TV shows to inspire your new lockdown hobby, from The Great Pottery Throw Down to Pooch Perfect

Desperate for some lockdown inspo? Turn on the telly
Fire up the kiln: The Great Pottery Throw Down
Channel 4

Wafts of banana bread have faded, you’ve given up trying to learn Mandarin, and you can’t for the life of you remember where you put your crochet hook. 

Yes, we might have all sprung into action and picked up a new hobby during the first lockdown, but now times are tougher than ever, and no-one could be blamed for letting their newfound obsession fade.

But with all of us staying indoors for a good few weeks yet, finding something enjoyable to pass the time is never a bad idea. TV is good place to turn — not just for binge-watching, as we all have been — but to reboot your inspiration, and find that spark that gets you back into the groove.

Telly is awash with such a thing these days, from cooking masterclasses and make-up competitions to pottery showdowns and DIY how-tos. Here, we’ve listed some of our go-to watches, with a “difficulty to master during lockdown” rating from one to five on each — low numbers mean you could probably get going straight after watching the first episode, while higher scores might be a bit more involved. Happy hobbying!

The Great Pottery Throw Down

Yes, The Great Pottery Throw Down almost certainly started life as a Bake Off rip-off (it even first aired on the BBC before making the leap to Channel 4) but over the course of a few series, the lesser known, yet still very watchable craft show has developed a character all of its own. Working from a factory in Stoke-on-Trent, 12 potters compete to be crowned king or queen of the wheel, facing a series of elaborate challenges that will test everything from their knowledge of metal oxides (they change colour in the kiln - sometimes to disastrous effect) to their sculpting skills. One genuinely stressful segment sees them fashion different items from soft clay - only for the judges (Rich Miller and Keith Brymer-Jones, who often bursts into tears when he sees a particularly lovely pot) to ruthlessly chuck their creations in the bin if they’re sub-standard. KR

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 5/5. A cursory google of the phrase ‘at home kiln’ prompts reams and reams of mildly terrifying warnings about protective gear and proper ventilation.

Watch on All 4

Masterchef: The Professionals

BBC/Shine TV

No other skills-based TV contest is as ruthlessly efficient in its formulaic-ness as Masterchef, and that’s why it has become my security blanket. Each episode sees a group of grown men (and they are largely men) endearingly crumble to pieces when esteemed chefs Marcus Wearing and Monica Galetti ask them to make a dish they’ve never heard of in 15 minutes. As it progresses, only approximately three phrases are used: ‘It’s a great plate of food’, ‘I think your presentation skills are excellent’ or ‘for me, the seasoning isn’t quite right’. And at the end of the episode, the eliminated contestant simply walks out of the kitchen without making eye contact. Still, the food knowledge on display in the show is next level. It may inspire you to try and up your cooking game to Michelin-star standard, but you will probably just end up ordering a blow torch online and lightly charring everything you make. JT

Difficulty to master during lockdown level: 4/5. Not just anyone can make a great plate of food, you know.

Watch on iPlayer

Grand Designs

If you’ve got the time, space and funds to install a 30ft atrium into your all-glass, solar-powered, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home, then Grand Designs is a perfect slice of lockdown inspo. But, if like the rest of us, you’re not in that position, then Kevin McCloud and his ambitious, confoundingly monied subjects could at least give you the energy you need to repaint that wall, or hang up those picture frames, or fix that squeaky door frame. It’s just the first step of your DYI journey. Because you know what they say: Rome/your carbon fibre treehouse mansion wasn’t built in a day. JE

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 2/5. Leaving the McCloudian flights of fancy for now, those niggling DYI tasks are nothing a delivery from B&Q can’t fix.  

