Great Pottery Throw Down - BBC 2

Princess Calla · 02-01-2022 11:13pm

Strong first week!

Do they usually have as many pieces to do in week 1?

As always I feel sorry for first one to leave!

Wasn't impressed by Zahras at all....how many times has the mad hatters tea party been done? I thought she should have gone for lack of imagination alone.

Didn't really like the motorbike design either though it was well made.

Loved Christine's fairies, Anna's fox and AJ's dinosaurs. Personally I would have put Christine ahead of Lucinda but I suppose Lucinda had alot of colour.

No one standing out ahead of the pack yet, though can see a few weaker ones.

Navy blue · 06-01-2022 1:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118408195#Comment_118408195

Agree 100% with this! I thought Christine's fairies were elegant and stunning, I'd say the fact that there was a lack of colour is what went against her when it was aimed at children. Zahra just looked like she had no interest in being there at the end. She would want to up her game if she wants to avoid being next to go. Thought it was a really strong week overall, so happy to have it back!

Princess Calla · 09-01-2022 10:21pm

I really want that chicken clock ...it reminded me of some cartoon...maybe chicken run? But it was so much fun.

The tent was very well done, but icelandics are green 🤣

The rock around the clock was fab too, not overly original but it was personal to her and the guitar was great.

Abit of a tiff between Miles and Richie I thought when doing the rounds...keiths face was priceless.

Glad Zahra has gone,she seemed so disinterested in the whole thing.

I think the guy that did the motorbike last week and cabinet this week and Miles are the next two weakest.

Another very good week.

HeidiHeidi · 10-01-2022 1:23am

Ah that chicken clock was fantastic!! And the dancing/rock around the clock one. The details on it!!

But the standout for me was the treasure chest (minus the frankly a bit bizarre dragon!) - the texture and detail she managed to create on that was amazing!! How the dragon (which looked more like a demented parrot to me) stuck on there was a feat of gravity-defying physics!

I loved the tent, it was just so simple, but brilliantly done. Just shows, you don't always have to go for the wow factor.

Another great week!

Navy blue · 10-01-2022 11:58am

I think Tom might feel himself a little bit robbed this week! His Chicken clock was fantastic, I loved the egg pendulum, it was just so vibrant and fun. I could really see that for sale in a shop. That said, Cellan's tent was excellent too, he really managed to get the texture and movement of the fabric in it, but I felt it was just a little too plain to be the standout item of the week. I thought the cabinet was the poorest one of all, it didn't look like a cabinet and there was no recognisable detail in it. Miles's temple turned out very poorly too, it promised a lot but just ended up looking like a big blue jelly. I liked the detail in the paint box one, she made the half squeezed tube of paint look so unbelievably realistic! Zahra's could have been so pretty, but she suffered a lot of technical problems with it and it failed it's primary purpose, which was to hang on a wall. So it was a foregone conclusion. Not sorry to see her go, she looked like she didn't want to be there.

Another really strong week, some really good makes for this early in the competition

RoryMurphyJnr · 10-01-2022 12:02pm

Thank the heavens for Ellie Taylor, a breath of fresh air.

Don't miss Siobhan at all, it was always about her not the potters.

Hopefully CH4 will see the error of their ways and ask Ellie to stay on for the next series

HeidiHeidi · 10-01-2022 12:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118448348#Comment_118448348

Can't agree with you there, I loved Siobhán.

Ellie is grand, but her voice is a bit high-pitched for my taste. Loved Siobhán's wry dry sense of humour.

HeidiHeidi · 16-01-2022 5:25pm

Ah FFS!

Pottery Throwdown, and Dancing on Ice, AND Dancing With the Stars (which I could live without, in fairness), AND the snooker - all on at the same time.

And I can only record and/or watch two at the same time on my stupid Sky box 🙄

Have to watch the snooker live, in fairness.

There's going to be a lot of playing catch-up going on here!

Princess Calla · 16-01-2022 10:37pm

Rte/tv3/ch4 all have +1 option might help to divide the load?

Princess Calla · 16-01-2022 10:42pm

Well Nick was a dark horse. Absolutely loved the boat.

It felt more a week 1 offering tonight, the boat for me was the strongest followed by Cellans coal wagon, the rest were pretty forgettable.

Miles had a very lucky escape. I think the girl who did the steel piece is also fairly weak, she's been cruising in the middle since the start....her or Miles next week.

