The Great British Sewing Bee returns to our screens next week, with a brand new host and a fresh line-up of contestants ready to show off their designing skills.
With comedian Sara Pascoe taking over presenting duties from Joe Lycett for the 2022 season, the upcoming episodes will see the amateur sewers try their best to impress judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, who’ll be asking them to create a capsule wardrobe consisting of three items.
Read on for everything you need to know about the brand new season of The Great British Sewing Bee and if you’ve been wondering where the show is filmed, check out our filming locations guide.
The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 start date
The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 airs on BBC One on Wednesday 27th April at 8pm.
Its eighth season is set to consist of 10 episodes, with the final airing on 19th June.
The show first began airing on BBC Two – however from season 6 onwards, the competition moved to BBC One.
The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 contestants
A new line-up of 12 sewers will be taking part in the show’s eighth season, with the BBC unveiling the 2022 contestants earlier this month.
The designers taking part in the upcoming run are:
- Man Yee – Born in Hong Kong, London-based actuary Man Yee grew up in Portsmouth and began sewing over a decade ago when she and her friends wanted to dress up as Japanese anime characters for Comic Con.
- Angela – Lancashire-based NHS health visitor and school nurse Angela has 50 years of sewing experience, having been taught by her dressmaker mother. She has always sewn for her three children but now sews for her five grandchildren and herself.
- Annie – Surrey-based Annie works as a buyer for a high street fashion brand and was taught to sew by her 92-year-old granny. She started sewing again during the pandemic and likes to incorporate bold and colourful African prints into her creations.
- Brogan – Originally from Edinburgh, Brogan is a Spanish and French teacher living in Leicestershire who began sewing after watching the first season of Sewing Bee. She received her first sewing machine at the age of 15 and taught herself through YouTube videos.
- Richy – Professional baker Richy enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons and keeping busy with crafts, including knitting, bobbin lace-making and origami. He now mainly makes historical garments.
- Steve – Newcastle-based running coach Steve took up sewing as a hobby during lockdown and hasn’t stopped since. He makes at least one garment a week using bright cold colours.
- Debra – Debra lives in Anglesey with her son and husband and began sewing at the age of nine. Her first language is Welsh and she loves collecting vintage designer accessories, being inspired to sew by Erdem, Gucci and Chanel.
- Christian – Christian grew up near Transylvania and learnt to sew at a young age after watching his mother make her clothes. He moved to the UK four years ago and now manages a high street store in London.
- Gill – Public health intelligence analyst Gill began sewing three years ago and has made clothes for herself and her two stepdaughters.
- Chichi – Originally from Zimbabwe, Chichi grew up in Somerset and Hampshire and now lives in Greater London, where she works as a research analyst in a molecular biology lab. While music is her passion, she loves using recycled fabrics and transforming vintage clothing into something she would wear.
- Marni – Marni is a 26-year-old vet living in Devon who was originally born in Canada and moved to the UK when she was six. She taught herself beading and knitting and has been sewing for 35 years.
- Mitch – Mitch runs a university theatre in Cumbria and grew up around his mother sewing as a child in Leicester. He started sewing two years ago and has since taught himself how to create garments.
The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 presenter
While The Great British Sewing Bee has seen various hosts over the years, taking over as presenter for season 8 is comedian Sara Pascoe.
Pascoe is best known for her appearances on the likes of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Taskmaster, QI, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and even competed in a celebrity edition of The Great British Sewing Bee in 2020. She currently hosts Comedians Giving Lectures and Guessable on Dave.
The show was hosted by Claudia Winkleman for the first four seasons, before Joe Lycett took over as the host for season 5. He left the show ahead of its eighth series.
The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 judges
Returning to judge The Great British Sewing Bee are top designers Patrick Grant and Esme Young.
Grant owns the Savile Row tailors Norton and Sons, and in 2015, purchased a Blackburn clothing factory and started a social enterprise with the aim of keeping clothing manufacture on British shores.
Young is a tutor at Central Saint Martins where she taught some of Britain’s top designers and worked on films like Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Beach as a costume designer.
