On December 5, 2014 the makers of the hit BBC show “The Great British Bake Off” are on the hunt for a new kind of talent…Britain’s greatest potter. Could this be our moment in the reality series sun? The organizers ask:
Do you live and breathe pottery? Fancy your chances in a nationwide talent search. The country is being scoured for enthusiastic potters and ceramicists who want to share their passion with the nation. In this brand new talent search for BBC2 your entire repertoire of skills will be put to the test. So if you think you’ve got what it takes, they would love to hear from you.
We already know who the greatest is, that would be the legendary Isaac Button whose video we have included at the end of this post. Alas, he is long dead. But he could be the standard by which competitors are judged.
If it were an international event America should enter George E. Ohr.
We at CFile are grateful for this development. Humor and pots don’t seem to go hand in hand very often and this could be a gift that keeps on giving. There could be spinoffs, Survivor (a group of alpha dog wood-fire potters but not enough wood) and Big Brother (a house full of super-ambitious potters who all make the same thing trying to respect each others talent). I doubt we will get Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire Potter; we don’t have many of those.
Seriously, though, while reality shows are low hanging fruit for critics, and we may not admit at the water cooler that we watch them, these events do get mass audiences. Viewers will be entranced, as are all newbies, to witness the pot making process. Maybe they will learn respect for the complexity of making and —best case scenario— be inspired to support their local potter. And lastly, adult education classes for ceramics better gird themselves for the busiest time in their history. It’ll be brief, sure, but profitable.
Please note that the deadline for applications is midnight Sunday, 4th January 2015. If you are British, have the taste for public flogging, love losing every shred of your privacy, can cry on command and want to enter (kiln disasters require grand guignol histrionics), please e-mail pottery@loveproductions.co.uk
Above image courtesy of Ing’s Peace Project.
Garth Clark is the Chief Editor of CFile.
is this for amateurs or professionals or semi professionals it sounds fun
I worked self employed for a few years, but fell into the trap of a family business and a can you just so I currently spend more time working as an estate agent.