Series 3: Britain's Best Woodworker

[Phil Craddock]

All valid comments, but why call it Britain's best woodworker?

Exactly. My wife told me that she is watching it, so it must be a game show...

 

[robgul]

Exactly. My wife told me that she is watching it, so it must be a game show...

The Great British Woodwork Off . . . . ?

The current series judges have, to me, a dubious fit for the job . . . . one would have thought the likes of Paul Sellars or Peter Sefton both of whom have skills and teaching backgrounds would be more appropriate.

 

[Fergie 307]

It would be nice to have all the available new tools and machines to hand and all that space at home

The New Yankee workshop used to drive me mad, was there any tool the guy didn't have?

 

[Inspector]

All valid comments, but why call it Britain's best woodworker?

Would people watch it if it was called Britain's Useless Wood Hacks?

Pete

 

[Stigmorgan]

I wonder if professional bakers and chef's have these discussions over the great British bake off and Masterchef

 

[MF1000]

I wonder if professional bakers and chef's have these discussions over the great British bake off and Masterchef

I’m a senior food safety auditor …we love commenting on the Inside the Factory program

in respect of bake -off my wife is a professional celebration cake maker etc and says the time allocated is less then required so it creates mistakes etc which is what the producers require to make it ‘dramatic’

 

[robgul]

I wonder if professional bakers and chef's have these discussions over the great British bake off and Masterchef

They do, or at least a friend who is a top-notch pastry chef thinks Bake Off is so far removed from reality to be ridiculous.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Let’s face it it is another ‘reality’ TV program ‘designed’ and ‘scripted’ by some yahoo from a production company who has never spent time in the real world. It’s all made to formula. You can predict when the down beat piano music is going to start and then get replaced by the up beat version. Ignore 75% of the show and the remaining 25% is OK

 

[AJB Temple]

What a bunch of moaners you lot are. They had two days to make it, with TV cameras in the way, and a make a card distraction. Some of them made decent benches in this time that would probably defeat a good few posters here. Standards for Ep. 1 are far higher than in the first series.

 

[Padster]

I have to say my wife and I like it, if you accept it for what it is, a bit of reality TV with wood!
Just like things like Landscape Artist of the Year - probably not the best artists but watchable...and family programs that cover things we know something about so can critique and moan about LOL

 

[Drifter2406]

For the time scale they get the project are not that bad, yes the M&T are very dubious and one of the quotes I heard last night was "First time I've used a chisel" whether he was just saying that, hope so. As to "Britain's best wood worker" it is very much best of that bunch. The one bit that did niggle me though, the Black guy who made the covered bench looked stunning, by far the best joints but all they did was take the p***s out of it for it's size, and you are right that Mel woman tries way too hard to be funny.

 

[MikeJhn]

Haven't had the heart to watch it, title puts me off, but I did enjoy the big pottery throw down, if its the same Mel woman, yes she tries to hard and does not succeed.

 

[Doug71]

Watched it last night, I did fast forward through some parts and it would be better without Mel but overall

 

[TheUnicorn]

It would be really easy to redesign the show from the ground up, but the reality is you will never get a televised elite woodworking show. it is this, or find more specialist content from youtube or the like

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Haven't had the heart to watch it, title puts me off, but I did enjoy the big pottery throw down, if its the same Mel woman, yes she tries to hard and does not succeed.

Even the Mel woman has to be better than Katherine Ryan on the jewellery show.

 

[MikeJhn]

Another show I have never watched.

 

[paulrbarnard]

As some others have mentioned despite the woodworking part of the show being somewhat incidental to the formulaic time peril and back story obsession it is actually one of the few TV programs that I watch with my wife, that we both get some enjoyment from. She says I like it because I can feel superior telling her everything the contestants are doing wrong.

 

[TRITON]

I also like it because it gives me ideas. It is all well and good having an original concept, but for the most part you've got to start somewhere and with some idea of what you are going to make, and in what setting it is going to be put.
Shaker, arts and crafts, deco, post modern etc etc, all these influences we use to design a piece of furniture.

I wonder if the green eyed monster isnt at the heart of some of the above comments. "Why are they on national TV, my stuff is so much better, why arent I on national tv meeting potential customers etc."

 

[Spectric]

"Why are they on national TV, my stuff is so much better, why arent I on national tv meeting potential customers etc."

Because you are sensable and grounded, you cannot produce decent stuff when time constrained, not in your own workshop and with a Tv crew, plus some women harrasing you with daft comments.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Because you are sensable and grounded, you cannot produce decent stuff when time constrained, not in your own workshop and with a Tv crew, plus some women harrasing you with daft comments.

You don’t have a woman harassing you with daft comments? How do you achieve that?