The long-awaited return of The Great British Sewing Bee has finally come. We chat to judges Patrick and Esme alongside presenter Kiell Smith-Bynoe about what to expect from this year’s show
The Great British Sewing Bee returns to Sunny Bank Mills in Leeds to celebrate its 10th series this year, with a dozen more stitchers competing to be named Britain’s Best Amateur Sewer. Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe – himself an alumnus of the celebrity edition of the show – takes on hosting duties while our regular presenter, comedian Sara Pascoe, is on maternity leave. Designers Patrick Grant – part of the BAFTA-nominated reality favourite from the beginning – and Esme Young are back as judges.
We see the perennial favourites – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week, Holiday Week and Kids Week – alongside other themes. These include: sport, lingerie, design icons, diva, and India. Back to Basics Week kicks off the series with a new spin on the tasks from the very first episode of Sewing Bee which aired on 2 April 2013. The Pattern Challenge is a denim skirt. The Transformation Challenge asks the Bees to repurpose an oversized garment altering the neckline. And the made-to-measure is a dress with a vintage or summer festival look.
MEET THE PRESENTER
KIELL SMITH-BYNOE
Actor and writer Kiell Smith-Bynoe is back in the sewing room to present his first series of the The Great British Sewing Bee!
Actor and writer Kiell Smith-Bynoe, 35, is best known for his role as Mike – Alison’s non-spirit-seeing husband – in the BAFTA-nominated sitcom Ghosts. And for playing no-nonsense estate agent Dean in BAFTA-winning comedy Stath Lets Flats. A contestant in last year’s 15th series of Taskmaster, he’s also starred in the crime drama Death in Paradise and the comedies Dreamland, Bloods and The Curse. At last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, he co-starred in the musical comedy String V SPITTA and had his own late-night improv show Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Friends: Kool Story Bro, which has since gone on to sell out multiple London runs. He also co-hosted the prestigious British Independent Film Awards in December. After competing in the 2021 Christmas special of The Great British Sewing Bee, he steps in for Sara Pascoe as the new host for Series 10. Kiell will also be seen in a brand-new production of Nikolai Gogol’s satirical masterpiece The Government Inspector this Spring at the Marylebone Theatre. Kiell lives in London
