The Great Celebrity Pottery Throw Down confirms all-star line-up and BBC Radio icon to host new show

The Great Pottery Throw Down is returning with a starry twist, as Channel 4 has announced a brand new five-part celebrity special, hosted by Liza Tarbuck.

This marks Tarbuck's first gig since exiting BBC Radio 2. Earlier this year, the broadcaster announced she'd be stepping down from her Saturday evening show after 14 years as she wanted her weekends back.

Tarbuck said of her latest appointment: "I knew I’d enjoy Keith and Rich’s company and I did. People flourish around emotionally intelligent people, and the boy’s encouragement and kindness really promoted a growth in our newbie potters that was a pleasure to witness. I absolutely loved being there."

Joining Tarbuck in the pottery studio is six celebrities, all with little to no pottery experience who will brave the clay and take to the wheel in a series of bold ceramic challenges.

The celebrities ready to unleash their creativity are comedian, writer and actor Lucy Beaumont; comedian, writer, actor and author Fatiha El-Ghorri; comedian and podcaster Richard Herring; football legend and pundit Paul Merson; star of stage and screen Layton Williams; and actress, singer, dancer and presenter Denise Van Outen.

In a twist on the original format, there will not be a weekly elimination and instead, the celebrities will get to immerse themselves in the pottery studio, learning and developing their skills over five episodes under the expertise of judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller.

The celebrities will compete for points in each challenge in the hopes of earning a place in the grand final, where just one of them will be announced as the winner of the series and crowned champion of The Great Celebrity Pottery Throw Down.

Luke Byrne, executive producer, Love Productions commented: "It’s very exciting to be working with Channel 4 on this new series. It shows there is an appetite for more pottery with the success of The Great Pottery Throw Down. It will be a real eye opener to see what it’s like to be a novice potter through the eyes of enthusiastic celebrities and hopefully reaching a wider audience to this incredible craft."

While Deborah Dunnett, commissioning editor, Channel 4 added: "The Great Celebrity Pottery Throw Down is a wonderfully heart-warming series. For the first time we are able to discover pottery through the eyes of real beginners and follow their creative progression through to a deeply personal finale with some show-stopping results. And of course it’s absolutely thrilling to welcome Liza to the Pottery family."

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