‘Absolute joke!’ rage The Great British Sewing Bee fans as BBC ‘spoils’ new series with ‘infuriating’ change

THE latest series of The Great British Sewing Bee left viewers furious just minutes into the opening episode.

Series ten of the hit BBC show began on Tuesday, with fashion designer judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young returning once again.

BBC

PA

BBC

Actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe has taken up the reins as the show’s presenter having made his hosting debut in the 2023 Christmas special.

At the start of the episode, viewers were shown a number of sneak peeks to get a sense of what to expect from the latest series.

However, this did not appear to have the desired effect as fans were left infuriated after being shown a number of outfits created by contestants.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one raged: “Why show more or less every outfit made at the beginning… absolute joke… BBC have spoilt it.”

Who has hosted The Great British Sewing Bee?

Since launching in 2013, The Great British Sewing Bee has become a firm favourite among viewers. Who has presented the hit BBC One show?

• Claudia Winkleman: Best known for presenting beloved Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors for the Beeb, Claudia hosted series one through four of The Great British Sewing Bee.
• Joe Lycett: Comedian and presenter Joe took up the reins from series five and stayed until series seven. He currently hosts BAFTA-winning variety show Late Night Lycett, filmed in his home city of Birmingham.
• Sara Pascoe: Actress and comedian Sara took over as presenter for The Great British Sewing Bee in series eight and continued into series nine. Before becoming presenter, Sara participated in a Christmas edition of the show, which was broadcast in 2020.
• Kiell Smith-Bynoe: Actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe is the latest host of The Great British Sewing Bee. Kiell is particularly known for his comedic roles, such as Mike Cooper in Ghosts and Dean Townsend in Stath Lets Flats. He was runner-up in the 15th series of Taskmaster and also starred in Sky One’s short-lived series Dreamland.

Another viewer added: “Why are they showing highlights? I find this infuriating. I don’t want to see what’s getting made weeks ahead. Let’s meet the contestants and just get on with it.” 

Another agreed, writing: “Don’t need to watch now that I’ve seen all the outfits.”

Other viewers were left with “nightmares” after being introduced to contestant Neil’s “sidekick”.

Having taken part in online quizzes during lockdown, Neil came up with the idea to build a ventriloquist dummy to keep him company.

New host Kiell asked Neil about his puppet pal, Terry Pastry, who he brought with him to the sewing bee.

Afterwards, the presenter acknowledged the interaction had been “terrifying”.

It appears viewers at home felt similarly, as one wrote: “Oh no that ventriloquist dummy is so creepy.”

A second person agreed, penning: “That puppet is seriously scary,” agreed a second. 

Another said: “Terry is the thing of nightmares. Good luck sleeping tonight!” 

A fourth asked: “Where’s the trigger warning for the puppet @sewingbee?!”

Meanwhile, Kiell has joined The Great British Sewing Bee after wrapping a five series run on another BBC hit, Ghosts, last Christmas.

He played Mike Cooper, husband to Alison (Charlotte Ritchie), who gained the ability to see a gang of ghosts from throughout history following an accident.

The sitcom was created by the original Horrible Histories cast and was filmed at West Horsley Place in Surrey.

Kiell’s other TV appearances include the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Let Flats, as well as featuring in Taskmaster series 15.

The Great British Sewing Bee is airing on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC One.