The Great British Sewing Bee is a popular TV competition which airs on the BBC, and it follows in the same footsteps as shows like The Great British Bake Off. The reality series follows amateur sewers who are tasked with various haberdashery challenges as they compete to become Britain’s best sewer. Comedian Joe Lycett hosts the series and 12 competitors take to their sewing machines to impress a panel of judges.
Where is The Great British Sewing Bee filmed?
The Great British Sewing Bee first started airing in 2013 as a spin-off to The Great British Bake Off, and it was originally hosted by Claudia Winkleman.
Winkleman hosted the series until 2016 before it went on a three-year hiatus, returning in 2019 with Lycett taking over as presenter.
The sixth series began airing earlier in April and the series is filmed in London, with Gathered reporting the location as Bermondsey.
The website said: “The show’s impressive warehouse setting is located in London’s Bermondsey, in the heart of the capital’s historical textiles quarter.
“For the truly geeky among you, the 2019 series was filmed at 47/49 Tanner Street (also the location of Dragon’s Den), near Tower Bridge.”
READ MORE: Great British Sewing Bee: Who are the Sewing Bee’s judges and host?
Filming locations for previous series include Metropolitan Wharf in London, which is an area of creative work spaces and loft apartments.
Bermondsey is an area full of converted warehouses, which creates the perfect workspace for the budding sewers to create their masterpieces.
The area is known for The Fashion and Textile Museum and the White Cube contemporary art gallery, so there is no better place to host the new competitors.
Bermondsey is in the borough of Southwark and places of interest in the area include Maltby Street Market and the Miloco Studios.
Tanner Street in Bermondsey is a Victorian warehouse near Tower Bridge and it has proven to be the perfect location for fashion shows.
The judges for this series are Esme Young, a fashion store owner, and Patrick Grant, former director at Savile Row tailor Norton and Sons.
The sixth series saw a revamp of the themed challenges, and Grant told Gathered about the inspiration for the themes yet to come.
He said: “The sewing room looked like Scrap Heap Challenge during sci-fi week. The floor was covered with old bits of space junk and circuit boards, but it resulted in one of the best transformations of the whole series.”
In the next episode, which airs this Wednesday (April 29), the 11 remaining contestants will be getting in the mood for summer while taking part in holiday week.
Contestants this year include 62-year-old Angillia, 24-year-old student Alex, 37-year-old Liz, 42-year-old Mark and 56-year-old Fiona.
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Other themes set to test the contestants include children’s week, which should feature lots of bright colours and fun twists.
The trailer for the new series shows a number of contestants injuring themselves as they put the blood, sweat and tears into making some colourful creations.
The sewing room has everything they could possibly need, from sewing machines to ribbons, from printed fabrics to embellishments.
Fans of the series have been getting inspiration from the contestants as they try to get crafty during lockdown, finding ways to pass the time.
One fan said on Twitter: “Tonight I’m going to be watching the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee.
“It’s my grandma’s favourite show, and as she taught me how to sew growing up, she asked today if I would watch it so she has someone to ring afterwards to talk about the episodes.”
Sew Magazine gave an update on what to expect from the next episode, saying: “In the next episode of The Great British Sewing Bee, the contestants are gearing up for a day at the beach!
“The judges are looking out for bold patterns, bright colours and relaxed fits. We can’t wait to see what the bees create.”
Lycett Tweeted a photo of himself from the new series and fans were keen to express their love for the new series during lockdown.
One fan said: “I love this programme so much. #therepairshop followed by #SewingBee is exactly the kind of programming we need during lockdown. Well played @BBCOne.”
Great British Sewing Bee airs weekly on BBC One