Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down is back for another series, with 12 new potters hoping to impress the judges.
Each week, judges Rich Miller and Keith Brymer Jones will test the contestants at some creative challenges, after which they’ll decide who will go home and who will stay in the competition.
Over the course of 10 weeks, they will put the line-up through their paces before naming the ultimate pottery champ for 2022.
So, who is in the line-up this year?
From a couple of students, a hospital doctor and design and technology teacher, meet this year’s potters.
AJ
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-AJ-7642ede.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-AJ\"")
Age: 21
From: Aberdeen
Job: Design graduate
Design graduate AJ is the youngest potter in the series. Born and bred in Aberdeen, AJ is cool, quirky and loves dressing up for comic conventions, fantasy board gaming with friends and skateboarding. They fell in love with ceramics after starting their 3D Design course at university and soon developed their signature miniature blob-like creatures, inspired by their stone collection as a child.
Anna
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Anna-c2bef71.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Anna\"")
Age: 57
From: Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Job: Social care facilitator
Coming from a generation of farmers, Anna spent her childhood harvesting crops and raising livestock. She lived and worked in Africa for years where she met her partner Skip. Now back home in Northern Ireland, Anna works with adults with learning difficulties, offering creative workshops.
Bill
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Bill-3fce486.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Bill\"")
Age: 63
From: Scarborough
Job: Museum learning assistant
Proud dad and grandad Bill is a former teacher. He loves his job running activities and leading school trips around his local museum. Bill lost his husband last year and his passion for pottery helped him get through that sad time. He lives near the beach with his dog Wilf. He pots in his local studio with a group of ladies – and they love potting and gossiping!
Cellan
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Cellan-3a93177.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Cellan\"")
Age: 23
From: Brighton (originally Cardiff)
Job: 3D design and craft graduate
Growing up in Cardiff as one of four close knit brothers, Cellan admits he’s pretty competitive. Before studying 3D design and craft he had lots of jobs, including joiner and stone mason, and he even worked in an ice cream van last summer. Cellan now calls Brighton home and loves all materials, be it wood, plastic, metal, or ceramic – he has made furniture for his pottery creations to interact with. He wants his work to be used by people rather than collect dust sitting on shelves.
Christine
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Christine-a1dcf01.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Christine\"")
Age: 57
From: Preston
Job: Art youth worker
Christine works as an art youth worker and loves bringing her art and creativity to the young people she works with. After studying in Stoke in the ’80s, she returned to pottery when she left her 20-year teaching career behind. She gave throwing a try and loved it so much she bought a wheel, however her real passion is slip casting porcelain.
Jenny
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Jenny-ffbb327.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Jenny\"")
Age: 43
From: North Lincolnshire
Job: Full-time mum
Bird watcher and metal detectorist Jenny lives near Doncaster with her two children and her husband, as well as their two cats and four chickens. After teaching for years she left her job to concentrate on family life. Growing up around her Grandma’s pottery wheel and craft market stall, Jenny took up pottery properly a few years ago and has a studio at home where she loves to throw her signature doughnut vases.
Josh
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Josh-f9d27bc.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Josh\"")
Age: 27
From: Berkshire
Job: Design and technology teacher
Josh is a design and technology teacher and an assistant house master at a boarding school near Reading. As well as working with wood, metal and ceramics, he also teaches sport. He’s been potting since he was 11, and a lot of his inspiration comes from his Portuguese heritage.
Lucinda
!["The]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Lucinda-1429488.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"The-Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-2022-line-up-Lucinda\"")
Age: 58
From: Shropshire
Job: Retired NHS therapist
Grandmother Lucinda loves her rural life in Shropshire. She retired after 25 years as an NHS Mental health therapist and now works part-time behind the bar in her village pub. Lucinda started pottery as a teenager and has a studio at home, where she loves to draw and sketch out her plans for her pots before creating them.
Miles
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Miles-17e3ad0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Miles\"")
Age: 50
From: Worcestershire
Job: Denim designer
Miles started out in film costume and now has a successful career as a clothing designer. He eventually found himself in California, where he returned to pottery after learning it at school. Now back in the UK, working as a sustainability consultant, Miles lives with his husband Frank in the Worcestershire countryside and he has converted an outhouse into a studio.
Nick
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Nick-bbeb0c0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Nick\"")
Age: 43
From: Barry, Wales
Job: Prop maker
Tool obsessed Nick has been a props maker in film and TV for over 20 years. He previously worked on Doctor Who, where he made the famous sonic screwdrivers! He now lives in Barry with his wife and four children. Nick loves working with his hands and has his own workshop by the beach that he calls his ‘man cave’. He’s fairly new to pottery and after getting an old wheel from a friend, his new interest has taken off. He’s heavily influenced by the sea and outside.
Tom
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Tom-52e613e.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Great-Pottery-Throw-Down-Tom\"")
Age: 44
From: Bath
Job: Product director
Tom works in computer software and if he’s not potting in one of his two pottery sheds, he can be found at musical festivals. He lives in an art filled home with his wife and her two teenage sons, and his own teenage son visits regularly. After attending pottery classes with his mum, Tom was hooked from an early age and went on to study ceramics at university.
Zahra
!["Great]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2021/12/Zahra-c82cab5.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"Zahra\"")
Age: 32
From: Manchester
Job: Hospital doctor
The middle of three sisters, Zahra comes from a family of doctors and a lawyer. Despite their academic background, her parents and siblings all had creative hobbies and Zahra’s is ceramics. Her love of pottery grew after she attended a weekend slab-building class a few years ago. However, she now prefers throwing to hand building.
The Great Pottery Throw Down 2022 starts on Channel 4 on Sunday 2nd January at 7:45pm. If you’re looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide. Visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
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