Across ten clay packed episodes we saw 12 of the best home potters turn lumps of clay into beautiful objects, bringing the world of pottery to life. After 20 tough challenges filmed at the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, it was Fynn, 37 from Cornwall who emerged triumphant as the winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down 2026.
The Great Pottery Throw Down returned to Gladstone Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent for a ninth series with a dozen more Potters competing to be named Britain’s Best Home Potter. BAFTA-winning actress Siobhán McSweeney returned as host with our regular ceramics superstar judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller. They were joined once again by Princess – a potter from Series 7 – as the kiln technician. And the guest judges were Nick Mackman, Gabriel Nichols, Jo Taylor and Cleo Mussi
The Series 9 Potters – Andrew, Angharad, Bill, Elham, Emily, Fynn, Kayleigh, Kaz, Olympia, Mark, Naveed and Whitney battled it out throughout 10 tough weeks. The challenges ranged from making Bricks, Bookends, Puzzle Jugs, Animal Sculptures, Retro Seaside Souvenir Sets, Tagine Pots to Floral Posies. There was also alternative firing, raku, sgrafitto and of course the Bucket of Doom.
The finalists Angharad, Elham and Fynn faced the Judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller who had the toughest decision to make – who had done enough to be crowned Britain’s best home potter? For the final episode, they saved the most complicated and demanding challenges, and the three potters rose to the occasion, creating stunning miniature model theatres. And then they had to take on a tricky throwing technique in their last surprise second challenge.
Judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller faced their hardest decision yet, as only one potter would be crowned the winner of The Great Pottery Throw Down. In the end, there could only be one winner to take home the trophy – and that winner was Fynn.
After hearing the announcement Fynn said ‘Honestly I am absolutely dumbstruck! That lot over there encouraged me to even give it a go – and if they hadn’t – I wouldn’t be here now.
And added: ‘Do you know what, I think I have learned that I am actually a little bit more in control of myself than I thought I was. And if I put the effort in I can achieve that, so it’s going to take some time to process it all that’s for sure. I am just really overwhelmed and I know that there is nothing else I can say to be honest with you.’
Keith said: ‘What makes Fynn really stand out and be a worthy winner is his attention to detail, his observational skills, and being able to observe a particular surface and recreate it in clay. Need I say anymore, Fynn is the winner!’.
Fellow judge Rich added: ‘Fynn has been consistent all the way through. There are skills that are taught and you can learn and you can hone over time. But he just has it in him, and in the final he has produced the most extraordinary piece and it spoke bucket loads about his skills, his creativity and his personal stories’.
Fynn, the winner of the The Great Pottery Throw Down 2026, and Potter of the Week in Episodes 1 and 5, shares his thoughts on winning the title and his experience of being on the show:
‘The whole thing was a roller coaster week by week and it pushed me to do things that I didn’t think I could do. I think what I got out of it was more a belief in myself as I didn’t have the greatest confidence in myself going in.
‘Winning Potter of the Week in the very first week actually made me feel that I do have
something to give and also something a bit different. It was a huge confidence booster and an amazing experience which I know I cannot repeat. Being surrounded by the other 11 potters and getting the support from them, but also from Siobhán, Keith and Rich made it the best experience ever for me.
‘I would like to thank family and friends holding down the tattoo studio while I was away. The encouragement from them goes a long way, and I couldn’t have done it without them.
The kids have loved watching the show, and I get weekly feedback which is all positive.
And from the Canadians across the pond they managed to watch it and I got all their support on a weekly basis!
‘Watching it for the first week we had about 14 of us in the living room which was such a good viewing in great company, and then weekly going forward I would get texts and support which made it so much more special for me. I hadn’t really expected that.
‘Cornwall is now home for me, I have been here for 8 years and I’m so proud to bring the trophy back here. I hope I have made the county proud. The people in Cornwall have been so supportive and even people I didn’t know. There is an amazing art community in Cornwall and being so involved in that has helped my confidence and made me feel that Cornwall is my home. Local potters have taken me under their wing and mentored me which has been invaluable in terms of knowledge and their skills.
‘Working at Lunar Lines my tattoo studio has been a learning curve for my customers, as they are now totally engrossed in the show, even my daughter’s rugby coach has named a rugby play move and it’s called ‘The Fynn’.
‘Walking into the final with Angharad and Elham was a surreal experience – we were so excited to see family and friends. Then we thought – oh no we have to walk in there now and do it. We were all supportive of each other, as we had been all the way through. I know it is a competition but we wanted each other to do so well so sometimes it didn’t feel like a competition.
