'Pottery Throw Down shows what Stoke is all about'

"We need to instil in people the value of Stoke on Trent, and the value of making things, and that's what this show does in bucket loads."

The Great Pottery Throw Down is now in its ninth series, and expert judge and ceramicist Keith Brymer-Jones believes it showcases the value of the area in the pottery industry.

The show sees 12 potters go head-to-head, challenged each week with creating their own unique pieces, and is filmed at Gladstone Pottery in Longton.

Brymer-Jones said: "They start off with this bag of clay on their desks, and they make something wonderful with it, which is incredible, which is basically what Stoke is all about, making wonderful things out of clay."

The first episode of the new series aired on 4 January, with the second broadcasting on Sunday.

Brymer-Jones said the love for the show over its history had been "amazing".

"I'm tearing up now," he said. "It's amazing that we're in the ninth series… people now are really really looking forward to it. They know what to expect, it's a lovely warm hug, especially at this time of year.

"People get invested in the potters, abut what they make, and what they make with their hands."

He said judging the creations got tougher every year.

"It does get harder every year for Rich [Miller] and I to decide who's going to go, but we always fall back on the technicalities of pottery, of ceramics - but it is hard, and you'll see throughout the series… it is particularly hard this year."

The first episode saw the return of the "bucket of doom" - a quick technical challenge that sees potters make several creations, but Brymer-Jones throws them into a bucket if they are not up to standard.

"The bucket of doom comes from my own training years and years ago," he said.

"I had to throw 100 pieces of clay before I was allowed to leave the pottery. You have to be firm but fair."

The next episode sees the contestants creating bookends, he said, adding: "Who knew that you could invest so much emotional connection in a bookend? But they are absolutely wonderful."

This series has another local link to the West Midlands through contestant Bill Rolls, who runs a ceramics business in Herefordshire and did his degree at Hereford College of Arts.

The 33 year-old is autistic and works as a volunteer teaching assistant while running the business.

In the opening show, the potters had to make their own soup sets based on their perfect winter evenings.

Bill's biscuit themed bowls impressed the judges, and Brymer-Jones told the BBC he was one to watch.

"For someone like Bill who is autistic, to do something like pottery is an incredible way to express yourself through the clay, it's a wonderful thing to do, and boy does he do it," said Brymer-Jones.

"He certainly makes some amazing, wonderful makes."

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