The Great British Sewing Bee ★★★★
BBC1, Tuesday 21May, 9pm
Believe it or not, The Great British Sewing Bee is celebrating a decade on our screens. And judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young (who joined the show in 2016) are thrilled with the impact they believe the show has had on how we regard dressmaking and fast fashion in that time.
This year, they are joined by comedian and actor Kiell Smith-bynoe o Ghosts (see Q&A, right) – himself an alumnus of the celebrity edition of the show – as regular presenter Sara Pascoe is on maternity leave. (The original host, of course, was Claudia Winkleman).
THE COMPETITORS
There are 12 sewers this year, ranging in age from 20 to 84, and they come from all over the UK, including Cheshire, Derbyshire, the Isle of Wight, Lanarkshire, Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, London, Merseyside, Somerset, South Yorkshire and Surrey. Among their myriad day jobs are finance administrator, copywriter/editor, designer and business manager, retired research physicist, woodwork instructor, event planner, student and a hip DJ. There’s also a brand development lead, a teaching assistant, a retired market trader, and a diversity, equality and inclusion director.
THE TASKS
Among the challenges are traditional favourites like Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week, Holiday Week and Kids’ Week, plus some newer themes, including sport, lingerie, design icons, divas and India. Kicking o the series is Back To Basics Week with a new spin on the first episode back in April 2013. The Pattern Challenge is a denim skirt, the Transformation Challenge is to repurpose an oversized garment altering the neckline, and the Made-to-measure is a dress with a vintage or summer festival feel. Let’s sew!
BBC1, SATURDAY 18 MAY, 9.25PM
Ace crime writer Ian Rankin’s best-selling Rebus novels are coming to the small screen again, after the hit ITV series that ran from 2000 to 2007 with John Hannah then Ken Stott in the title role. Now, the BBC is launching this new take on the character, with Richard Rankin (Outlander) taking on the character of John Rebus. Set in Edinburgh,the six-part series, actually made by Nordic streaming service Viaplay, reimagines Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael (Brian Ferguson, The Ipcress File), a former soldier, crosses the line into criminality. Lucie Shorthouse (Line Of Duty), plays Rebus’ investigation partner Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke. In this first episode, Rebus and Clarke investigate a public attack on one of Edinburgh villain Ger Caerty’s gang members. All episodes will be available on BBC iplayer, as well as airing weekly on BBC1.