Watch on All 4

The Great British Sewing Bee

In charge: Patrick Grant, Esme Young and Joe Lycett
BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon

The Sewing Bee has a curious effect on me: I only need to watch it for three minutes and I start googling things like ‘how do you make your own bunting’. I still have no idea, but I was given a sewing machine for Christmas and have so far managed to make a misshapen cushion cover and a non-functioning scrunchie. This show is full of people who make clothes themselves that don’t even fall apart when you put them on. It’s a reminder that with hard work, perseverance and the ability to calmly use a contraption that literally revolves around a sharp needle jumping about, I might be able to do that one day too. Or at least sew in a straight line without impaling any of my fingers. JT

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 3/5. The bobbin will be your friend one day, but don’t throw all of your clothes away just yet.

Watch on iPlayer

Portrait Artist of the Year

Even if your artistic abilities don’t stretch beyond drawing stick people, this long-running Sky Arts show is strangely addictive. The premise is simple – a set of aspiring artists are tasked with creating a portrait of a real-life sitting subject, and the eventual winner gets a commission for the National Portrait Gallery. A brilliantly eclectic range of people have sat for the show, recently including Normal People star Paul Mescal, Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo and Princess Margaret’s former lady-in-waiting Lady Anne Glenconner. Obviously, the best bit is when the sitters come face to face with the canvases, and have to pretend to be absolutely delighted with all of them even they’ve been given wonky eyes. JT

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 2/5. As long as you’ve got a willing housemate who doesn’t mind being stared at for a few hours.

Watch on Sky Arts

Glow Up

BBC / Wall to Wall / Guy Levy

If working from home has turned your make-up bag into a sad, dusty artefact from times past and left you wondering what you ever used all those tiny brushes for (guilty), the dazzling creativity on display in every episode of Glow Up will surely inspire you to pick up a palette and try out something a bit more glamorous than the usual last-ditch pre-Zoom damage control. Each series of this BBC competition follows a group of talented MUAs as they attempt to win over make-up pros Val Garland and Dominic Skinner with their skills, hoping to win an assistant’s contract at the end. It’s not all about applying fake lashes and executing a razor-sharp contour, though - the contestants regularly wow with jaw-droppingly creative looks, many of which incorporate everything from silicone prosthetics to painstakingly crafted embellishments. KR

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 2/5. Many of the contestants say they honed their skills by spending hours in front of YouTube, making this a pretty lockdown-friendly endeavour.  

Watch on iPlayer and Netflix

The Repair Shop

Ever thought the restoration of an old wooden box could bring you tears? Us neither, but then came The Repair Shop to prove otherwise. Seeing these worn down family heirlooms be restored to their former glory — and along with them, all the memories they contain come flooding back to their owners — will almost certainly bring a lump to your throat, but it might also inspire you to grab a tin of varnish and smarten up anything that’s been left to gather dust around the house. JE

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 3/5. Something that just needs a lick of paint? Go for it. A seven-foot grandfather clock that stopped working in 1926? Maybe leave it to the experts.

Watch on iPlayer

Best Leftovers Ever!

Netflix

If you started your lockdown with hopes of becoming a Michelin star-level maestro in the kitchen, but have now just ordered your second (third? Fourth?) lot of burgers and chips from Deliveroo this week, don’t beat yourself up. This new, eminently watchable Netflix show might be the gentle kick up the backside you need to rediscover your gastro-inspiration. Three at-home chefs are given take-out leftovers and then go head-to-head, completely transforming the food into an unrecognisably fancy dish. It’s something close to witchcraft, but it might at least mean you’ll think twice before chucking away anything you didn’t get round to eating. JE

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 3/5. While some of this sorcery might be beyond us, we’re quietly confident about our chances of a leftover-chips-to-gnocchi do-over.

Watch on Netflix

Pooch Perfect

BBC One’s new show, presented by Sheridan Smith and featuring a group of competitive canine groomers, may be a celebration that we are a nation of dog lovers. Or it may simply be a sign that we will watch anything. Either way, the hounds are here and ready to be subjected to all manner of haircuts. Since there was no Crufts last year, it at least fills a pup-related void in the TV schedule.  

Difficulty to master during lockdown: 3/5. A dog is for life, not just for lockdown, so don’t get a puppy just so you can give it a fancy haircut.

Watch on iPlayer

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