Great British Sewing Bee is back on 15th July

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I'm looking forward to it.

The judges tend to conveniently forget the past record and repeat the 'anyone can go if they have a bad week' mantra when they want to get rid of someone, but seem very forgiving and more inclined to credit them for past successes when they're a favourite. That was absolutely the case with Raoul on Bake Off, who'd been terrific early on but had a shocker of a semi final and had actually burned some of his bakes. They very clearly wanted him at least in the final and probably to win at that point though.

While Kit has done plenty of excellent sewing, he also still gets high praise and placings even when he's less good. I agree with @doglover90 that Orla should have been sole winner of GOTW. It's not that Kit would be an unworthy winner - he's very talented - but he has had some benefit from favouritism too.

Kit had never won GOTW prior to this so not sure where this favouritism is exhibited .

I imagine there is a very strong steer from the production team to keep the last man standing until at least the semis. TBH I think KIt is so good at the pattern challenge that it is not an issue but I assume the editing is done to keep the compliments flowing for KIt and less so for some of the others to a) maintain an element of jeopardy amongst the ladies and b) justify Kit's presence.

Given that they edit the show backwards from the winner, and Kit has been so prominent in every episode, I predict he wins, Cas is second and whoever does the worst out of Orla or Yasmin goes home tonight and the other will come third.

Kit has been easily the best sewer for pretty much every pattern challenge, so I don't think it is favouritism keeping him in.

Perhaps it’s similar shows and not GBSB, but I thought the opposite applied: if you saw someone’s life story or background they often left shortly afterwards, leaving time in the series for the remaining people’s turns.

In a similar way, early in the series when there are still plenty of contestants, when the judges are ranking the outfits they say more about the ones at the bottom (and the top two, I concede) and skip over the ones in the middle.

I agree about Kit and Cat being in the top two, at least on the makes we have seen so far. But I still can’t see how can a baggy scarecrow outfit can win the made to measure!

Didn’t he win GOTW for the first time the previous week? I agree that Orla should have won that on her own, his was a pure reproduction of a costume that looked largely “assembled”

I think this was his first week but I may be wrong. He certainly hasn't been 'favoured'. Statistically, that would be Caz.

They will feature the loser of each show in some detail. When Stuart went we hadn't seen a lot before, so I knew he was going. But they also showcase the ultimate finalists and winner throughout the series.

I think it's so viewers can get to know the winner and feel good about them. They may even "predict" who wins and feel great when their choice wins.

All four semi finalists are strong, but Orla has the least experience.

Kit’s transformation dress didn’t fit well at the top even on the mannequin, but he wasn’t criticised for that, at least on-screen. For one of the others it was just about the only critical comment made.

Looking at Caz now, we can see Kit’s transformation outfit in the shot and it’s baggy at the pale green hip fastening, too. Given that the model wouldn’t be wearing anything underneath it I think that would have been rather important.

Sailor dresses being a lesbian signifier in the 1920’s gives a different meaning to the leading women wearing sailor dresses in the 1920’s musical Anything Goes!

That was a surprise - the person going home.

I really loved the sailor dress. So beautifully made.

Wow, Kit going home, that is a shocker!

We are over on the other thread, chaps.

Is there a link?

Here’s the other thread.

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2025/the-great-british-sewing-bee-sophie-willan