The Great Pottery Throwdown 2026

[AlicePottery]

Starting in 15 minutes, anyone else watching?

Ooh yeah that makes sense.

I’d prefer something meaningful that could have been used as a tie break and show the wonderful skills we know semi finalists will have.

I have so many boxes of broken crockery/failed makes with the intention of doing mosaic one day...

I remember doing ceramic mosaics in primary school. I think that may have been before health and safety was invented.

All the potters are so … nice. It’s going to be hard to lose one of them.

Oh god, mixing stoneware glazes without testing first 😬😬😬

How would you normally do it?

They are. Usually there is at least one left at this stage who I can’t warm to, but I’d love them to announce at the end of tonight that they’ve all won!

So much testing, not something you can do in a competition. Some glaze combinations become very runny, others craze (crackles) or crawl (glaze aglomerates and leaves bare patches).

Some combinations are reasonably predictable of you know the ingredients and are used to working with those glazes, but sometimes you get really surprising outcomes.

So do you do a particular mix and test pot?

I think the entire group this year have been lovely (I think Bill and Elham are my favourites), and all quality participants.

I bet hanging those fountains themselves was nerve wracking.

These two beige/brown glazes came out icy blue where they overlapped.

Yes, they're called test tiles, each potter makes their own (depending on which clay they use).

I love all of these

Not loving any of these, Fynn's is the least ugly 😅

I want Bill to make me lots and lots of Kelpies! ❤️❤️

Bill’s is ugly but it pours really well.

I don't like the arms on Eltham's, they seem spindly and very much not baroque.

I fear Bill may be going 😞

Don’t like any of them. Eltham’s looks the most normal, but I don’t particularly like it

Oh Elham's is alright too

Does a teary Keith mean Elham is through?

I think they’re all good, it will be hard for the judges. I like Fynn & Elhams best, but I also like Bill’s kelpies. Angharad was the least successful for me.