The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down with Jennifer Robertson and Seth Rogen is now streaming free on CBC Gem
Fire up the kiln and take a first look at Canada’s newest competition reality show series featuring potters
Pottery is finally getting its big moment in Canada! From the first clay pots found on Turtle Island to over 14,000 active craft studios across the country, the popularity of pottery is exploding.
Join thousands of Canadians who are already getting their hands dirty to mould clay into everyday products by watching The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down, now streaming free on CBC Gem.
What is The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down?
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down is a competition series that revels in the remarkable creativity of Canada's best amateur potters. Featuring clever challenges, beautiful creations, and personal stories between layers of humour and discovery, the series unearths what inspires the potter's passion for clay.
It's based on The Great Pottery Throw Down, a popular British show now in its seventh season and streaming on Channel 4. It was created by Love Productions who are also behind the global smash hit The Great British Baking Show.
What will happen in the show?
Ten of Canada's most talented potters will compete to be crowned best at the wheel. They'll take on two creative challenges each week to test their skill and technique.
The Main Make is each episode's biggest challenge where potters create a signature piece of pottery that involves several key stages, including building, drying, refining, glazing, firing — twice! — and assembly. This season's Main Makes include a hometown tribute, a chess set, a self-sculpture, a table lamp, a raku drink set, a nine-course dinner set, an indoor water fountain, and a tea set.
The potter's second challenge is either a Throw Down, which is a race against time, or a Spot Test measuring a specific skill or technique. Challenges this season include trimming bowls, throwing blindfolded, carving an urn, throwing tulip cups off the hump, and pulling handles.
Both challenges are critiqued and rated by our two resident pottery expert judges. Once the judges have assessed the potters' work, a potter will be selected to leave the competition and another potter will be named Potter of the Week and have their piece placed in the exclusive Throw Down Gallery. Three potters will make it to the finale, but only one will be crowned the winner of The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down and take home the trophy.
Watch | The official trailer for Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down
What role will Seth Rogen play?
Yes, it is the Seth Rogen. Rogen is an award-winning actor, producer, director and talented potter in his own right. Fans already know that Rogen is passionate about clay and sells his creations online.
"Point Grey and I are excited to be part of a fresh series that enables artists to tap into their craftsmanship and express themselves through pottery. As a fellow Vancouver native and potter myself, I am looking forward to seeing incredibly talented artists show their skills this season," says Rogen.
He will appear as a guest judge and is one of the executive producers on the series with his company Point Grey Pictures, working alongside Canadian production company Frantic Films. Rogen will also be featured in stylized pre-taped segments, sharing his love of pottery.
Who is the host?
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down will be hosted by award-winning actor Jennifer Robertson. She's appeared as Jocelyn Schitt in the popular CBC series Schitt's Creek and stars in Netflix's Ginny and Georgia.
"Shooting this heartfelt reality series in my hometown, along with Seth in his hometown, made the whole experience extra special," said Robertson. "I was in total awe every week over what our potters could create in such a short amount of time. I'm beyond thrilled to be working with Frantic Films and Seth Rogen on The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down and it was a joy to be a part of!"
Who are the judges?
Award-winning artist and ceramics instructor Brendan Tang and renowned ceramicist and educator Natalie Waddell will serve as judges and name Canada's top potter.
Brendan Tang is a visual artist who is widely known for his sculptural ceramic work. An instructor at the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, he also co-hosts a podcast that sheds light on the contemporary ceramic scene in Canada called The Kiln Sitters.
Natalie Waddell is a Canadian ceramic artist and educator based in Toronto. Her practice is driven by the love of process and the exploration of heritage and memory through clay. A student of the Sheridan College Ceramic Craft and Design program (2003), she is known for her functional and sculptural work, as well as her active participation in local ceramic and arts communities and associations.
Additional guest judges include world renowned ceramicist Adam Field from Helena, MT, demonstrating the art of incising in a carving challenge; and Chef Mike Robbins from Vancouver's Michelin star restaurant AnnaLena, who creates a nine-course tasting menu for a dinnerware challenge.
Who are the potters?
Throughout eight, hour-long episodes, the series follows the trials and tribulations of ten passionate potters, drawn from every background and every corner of the country. They'll attempt to prove their pottery prowess by creating a range of beautiful objects, from table lamps to fountains, to dinnerware for a nine-course tasting menu, all made out of heaping mounds of clay.
They are (click for bios);
Kiefer Floreal
Alice Gibson
Thomas Haskell
Susan Johnston
Renu Mathew
Andrew McCullough
Jen Sonnenberg
Jackie Talmey-Lennon
Elsa Valinas
Michael Wood
When and where can I watch?
The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down is now streaming free on CBC Gem.
CBC Gem is available for free as an App for iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox One/S/X and online at gem.cbc.ca
Where was the show filmed?
The series was shot in what once was the ceramic studio at the former Emily Carr School of Art & Design on Granville Island, Vancouver, BC
Watch | Jennifer Robertson takes us on a tour of the Granville Island studio.
How can I find out more?
Follow the show on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
