It seams to Bee a case of so far sew good for this reality series...
Few TV shows are as joyful as The Great British Sewing Bee. GEORGIA HUMPHREYS hears from judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, plus host Joe Lycett, ahead of the seventh series
AFTER the first Covid-19 lockdown was enforced, entrylevel sewing machines sold out across the country for months.
People realised just how helpful doing something crafty like sewing can be, not only to help pass the time, but also for our mental health.
A project called the Big Community Sew was even launched by The Great British Sewing Bee’s Patrick Grant.
It encouraged thousands of people to make face masks for their friends and neighbours, and gowns and scrubs for NHS workers – and Patrick got fellow Sewing Bee judge Esme Young, plus presenter Joe Lycett, involved too.
“Those people that were volunteering their time, found it really, really beneficial in lots of ways,” says Edinburgh-born Patrick, 48.
“It gave them a purpose to their day, it gave them a social network to engage with and it simply gave them something that was a very mindful activity.”
This is the seventh series of The Great British Sewing Bee, which sees 12 of Britain’s best amateur sewers take on various creative challenges. So, how tough was it for the sewers this time? “There were a lot of tears this year – more than normal,” muses Brummie comedian Joe, 32. “Straight out of the gate, episode one, everyone’s crying!”
However, when it comes to the creations, expect a lot of exuberance on your screens.
“I don’t know whether it was because we’ve been feeling so kind of lacking in fun clothing opportunities for the year, but there’s loads of fun party stuff, there’s lots of sparkle,” teases fashion designer Patrick, who is director of bespoke tailors Norton & Sons of Savile Row.
As for the standard of the sewers this year, he notes: “In week one, Esme and I looked at each other and we were like, ‘Well this is going to be difficult’ because occasionally there are one or two that maybe aren’t quite as good as the others and you can see it quite early on... We set this first challenge and almost everybody absolutely nailed it.”
There’s a reason so many of us like watching The Great
British Sewing Bee – it’s nice, warm TV.
“There’s a lot of telly that is based on the assumption that people want to see other people kind of put down, and we’re the opposite end of that spectrum,” suggests Patrick.
Indeed, 72-year-old designer Esme, who has enjoyed a sewing career spanning 50 years, admits she always feels “really sorry” for the first person to leave the competition.
“It’s awful to be that person
– it’s awful to be evicted at all!” adds Patrick.
Elaborating on why the show is such a hit, Bedfordshire-born Esme – a teacher at London’s Central St Martin’s College – says: “I love how the sewers express their vision. They all have their own personalities, and that’s what they bring to the room.
“What we’re always looking for in students is who they are, and I think that’s something that happens on the Sewing Bee. It’s about them.”
“It’s celebratory, and it’s instructive, and it’s inspiring – and also there’s a lot of my professional life that we get to talk about,” adds Patrick.
“Interestingly, we’ve managed to get some really important messages about sustainability and textiles and the way that people treat their clothes into the show, in a nice way that’s positive.”
■ The Great British Sewing Bee returns to BBC1 on Wednesday, April 14 at 9pm