Interview: Stephen Parkes, The Great Pottery Throw Down

Stephen Parkes, who was raised in Nottingham but now lives in Birmingham with his partner of eleven years, Phil, was a contestant on the latest series of The Great Pottery Throw Down. Midlands Rainbow caught up with Stephen following the show to talk about his experience in the competition, and all things pottery-related.

Creator: Patch Dolan | Credit: Channel 4

An Audio Visual & IT Technician for a school, Stephen, told Midlands Rainbow that he had applied to take part in the competition twice before, “you know what they say; third time lucky. I have been watching the series from the very beginning and always wanted to apply. I wanted to challenge myself, see how I would fare, and be a part of a wonderful show.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Stephen remembers receiving the call confirming he had been cast, “It was fantastic to get the call to say I was going to be on season 8. I adore the show so to know I was going to be on it felt so surreal, it still does. It’s almost like a dream that I am going to wake up from.

“My favourite part has been meeting the crew, the judges, the host and all the other 11 potters. It really is like a family. We all bonded really quickly, and I am proud to know such talented potters.”

Stephen made it to week five in the eighth series of The Great Pottery Throw Down.

“I think my favourite week was week 2, the clocks. I loved making the clock, I really enjoyed making the hares and decorating all my sprigs.

 “I think I would have loved to make it to the birdbaths on episode 7,” he adds: “It was all about the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent, which I don’t live far from and I would have loved to do the second challenge of modelling a bust, I love modelling in clay.”

“I prefer hand building to throwing,” Stephen explains, “but I do have a couple of wheels. I like making slab pots and enjoy modelling animals and things from nature.”

Stephen was first introduced to pottery in school where he soon fell in love with the artform.

“I was never a very academic child; I was always happiest when I was painting or drawing. In the days when I was at school every child did arts subjects, I chose to do pottery. From entering the pottery class for the first time, I knew that I had found a medium I was at home with.

“I think being able to take a piece of clay, and shape it into anything you can dream up with your imagination is what first drew me to pottery. The things you can make with clay are endless.

anybody can create with clay, its open to anyone to have a go. I urge anyone who feels like having a go to find a class and just do it.”

Stephen creates his clay pieces from home now, in his potting shed studio. During their five-year search for the perfect home, Stephen and his partner Phil knew a key criterion was that “it had to either have space to build a studio or already have a studio space. When we visited the property when viewing I knew instantly it was perfect for a pottery studio.”

You can follow Stephen’s pottery makes from his home workshop on Instagram:  @tales_from_the_pottingshed.