I had only middle-aged lesbian passing interest in ceramics – then I discovered The Great Pottery Throw Down
Rebecca Shaw
This show of sweet vibes and soothing spinning clay, where people are kind to each other, makes me cry. I’m not the only one
December 2023
Observer New Review Q&A
Keith Brymer Jones: ‘I’ll walk past a building site and blokes shout: “Oi, love your crying on TV!”’
The Great Pottery Throw Down judge on having Brad Pitt as a fan, his punk attitude to life and why he loves a pub quiz
November 2023
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
S5 E8: Keith Brymer Jones, potter
Screen bites
Pottery, woodwork and The Great British Bake Off: how joyful gentle hobbies took over television
May 2023
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer Photography
Life on a plate
Keith Brymer Jones: ‘It doesn’t surprise me that a lot of chefs also do pottery – clay is very tactile’
January 2023
Observer New Review Q&A
Siobhán McSweeney: ‘Without sounding woo woo, I think a feminine spirit has come back to Ireland’
The actor and presenter on saying goodbye to Derry Girls, her role in Disney’s new superhero comedy Extraordinary, and why she’s been given her own table on Pottery Throw Down
May 2022
Pot heads: why everyone’s fired up about ceramics
Seth Rogen and Serena Williams have joined the growing ranks of amateur potters, and fashion designers are being drawn to the wheel too. We get our hands dirty with the new ceramicists
March 2022
Stoke has missed chance to capitalise on its pottery heritage, says V&A boss
The museum’s director says the city should be building on the booming interest in ceramics fuelled by TV and film, not slashing heritage funds
November 2021
From Louis Walsh to Motsi Mabuse: our favourite TV judges
The X Factor’s master of indecision, Strictly’s hilarious dancing queen, plus the least qualified foodie on TV and more. Our writers pick their top telly adjudicators
July 2021
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent
S1 E6: Siobhán McSweeney, actor
This week, Grace sits down with the star of Derry Girls, the actor and TV presenter Siobhán McSweeney
April 2021
The Great British Saturation Point: is the Bake Off recipe going stale?
All That Glitters, a jewellery-making version of Bake Off, is the latest to reapply the formula in unexpected ways. Here’s a quick guide to the best, and the worst, attempts
March 2021
Brief letters
Why we're so stoked by new Potteries film
'I can't help but cry!' – how The Great Pottery Throw Down became a tear-jerking hit
January 2021
The potteries of Stoke need a recovery plan
The Guardian view on The Great Pottery Throw Down: eccentric and kind
March 2017
'Previously On': the great art of speed-watching hit TV
Is it possible to keep up with all the watercooler TV using only the recaps? We try to work out why Tom Hardy is rocking a Jamiroquai hat, why Carrie Mathison has moved to New York – and why the world of pottery is so sexy
February 2017
TV review
The Great Pottery Throw Down review – tears, smut and wheel skills
The potters’ skills are extraordinary and mesmerising, while Sara Cox’s innuendos rival Mel’n’Sue’s. Plus: fluffy fun-balls run for their lives in Cheetahs – Growing Up Fast
January 2016
The Great British Bake Off: producers achieve record growth
