TV review: The Great British Sewing Bee - The Final
Excuse me – back of the queue for tailor's chalk and overlockers please. Yes, after this four-week run of riveting competitive sewing I predict there will be many people compelled like me to hunt out their old Singers, sharpen their scissors and run up a little something in twill.
Prompted by today's economic woes necessitating a more homespun approach to all things domestic, the BBC has come up with another sure-fire winner.
Where it led with almond puffs and six-tier confections created in its Great British Bake-off series, it has followed with top-stitched tailored shirts and lined A-line skirts – impressive enough for even the most seasoned sewer to admire.
And the search for the country's best sewer has been, rather surprisingly, very good television.
Old faithful Claudia Winkleman, used wit and a wry sense of humour to meld the whole show together – leaving women everywhere very relieved that with a fringe like hers, she kept a respectful distance from any moving parts of a sewing machine.
Last night's three finalists, whittled down from the original eight, had three tasks to complete. There was, of course, "No place to hide" and "only one would walk away with the trophy".
First our contestants had to make a man's shirt from scratch in four hours, then use hand stitching to turn a plain shoulder bag into a work of art and then, for their finale, create an evening gown from start to finish in just eight hours.
For an extra touch of theatre, members of their own families were brought out – rather in the style of an Opra special, pointed out our Claudia, to model the latter.
We couldn't have asked for a better final three with all coming from the West Midlands. Sandra, a 43-year-old cleaner was from Wolverhampton, while both Ann, an 81-year-old grandmother and Lauren, a 27-year-old physiotherapist hailed from Birmingham.
They all played their part in creating a cross between The Apprentice and MasterChef. There was atmospheric music, proud relatives, tears, stares, visits to a cafe and intriguing judges.
May Martin, from the WI looked like she wanted to hug all the contestants and stitch all their seams for them, while Savile Row's Patrick Grant came over as a more-composed Rupert Everett wanting to find some edge. "It doesn't matter how many times you did it, it's in the wrong place," he told an emotional Lauren about her button detail.
Claudia's voiceover was priceless. "Lauren makes a second attempt at sandwiching her yolk together," she revealed in hushed tones before going on to out her on the fact she has accidentally used a long basting stitch on a seam instead of a conventional version. My heart was in my mouth.
Tension, the key element of a good drama, was there in abundance.
Was Sandra accidentally going to make a hole in her collar points, would Ann remember to remove all her tailor tacks, would the sleeves fit and the zips work and surely I wasn't the only person shouting "No, for God's sake, no" when Lauren revealed she was going to make a frock with nine separate panels down the front.
She executed it all very well in the end for those who couldn't bear to look. And surely I wasn't the only viewer to gulp back a tear when Ann was announced the winner. "All these years and I must have been doing something right," she declared before stating proudly, and rightly, "I'm 81 and this is magical."
It was. And with the final, and the winner chosen Tuesday nights have lost a little gem.
Sarah Cowen-Strong
