Great Pottery Throwdown viewers demand Ellie Taylor return to present the show
‘She RUINS the show!’ Great Pottery Throwdown viewers demand former host Ellie Taylor present the show – as they slam Siobhán McSweeney for ‘screeching’ at contestants
Viewers slammed presenter Siobhán McSweeney for ‘ruining of The Great Pottery Throwdown’ last night – and continued their campaign for former host Ellie Taylor to return.
The Derry Girls actress, 43, has presented the programme for a number of years but, after she broke her leg last year, was replaced by Ellie for a number of episodes in the fifth Channel 4 series.
Siobhán’s return for the sixth season has not gone well so far, and last night viewers accused her of ‘distracting’ the contestants and ‘screeching’ at them while they were working.
Many said they wished Ellie would return, with one saying: ‘[Siobhan is] the most annoying person on TV and she ruins a good TV show.
Viewers slammed presenter Siobhán McSweeney for ‘ruining of The Great Pottery Throwdown last night – and continued their campaign for former host Ellie Taylor to return
‘That girl they had last year was actually funny and enhanced the show. She should be voted off.’
Another commented: ‘Love this but if Siobhan keeps screeching down the contestants ears I’m gunna have to write a strongly worded letter. Pack it in you c***.’
A third added: ‘Please get rid of annoying Siobhan, she’s not funny or clever and really distracts from the show, we don’t need her antics or so called comedy.’
‘I hate it when Siobhan shouts, especially right next to a potter. I much preferred Ellie.’
Many of those watching were left less than impressed by Siobhán’s antics in last night’s programme and said they wished Ellie would return
Kicking off last night’s show, the presenter performed in a skit as she announced the contestants would be competing in raku week.
Raku is an ancient firing technique, where pots are rapidly heated, before being removed from the kiln. The pots then go into a metal box where they catch on fire.
The nine remaining potters were getting into their groove, with the contestants tasked with creating a pair of hanging planters on the programme.
The judges asked for these to look like a set, and the potters had six hours to craft the pots.
Ellie replaced the Derry Girls actress for a number of episodes in the fifth Channel 4 series after she broke her leg
Announcing there were 10 minutes left for the contestants, Siobhán jumped out to scare one potter who was holding his pot.
As the potters waited for their pots to be fired, they faced a second challenge – the potters were asked to create a flamboyant vase with a frilled edge.
The contestants had just 30 minutes to complete their task, with many confessing they were finding the task difficult.
It wasn’t made any easy with interjections from the presenter Siobhán – who repeatedly jumped behind one of the potters and shouted to scare him.
However art teacher James came out on top, with the judges impressed by his method to craft petals onto the outside of the vase.
Throughout the series, viewers have been unimpressed by the presenter’s behavour – and last night was no different, with many accusing her of ‘distracting’ the contestants
Meanwhile Siobhán also performed a jump scare on one of the contestants multiple times by coming up very close behind him and shouting into his ear
The potters returned to their raku pots, with Siobhán saying the process of raku was ‘always a challenge.’
After the firing, they needed to quench their pots and chip off the glaze to reveal their stencil design.
In the end, it was James who was named potter of the week, with the judges praising him for his ‘sublime build’ and the ‘fantastic message’ on his pots.
It’s not the first time that viewers have campaigned for Ellie to rejoin the programme to replace Siobhán.
During the show, the contestants were tasked with crafting their pots using the ancient Japanese Raku method
During last week’s programme, many called Siobhán ‘cringey’ and ‘so annoying’ for her antics.
Comedian Ellie briefly presented the programme after Siobhán broke her leg last year.
Speaking to the Graham Norton Show about her time on the show, she said: ‘It’s genuinely as delightful as it appears on camera, it’s the loveliest job I’ve ever done, everyone is sickeningly lovely.’
She continued: ‘I’m rubbish at names, but at the end of the first day, I easily learnt 12 potters’ names, because I spoke to them all.
I’ve learnt about where they came from, their families, why they’re doing the show, it’s such a lovely bunch of people.’