‘The response from the public and social media has been something that I didn’t expect, I hadn’t really thought about it. But to have been stopped by people in the street and tattoo fans have been great and I don’t mind the selfies at all, I quite enjoy it.
‘Rich and Keith were fantastic all the way through. When you have constructive criticism and words of encouragement from then it does really help you learn. And also I learned that by messing up you do get better for the next week. My proudest moment was when I got a high five from Rich in Week 5 , Souvenir Week as that was so special for me.
‘The guest judges were so good and I loved Animals Week with Nick Mackman. I felt I learned so much more, my skills and techniques improved, and I want to try those again at home.
‘From the beginning it was quite daunting so I went in and just tried to focus. And as the weeks went by you don’t realise where you are in the pecking order but you understand your strengths and weaknesses. I was more focused on getting by each week and producing the best work I possibly could.
‘My semi-finalists Angharad and Elham – we had all been Potter of the Week twice, so it was a very even playing field approaching the final. It was really nice actually because all the way through it was quite balanced. We were all very different potters and when we were given the same brief we all approached it in a different way.
‘2026 has been a whirlwind and I am still struggling to juggle everything, but it’s been very nice experimenting and putting the skills from the series into practice. I am working out who I am as a potter, I am doing more hand building, and throwing bigger things. Work still goes on in the tattoo studio but pottery has become more of my priority now.
‘Artists Trail in Redruth is my next project, it is making pottery a fun day celebrating ceramicists and potters in the local community. We want to encourage people to come and have a go, and showcase their work. We are also doing workshops and residential art retreats at our B&B. I am excited about what the future can bring.’
Here Fynn talks about his time in the Throw Down:
*There were some new themes in this series – is there any particular week you enjoyed or found tricky during your time on GPTD.
I really enjoyed the raku week and alternative firing as it was two techniques that I hadn’t had access to before the show.
*Best and worst moment overall for you during the series?
Best moment was seeing my final piece for the first time after its glaze firing. The piece was very family-based and meant a lot to me. The worst bit was week 6, second challenge and the clay flying off the wheel, followed closely with the same thing happening in the final.
*Do you think when you watch it back on television will there be parts that you completely missed because you were concentrating on your pottery?
100% there is stuff I’ll have missed. I was so focused on what I was doing I don’t think my eyes left my work for most of it.
*What was the funniest moment that happened throughout the series, can be on or off set?
I think Kaz’s exit on week 2, her dancing was the funniest moment for me.
*Would you encourage other home potters out there to have a go on the series and why?
I think it’s been such an amazing experience and has fast tracked my skills. I’ve learned so much from guest potters, the judges and also about myself. It’s given me a huge confidence boost and lit a fire under me to want to do a lot more pottery in the future.
*Will you make again anything from the series, when you are at home and have more time?
I think my work across the series has shown that I have a style and I look forward to carrying that info future work.
*What were you most nervous about the whole experience and did it turn out ok in the end?
The idea of being filmed and getting everything completed on time I was very nervous about to begin with. But after the first week of understanding the filming process and how it was setup I felt calmer and could just concentrate on my designs and making.
*Do you feel you have progressed now as a potter?
I have so much more confidence to just try things. Throwing bigger pieces of clay and making more intricate hand-built work, I do feel I have progressed as a potter.
*What will you take away from your experience of being on The Great Pottery Throw Down?
Besides a trophy! : some great friendships, a lot of knowledge and a ton of new ideas.
*What’s the biggest thing you have learned from being on the series?
That it’s absolutely the way forward to just throw myself into my ideas and see where they take me. And that I can trust my instincts working with clay.
*Would you encourage other potters to apply for the next series?
I would encourage amateur potters to give it a go. I learned so much about pottery and myself. It has cemented a lot of things about myself that I didn’t think was possible.
Biography: FYNN, 37, CORNWALL, TATTOOIST
Growing up in the Cotswolds, Fynn has always being surrounded by creativity, painting with his grandma and doing textiles and printmaking with his mum. Relocating to Cornwall 8 years ago, he lives with partner Marnie and their 6 daschunds. They’ve bought an old care home which they are converting into a B&B where Fynn will also run art retreats. He also does freelance illustration and graphic design alongside running a tattoo studio. Fynn enjoys spending time with his two step-children and his step-daughter Madie works alongside him in the tattoo studio. Fynn first tried pottery as a 6 week addition to his Illustration degree, but it was only 2 years ago that his hobby became more serious and he took it up properly. He enjoys bringing his illustrative skills to his pots, and has even used his tattoo skills to create decoration.