It’s become one of the must-see highlights of winter TV, and The Great Pottery Throw Down, back on screens for its sixth season, is already another hit with viewers shining a spotlight on the world of potters’ wheels and glazing kilns.
For budding potters Stoke-on-Trent, the spiritual home of British ceramics, is not only where the series is filmed, but also where visitors can follow in the footsteps of the TV contestants and have a go at the wheel themselves at the very same historic pottery.
The striking bottle kilns of Gladstone Pottery Museum, the country’s only complete Victorian pottery factory, have become a familiar sight for Channel 4 TV viewers each Sunday during the annual search to find Britain’s best amateur ceramicist, with the winner set to be revealed in mid-March.
For anyone inspired by the amazing clay creations from the TV show, Gladstone provides a fascinating insight into a time when coal burning ovens made the world’s finest bone china – as well as opportunities for visitors to try their hand at throwing a pot or decorating one. The Museum re-opens for the 2023 season on 1 April (£8.50 adults and £5.95 children, 4 – 16 years).
Series 6 of The Great Pottery Throw Down began on Sunday 8 January on Channel 4 and there will be 10 episodes, one every Sunday, until the grand final this month, with Stoke-on-Trent once again becoming one of the stars of the show, alongside the pottery champions.
Regarded as a world ‘Capital of Ceramics’ – and the only city in Britain to be named after its primary industry, The Potteries – Stoke-on-Trent has been shaped by its production for centuries. Today it is home to a host of award-winning attractions, tours, and factory shops.
It will also have plenty to shout about in 2023, including a “homecoming” for the Spode Museum collection, one of the country’s most important collections, while the UK’s largest contemporary event, The British Ceramics Biennial (BCB), returns to Stoke-on-Trent in September 2023.
Throw into the mix, Middleport Pottery, home of world-famous Burleigh, where pottery has been created since 1889, and World of Wedgwood, the ultimate destination to experience this iconic brand bringing together shopping, hands-on experiences, plus the historic V&A Wedgwood Collection, and it is clear that The Potteries more than lives up to its name.
Other ‘have a go’ sessions include painting your own pottery at Emma Bridgewater and Royal Stafford and designing your own dinner service at the World of Wedgwood.
For more information on Stoke-on-Trent as a destination, see www.visitstoke.co.uk.