
Filmed in the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke on Trent, the finalists were set three pottery challenges to determine who was the worthy winner.
The most difficult challenge of the series was saved until last: the three finalists had to create a pyramid vase centrepiece, painted the potters' lives and the subjects which mattered to them most.
The pyramid vase is a piece of pottery originating in the 18th century, once created for Queen Mary, the wife of William of Orange, so she could fill her palaces with fresh flowers.
For the technical second challenge, the finalists were tasked with decorating a large globe with Sgraffito, a technique which involved scratching off a layer of colour to reveal a design underneath.
After Siobhan announced she was the winner of this year's Throwdown, Lois said: "‘I just feel really lucky that I am here with my wonderful friends and my family – we have all worked so hard together and that’s what makes it so special.
"I think the future looks pretty exciting, and I am definitely going to have more confidence in new things that I try. And I am looking forward to sharing loads of pottery chat with a lot of people."
The judges were delighted to crown Lois the winner – with Keith shedding a tear at the beauty and meaning behind the talented potter's "Look How Much I've Grown" pyramid vase. Each layer of the vase depicted an important area of Lois' life – from her family, to her teaching career to her love of pottery.
Keith said: "What makes Loïs really special is that she gives something of herself every single time she makes something.
"And to cap it all that pyramid vase is a centre piece for any table. She really deserves it."
Fellow judge Rich added: "Right the way through she has dazzled us with her incredible affinity for decorative work and all round pottery skills."
Do you think you have what it takes to be crowned Britain's best home potter? There's still time to enter next year's Great Pottery Throwdown – click here to find out more.
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