HeidiHeidi · 16-01-2022 11:56pm

I wouldn't be rushing out to buy any of tonight's pieces!

Think the railway wagon topped it for me tonight, followed by the boat - I'm a total sucker for boats though.

I was surprised how small it was when Rose was lifting it into place in the gallery. But the detail!!

I was also surprised how dark/grey most of them were - I was expecting bright white pieces with sharp black detailing.

I didn't get the raving about the lamppost on the bridge, it looked a bit cartoonish to me - although I thought the bridge itself was great - the cobbles on the road surface better than the brickwork on the walls, they were a bit cartoony as well.

All in all a bit of a meh week all round.

Navy blue · 17-01-2022 1:27pm

A bit of a dull episode all in all. I enjoyed the challenges the clay presented, but none of the finished products rocked my boat (apart from the boat ironically 😂) Cellan’s wagon was also lovely. He really excels in putting exquisite detail on what at first seems like a very simple design.

Miles had a very lucky escape, I didn’t like his apple at all. That’s two poor weeks he has had. He’ll need to pull up his socks next week. Josh deserved to go, his was a bit of a disaster, plus his clock last week was poor.

Yay, Raku week next week! It’s my favourite!

gmisk · 17-01-2022 7:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118486733#Comment_118486733

Definitely agree, I thought nicks was amazing this week! I also loved his robot clock.

Miles yeah it looked thrown together, very little detail on it.

Seems fairly even this year

sammyjo90 · 19-01-2022 8:46pm

It says something if keith wasnt truely moved to tears by any of them. A little choked up on one but nothing like his normal reaction.

I think i would have sent miles home over josh

Princess Calla · 24-01-2022 12:40am

Kinda disappointed this week the raku week is usually fairly dramatic.

I liked Lucindas, I wonder if she had of steeped the heather branch in water would it have been more malleable.

Noticed her having another little snipe at Tom over his talking....wonder if there's behind the scenes tensions there.

I don't think Christine's cherry blossoms overly worked for the amount of effort I don't think she got a good return.

Miles deserved to go he's been on the edge for weeks. Jenny is my next bet to leave.

HeidiHeidi · 24-01-2022 1:06am

Haven't read the comments, just watching the show now.....

First thought is completely O/T - WTF is the story with them all having high-mounted pigtails (including one of the fellas)???

That can't be a coincidence!

ETA - ohhhhhhh...... it's a Japanese reference, right?

It's been a long day - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

HeidiHeidi · 24-01-2022 2:11am

They didn't do the pour test! No point in having a teapot if it dribbles all over yer table!!

Tom's dalmatian teaset - nah, not for me. But he aced it in the actual throwing and the finish of the pieces - decoration let him down though.

AJ's - really gorgeous glazing and decoration and colours, but a bit boring.

Cellan - meh - bit boring in the decoration, but nicely made and a bit clever in the design.

Miles - agree with the judges, just looked a bit messy, and too monochrome - if I was asked beforehand if that colour scheme would work, I'd have been a big fan, but in reality it just didn't work for me anyway

Lucinda - absolutely gorgeous colours in her glazing, and kudos for figuring out a Plan B for her handle lugs snapping off! Really gorgeous set.

Nick - I do love a square shape! And the blue/white/black colours worked, where Miles's didn't. I didn't like the handle, but other than that, gorgeous.

Anna - just looked a bit of a mess, really! Didn't get any sense of a plan, or a cohesive set about her pieces.

Jenny - I want to like it, but just a bit boring overall, despite the faceted design.

Christine - gorgeous, and clearly the feel of the cups was great, but the colouring was a bit pastelly for my liking, I prefer a more bold design. But they really were gorgeous.

BUT - we don't know if they'll pour a cuppa!!!

HeidiHeidi · 24-01-2022 2:20am

Aaaaand, Tom gets potter of the week - just shows what I know!

In fairness, his making/build/form - whatever you'd call it - was the best of the lot of them, apart from Nick, whose square shapes I loved but they clearly didn't appeal to the judges. And his plastic handle just jarred. But I just didn't get the decoration of Tom's pieces. And I normally love simplicity, and bold design.

For me, his decoration in comparison to Lucinda, Nick AJ, and even Christine (if pastels are your bag) wasn't in the ball park.

Princess Calla · 31-01-2022 2:45pm

Wouldn't be a fan of gnomes but some of them were cute.

I felt cealan was robbed abit this week. He has been pretty strong and had a bad week whereas jenny has always been just abit better than the worst.

