A double dose of the crafting queen to bring some Christmas cheer
Kirstie aims to clear your brain with a bit of crafting, writes Georgia Humphreys
Fans of the property presenter and crafting queen will be delighted to hear we’re getting a double dose of her Christmas cheer on Channel 4 this year.
In Kirstie’s Christmas: Quick and Easy Craft – a oneoff programme this Sunday – she is joined by longtime co-presenter Phil Spencer, to create some cocktail magic.
Meanwhile, her sister, florist Sofie, helps with some festive floral displays, and baker Nancy Birtwhistle reveals some of her favourite recipes, tips and tricks.
“We made that in February and now, of course, we’re thrilled, because we have got this one very sparkly, very warm show where everyone is incredibly relaxed and it’s just very genuine,” notes Allsopp, who’s strikingly posh (her father is British peer and businessman Charles Henry Allsopp, 6th Baron Hindlip; her mum, Lady Fiona Hindlip, died from breast cancer in 2014).
Her other show airing this month is Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas, a daytime series which will air Monday to Fridays for two weeks.
She is once again joined by Spencer – who tries his hand at ice sculpting, woodworking, and metalwork – and it also features a daily competition in which we see four of the country’s best crafters battle it out to be crowned champion. The series was filmed in early October, and Allsopp recalls how they had to “jump through massive hoops” because of Covid-19 restrictions – including filming in an open-sided marquee.
I suggest it must have been frustrating to not be able to make TV in the normal way right now, and although Allsopp is a little careful at first with her reply, it’s clear she agrees.
“How it works with filming craft is that it’s often very detailed on the small stuff, so I will be working on something, or the crafter will be working on something, and the cameraman will get very close. And that’s not possible with social distancing.”
She continues: “It was obviously very, very different and quite… slow. And, er, there were times when you just wanted to scream.” Animated Allsopp doesn’t hide her exasperation as she goes on to describe in length just how cold it was.
But, she adds, she’s “glad for the crafters. I’m obviously glad for the work, and for the crew and the production company. Everybody needs to work. And, there’ll be something new on telly!”
When we chat, it’s a few days before nationwide lockdown measures are reintroduced in England.
Allsopp – a self-confessed “control freak” – knows all too well about how people are struggling with their mental health during such a turbulent year.
“I think that was one thing that was very clear out of lockdown; people really saw that all sorts of people craft and it can really, really help,” she elaborates. “It [Coronavirus] can be very muddling, very confusing. It’s sometimes really hard for people. But crafting is a solace, to just have a bit of clear brain time.”
● Kirstie’s Christmas: Quick and Easy Craft is on Channel 4 on Sunday; Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas begins on Monday, 30 November