Great British Sewing Bee 2026

[LIZS]

Back on 14th July at 8pm

It doesn't have to be some larger than life character. Racking stupid jokes though. That's where CW was so good (IMO)

I don't expect them to change the format to suit me, and obviously most of you like it. It does get better as the series progresses as the sewers get to know each other better,

The non-judge presenter occasionally does good stuff helping the contestants to cope with the pressure. I remember a few years ago a man in either the final or the semi-final just suddenly walked out as the pressure got to him. I didn't greatly take to Joe Lycett, who was the presenter at the time, but he went straight after him and had a chat, trying to help him pull himself together and go back to the task (which he did). The judges couldn't really do that and it would be intrusive to have a member of the production team suddenly start talking.

It’s a TV format. We may think it’s about sewing but to TV execs it’s an entertainment ('light ent' in old jargon) show and that means it needs a presenter. Simple as that.

I liked Kiell and I like Sophie Willian. Couldn’t be doing with Sara Pascoe.

Quoting myself as it’s too late to edit the autocorrect that decided 'Willan' should be 'Willian' 😡

I wish they’d change the format and send no one home in the first week

I agree @ForAmberPoster it would be much better to have the first week for settling in

I agree and I think this for all these shows, it’s not fair on the first week.

I agree it would be better to have nobody leave in the first week but this would involve an extra episode which I suppose they are unwilling to do and everyone presumably knows the rules when they enter.

Or sending two home another week. I don’t think viewers really get the chance to see enough in one episode but the contestants have already gone through audition sessions to test their basic skills. It felt disappointing because noone really made enough mistakes to make them out as an obvious candidate,

Any presenter is better than saint Claudia crikey why is she so popular I don’t get it.

Yes, she is a nepo baby. No talent.

More people know who she is than who her mother is so that's a bit of a harsh comment. She also holds a Cambridge degree so she hardly just stepped straight into fame. It is definitely a lot easier to get into the media if you know the right people but I am not sure Claudia is the most egregious example. We'll see how Strictly does without her.

What an odd thing to say. She has had a stellar presenting career, far exceeding the fame of her parents. I only briefly watched Strictly, but she was great there, and on the Sewing Bee, and she's absolutely fantastic on The Traitors.

Claudia is a fantastic presenter! Obviously a bit busy these days for poor old Sewing Bee. Sophie seems good so far though.

Disagree. She was given plum jobs. Her chat show didn’t attract big audiences.

Oh bollocks. Chat shows are very difficult to get right and a bit old hat anyway. She's a lot better than any of the other Traitors presenters for starters, for me. he may have had a well-connected start in life but she is good at what she does, whether you like her or not.

We switched off after the bag challenge , I can’t stand the stupid jokes / attempts at humour from the judges now and frankly 90% of the contestants are not relatable anymore they are all too try hard and quirky .

I don’t even know who Claudia’s parents are.

Her mum is Eve Pollard, editor of a couple of tabloids and several magazines. Claudia looks just like her.

Personally, I think she's great. She's warm and friendly, was great at Sewing Bee and always makes things more watchable.

Really? They're just normal people.

I thought they were all relatable and there was no-one I found annoying.

Fair enough , must be just me then but that aside the judges annoy me now .

Loved episode one! Can’t stand Anna, Emma and Beth. All give odd vibes. Love Lewis and Minnie. So sad to see dawn leave, she barely got a chance!

First time in years I haven’t hated a contestant from the start. I think Sophie is great, I can see her relating and getting on with the contestants, which is what you want.

I like Anna's style. I would 100% have been like that when I was 20 given half a chance. I'm over 70 now.