I couldn't be happier that The Great British Sewing Bee is back — but I just have one complaint

People: Jess, Kit, Gaynor, Glendora, Yasmin, Dan, Novello, Stuart, Caz, Órla, Peter, Saffie
(Image credit: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)

The Great British Sewing Bee 2025 is finally here, and I couldn't be happier to have the show back on our screens.

Once again, we have been reunited with judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant as they cast their expert eyes over what the new batch of contestants were creating. We also have the lovely Sara Pascoe back on the show after Kiell Smith-Bynoe filled in last year while she was on maternity leave.

As always, the show got off with a bang, throwing the contestants in at the deep end with some tricky new challenges. First, they were faced with a Pattern Challenge, which saw them confronted with creating a tie-front blouse, while the Transformation Challenge saw the team having to make something new and wearable out of an old skirt.

The final challenge - the Made-to-Measure Task - saw the stitchers making pleated dresses and receiving the brilliant news that no one would be going home that week, but instead, two people would be going home the following week.

Sara Pascoe, Esme Young, Patrick Grant

Sara, Esme and Patrick are back! (Image credit: BBC/Love Productions/Neil Sherwood)

However, despite all this wholesome, stitching joy, there is one thing that gets to me every time I watch The Great British Sewing Bee, and that is the fact that at the start of every episode, they seem to give away the entire series in about 30 seconds.

The opening scene always sees Sara and the judges doing some sort of amusing introduction to the episode, but then as get flash forwards of future weeks, including contestants sewing and outfits being shown on the catwalk.

But these aren't clips from the coming episode we are about to enjoy - they are from future episodes further down the line, meaning without even watching that closely, we can tell who is creating what, and the pickles they get themselves into.

That being said, the show is a joy, and I, for one, can't wait to see how the rest of the series unfolds.

The Great British Sewing Bee airs on Tuesday evenings at 9pm on BBC One. You can catch up on missed episodes on BBC iPlayer now.

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Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book. 

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