The Great Pottery Throw Down

Ten new potters put their skill and creativity to the test with a personal 16-piece dinner set and sponge decorating in front of a very special guest.

Time is of the essence as contestants get to grips with hand-building clocks before throwing a double-walled pot and pulling handles for stew dishes.

The potters vie for the third gallery spot as they tackle Japanese-style ceramics, crafting raku-fired sake sets and rice bowls before carving lanterns.

It's garden week, and the remaining contestants must combine their technical skills with wild imagination to make an outdoor water feature — that works.

Tasked with their tallest challenge so far, the potters try their hands at pit-firing large vases while camping out in the Staffordshire countryside.

This week's main make is a set of hand-built Russian nesting dolls, followed by a blindfolded throw down task that leaves one potter feeling nervous.

Flushed by their semi-final task, the four remaining potters face their biggest challenge yet, and a mystery guest gives them a speedy teapot test.

It's the finalists' last time to shine as they create two identical porcelain lights and tackle throwing Japanese lanterns — with their wheel in reverse.