A waiter from Manchester is set to swap carrying plates to throwing them as he hits our screens in the latest series of The Great Pottery Throw Down, which starts tonight.
Vithu Karunakaran, aged 29, is the only Mancunian on the show this year, which will see 12 amateur potters battle it out to be crowned master potter at the end of the sixth season.
The bartender and waiter said he ‘found something special’ in pottery, and draws inspiration from his strong Sri Lankan heritage and Mancunan culture in his work.
Posting to his Instagram account ahead of the show airing this evening, Vithu shared a photo of himself with his fellow potters, writing: “Hey guys thought I'd share this image, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I do apologise. I will be posting more and stay on top of it. I wanna thank all these lovely people who I had privilege of meeting, who have been nothing but amazing.”
Before applying for the show, Vithu studied ceramics in Cardiff where his love of the craft grew, before moving back to Manchester, where he grew up.
He’s said to be a bit of an ‘adrenaline junkie’, enjoying a number of hobbies including gymnastics, parkour and bouldering.
On the official Instagram page for The Great Pottery Throwdown, Vithu’s bio added: “Being an avid gamer, Vithu used to stunt fight from imitating video games and can still execute an impressive backflip.”
The Great Pottery Throw Down returns to Channel 4 tonight - Sunday, January 8 - at 7.45pm. The new series will consist of 10 episodes in total, each airing on Sunday evenings.
Keith Brymer Jones and Richard Miller will judge the new series, putting the potters through their paces, while Siobhan McSweeney - of Derry Girls fame - returns as presenter.
Each week, contestants will be subjected to a series of challenges in a bid to become the master potter. One person will leave the show - filmed at Stoke-on-Trent’s Gladstone Pottery - each week until the final.
Here are this year’s contestants
Vithu (29) - bartender from Manchester
Caitlin (23) - medical student from Glasgow
Fliss (24) - oil painter from London
George (27) - junior doctor from Hampshire
Rebecca (32) - teacher from Scarborough
Lois (36) - former teacher turned jewellery designer from Ramsgate
Christophe (36) - architect, originally from France but living in London
James (44) - art teacher from Banbury
Jon (46) - structural engineer from Corsham
Fabiola (52) - nanny originally from Colombia, living in London
Derek (57) - journalist from Belfast, now living in Tunbridge Wells
Helen (65) - retired headteacher from Kent
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