THE Great British Sewing Bee host Kiell Smith-Bynoe has branded a co-star ‘savage’ as he shared juicy behind-the-scenes details of the BBC show.
The Ghosts actor took over as host from Sara Pascoe for this year’s series, having previously taken part as a contestant in the 2021 Christmas Special.
Kiell, 35, is joined by the Sewing Bee judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young and has opened up about what it’s like to work with the pair.
Speaking on the Dish from Waitrose podcast, hosted by Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett OBE, Kiell said: “I thought Patrick would be the strict one, like the sort of Simon Cowell kind of character, but it’s actually Esme.
“She gets in there and she is poking holes in everything. ‘There’s a hole there,’ [ripping sound] and literally just like, anytime she can find a hole, she’ll stick her finger in it.
“She’s like, look, there’s one, and then, and like pulling threads, she’s like, nope, unfinished. She’s savage.
“But I mean, she takes it very seriously. They’re all up for a laugh and whatnot, but they do take the craft very seriously because it is how they got to where they are.
“And these people are there because it’s a massive opportunity to take them to the next level, from amateur sewers to like pros.”
He joked: “So obviously you have to be a bit like of a strict judge. They’re great, but also, I mean, too many fingers in too many holes is all I’m saying.”
Kiell also spoke about his shock at being asked to host the programme, having never presented anything before.
He said: “Yeah, it’s weird that they asked me. I was on the Christmas special as a contestant, and then I made enough of an impression to be asked back, which is, it’s an achievement, sure.
“But like, I’ve never presented before so to be aske to present like a mainstream, primetime BBC One show that so many people love, I was like, are you sure?
“And yeah, they were sure, and then we did it. It’s hard work, though. Presenting’s hard.”
He continued: “It was a completely new job for me, I’ve never presented before, I was giving it a go.
“But you have to do so many things, you have to sort of navigate the show in a certain way, because you know that you’ve got this bit and this bit and this, and you got to get through those.
“But you’ve also got to deal with real people and their real emotions, whether they’re doing well or they’re doing badly, whether they know that they’re not gonna finish in time.
Since launching in 2013, The Great British Sewing Bee has become a firm favourite among viewers. Who has presented the hit BBC One show?
“Sometimes someone might need half an hour to finish this thing and they’ve got five minutes left.
“And then they’re like, ‘Kiell, go and ask them how it’s going,’ I’m like, they’re crying into the clothes. You can see how it’s going. But I still have to come over and be like- ‘So.. what’s going on?’”
The Great British Sewing Bee airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
