Potty about pottery!
Derry Girls’ Siobhán Mcsweeney (AKA Sister Michael) on hosting the new series of The Great Pottery Throw Down
Q This is your first presenting job. How have you found it? A I felt exposed and vulnerable at the start. But strangely it’s similar to playing Sister Michael, in that I’m quite often at the front of the room looking at terrified people behind their desks!
Q What was it like walking on to the set on the first day? A Terrifying, but at the same time I felt a huge obligation to hide it, as I knew the potters would be doubly nervous. I felt
I was there to mind them, to be their friend, as well as a shoulder to cry on!
Q Did you have to mop up many tears this series? A There were definitely moments when the potters put themselves under pressure and you’d have to have a heart of stone if you didn’t want to comfort them. There were also tears from judge Keith Brymer Jones. He’s genuinely touched by emotion – he once cried when he saw me in a dress, which made me wonder how awful I looked the rest of the time!
Q You’ve been on the celeb version of Bake Off with your Derry Girls co-stars. Did that help you empathise with the potters?
A Yes, because however great you think you are, once you get into the tent or the pottery with the time pressure and the cameras, you get stressed. So I wanted to bring out the best in them. I was like a fly buzzing around them, asking stupid questions. Pottery is so tactile, and I wanted to keep touching their pieces, which I’m sure they didn’t like – nobody wants an errant finger in a pot!
Q What did you most enjoy about filming?
A I really loved learning about pottery. I also loved the nerdiness of the judges Keith and Rich [Miller]. Their passion for the subject is so infectious. One of the biggest gifts of working on this show was being able to hang out with the pair of them. We were in a bubble together and they made me laugh a lot both on and off set.
Q Can you tease anything about your favourite challenge of the series? A The challenge to try to make a bust of a music legend in week five – there are some very funny and dramatic moments in that one. Some legendary moments, in fact! But I also have a new-found respect for the craft and technical know-how of pottery. I’ll never take my hand-made mug for granted again!