The guest potter doing those urns was amazing.

It wasn't a very remarkable episode. No piece really stood out.

Princess Calla · 07-02-2022 6:02pm

Is anyone still watching??

I missed the beginning , joined just at the spot challenge.

Again wasn't really gone on anything this week.

Jenny really upped her game, I did like her final pieces. I wasn't gone on her design challenge piece, I didn't think the colours were that striking.

Nick really had a bad week....his colour application on his pieces looked like he'd runout of steam and splashed anything on ...the pieces themselves were lovely if he'd just glazed them perfectly.

HeidiHeidi · 08-02-2022 11:36am

I'm still watching 😄

Yeah, not the most inspiring of episodes really - none of the main makes would have grabbed me really.

I thought Nick's were an absolute mess - there was a nod to the 60's in the shapes he stuck on, but the glazing was awful.

Jenny's winning pots were fine - a nice mix of strong lines but blurring between the sections as well, and absolutely beautifully made shapes. But they didn't make me go WOW.

The others have all receded into a blend at this stage, I can't even remember any of them in particular.

Having said that, Orla Kiely stuff doesn't really do it for me either, so maybe the 60's just isn't my thing! But she definitely does it better than any of the potters this week.

I'm really hoping for a blistering week soon, it's all a bit safe this series.

Sleepy · 08-02-2022 3:10pm

There was an audible groan that escaped me when Orla Kiely was shown to be the guest judge... can't fathom what people see in her products. The handbags in particular look like (and have all the build quality of) buy-it-for-life shopping bags from a pound-shop yet seem to go for mad money.

It's looking like it's AJ's season to lose at this stage...

stargazer 68 · 08-02-2022 6:22pm

I'm still watching too although I have to watch it on demand at 10pm 😁

I liked the gnomes. A couple of good contestants but I can't even remember most of the names! AJ standing out a right

Poochie05 · 08-02-2022 9:33pm

I’m still watching too, but usually on catch up on Mondays. Agree looks like it's AJ's to lose at this stage

gmisk · 08-02-2022 9:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118601429#Comment_118601429

AJs gnomes were amazing!

This week some lovely stuff..AJ again very good this week. Terrific to see Jenny win potter of the week, you could see it meant a lot to her. Nick had to go I suppose given his blow out but still very talented his boat was wonderful.

Princess Calla · 13-02-2022 10:53pm

Well this week was so much more enjoyable.

Jenny is a total dark horse. I loved the anglerfish light idea...pretty much made for the challenge. Not sure I'd buy one but great idea. Her owl set was lovely too.

I think jenny was slightly robbed tbh though AJ's was great too.

Loved the crocodile too.

The polar bear looked weird, Christine was lucky tom had a bad week there.

I thought the octopus was well done but the saggrato wasn't great. I think if he'd done a better challenge than the two uninspiring pots.... seriously what was he thinking....he may have saved himself.

Xander10 · 14-02-2022 12:11am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118626773#Comment_118626773

Agree with that. Really enjoyed tonight's show.

HeidiHeidi · 14-02-2022 12:22am

Now this is what pottery throwdown is meant to be!!

I haven't even got to the end yet, and I'm already loving some of the pieces.

Just a shame they didn't fire the spot test pieces, I always find it very difficult to judge from just raw clay and glaze - i think last week was the first time they did, and I was hoping they'd do the same this time.

Right, on to see how the final main makes turn out!

HeidiHeidi · 14-02-2022 12:40am

Awww, AJ's otter was so cute!! And as the judges said, beautiful both with and without light bulb lit.

Same for Lucinda's, but the red flex didn't do it for me at all.

That polar bear was just plain weird looking!

The octopus was a bit of a damp squid (boom boom!). Very underwhelming, in comparison to the others. Nice build, but terribly plain in decoration, particularly when they'd asked for scrafitto.

The Croc was amazing!! Such detail in the carving. And looked even better when lit. The flex didn't look out of place like it did with Lucinda's badger.

Think that was the winner for me tonight.

The angler fish - fabulous carving and decoration - the textures - but that thing would give me fecking nightmares!!

HeidiHeidi · 14-02-2022 12:49am

Oh! I was sure the angler fish would win it for Jenny!

Delighted for AJ - she's definitely the hot tip to win the whole thing, barring a bad week wobble. But that weird otter's head will be queuing up behind the angler fish to give me the heebie jeebies 🥺

Great Pottery Throw Down - BBC 2

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