You know by now that we love our craft TV shows here at Gathered so you can imagine our excitement when we heard that Channel 4's Britain's Best Woodworker is back!
Mel, Sophie and Tom are on a hunt to find Britain's best woodworker and nine woodworking enthusiasts have been selected to battle it out to be crowned the champion.
Millions of men and women in the UK have a passion for all things timber, and crafts like wood carving and pyrography are more popular than ever. If you're one of these talented makers, or you're just interested in this ancient craft, then Britain's Best Woodworker is the show for you.
We're going to share all the info you need about the show including when and where it's airing, along with judge and contestant profiles so you can get to know this year's cast. Grab a cuppa and learn about 2023's hottest creative show.
When is Britain's Best Woodworker on?
Britain's Best Woodworker is on every Sunday from the 8th October. It will air at 8pm.
Find the latest episodes and catch up on Channel 4.
Where can I watch Britains's Best Woodworker?
Britain's Best Woodworker is shown on Channel 4 and is streamed on All 4. Channel 4 is fast becoming our go-to craft channel with shows like The Great Pottery Throwdown, Kirstie's Handmade Christmas, and now Britain's Best Woodworker!
Britain's Best Woodworker 2023 episode guide
We'll be sharing the highs and lows of each episode here, plus memorable quotes from our favourite woodworkers.
Our episode guide will contain spoilers.
Episode eight, The Final: Kitchen Island and a kitchen accessory
Can you believe it's the final of Britain's Best Woodworker 2023? Just three woodworkers remain, Jen, Nathanael and Wolfgang. But who will take the crown?
With only one big build left the judges have made it one of the biggest builds yet! The woodworkers have been challenged to build a kitchen island. It should be multi-function with somewhere to cook, to sit and to store items. It should also look spectacular and showcase the woodworker's skills.
The race begins! Jen is being inspired by a famous Dundee building, Wolfgang has gone for an ambitious abstract design with lots of angles, and Nathanael is making three bespoke storage units in different shapes.
The pressure is on and Jen is struggling with the accuracy of her cuts, Nathanael is feeling challenged while making his perfect circle and Wolfgang is feeling challenged with his triangular worksurfaces.
As the midpoint of the big build approaches that can only mean one thing: a skills challenge! There's no immunity to play for this week but what they make will count as part of the final. It's a good chance to accentuate their kitchen island with an accessory.
Nathanael impressed the judges with his beautifully finished knife block! Wolfgang didn't impress, however, with the leaking glue on his wine glass holder. Jen's accessory went well but the judges felt it was a little bit simplistic.
Back in the workshop and it's back to the kitchen islands and the pressure is on. The woodworkers raced to get their big builds finished, and just about managed it within the time!
And that's it! Time is up and the judges are ready to pick a winner.
Nathanael's kitchen island was so beautiful and the geometric shapes were perfect! Jen's massive make went down really well with the judges and certainly made an impact. Wolfgang's triangular worktop looks fantastic and the judges were really happy with the style, but they did mention it was a little on the small side though.
It's time...
The winner of Britain's Best Woodworker 2023 is: Nathanael!
A well-deserved win for Nathanael, well done!
Highlights: Jen's beautiful kitchen island.
Lowlights: We didn't have any lowlights from the finale! It was a wonderful showcase of the woodworker's talents.
Episode seven, the semi-final: A hanging chair and pole lathe
With just four woodworkers left the judges have set a challenging big build this week. The woodworkers have been tasked with making a hanging chair.
The hanging chair must be inspired by a holiday destination, look beautiful, be strong and be comfortable to sit on.
We find out what the woodworkers have planned (or not...). Nathanial has made the risky move of not planning out his design.
Caroline has gone for a retro design inspired by Victorian fairground rides. It's a seat for two and will potentially take a long time.
All of the woodworkers are struggling with their joints, they've all taken on intricate joinery and it's putting pressure on them.
Every woodworker could do with immunity this week. But who will win this week's skills challenge?
The challenge this week is to replicate a chair leg, using peddle-powered turning. It's a unique experience for the woodworkers.
Wolfgang impressed the judges with his turning and won immunity this week. Well done Wolfgang for a brilliant replica of a chair leg.
Back in the workshop, the woodworkers are cracking on with their hanging chairs. Caroline is behind on her painting – an integral part of her fairground chair.
Nathanial is struggling to create structure to his chair due to his lack of planning. Jen is trying to make hers more comfortable and Caroline's assembly is causing problems.
At the one hour remaining mark it didn't seem like anyone was going to be fully finished!
It's judging time. Wolfgang's hanging bench looked amazing and impressed the judges. Sadly we said goodbye to Caroline this week.
Highlights: Wolfgang's wonderful hanging bench. Which won him Woodworker of the Week. Two wins for Wolfgang this week!
Lowlights: Caroline left the woodworkers this week. We will miss her creativity and ambition.
Quote of the episode: "You might want to get one of those mattresses back from the bed challenge" - Wolfgang talking about whether his hanging chair will hold up.
Next week: THE FINAL - see you there!
Episode six: Four poster beds & an Indian block print
Week six is here with a bang! The woodworkers must make a four-poster bed for a honeymoon suite: a bed which screams opulence and decadence. This week's challenge is the woodworker's biggest creation yet, but if they can pull it off it will earn them a place in the semi-final.
The judges are looking for 5-star luxury from the woodworker's beds. They'll need to perfect the bed itself, the posts and the canopy – it's no small feat.
The woodworkers are setting themselves some tough challenges with their beds, Clare's tunnel bed with lots of lamination, Jen's bed with tartan made from wood!
Jen is the only woodworker so far who is yet to win Woodworker of the Week! So she's got to impress to get her moment in the limelight. She's feeling the pressure however, and she's made some incorrect cuts in her slats.
The woodworkers are cracking on, we know this means one thing: A skills challenge!
This week's skills challenge is to carve an Indian block print. These blocks were traditionally used to print fabric.
All of the woodworkers created lovely prints, and the judge's favourite was Caroline's cat print - it was purr-fect! Well done to Caroline who won immunity.
Back to the workshop and the woodworkers must complete their bed frames. The pressure is on for the woodworkers to finish this huge project. We think this might be the most mad rush that has happened in the workshop.
That's it. The woodworkers have made their beds, and it's time to lie in them. Over to the judges. Each woodworker's bed was so unique, we especially loved Caroline's bird's nest style frame.
The winner of this week's challenge and winner of Woodworker of the Week is Jen! Well done, Jen.
The woodworker not joining us next week is Clare.
Highlights: Wolfgang's Star Trek bed idea!
Lowlights: Sadly we said goodbye to Clare. We'll miss her imagination and creativity!
Quote of the episode: "Are you worried about it holding up?" - Tom "No, this will hold. Two people... with activity" - Wolfgang
Episode five: Super-sized insect sculpture & a dog house
What an interesting big build for week 5! The woodworkers must build a super-sized bug, inspired by the woodland around the workshop. Each sculpture must be impactful and artistic while demonstrating skill, their piece must have a high-quality finish. The woodworkers can also choose whether to go realistic or abstract with their design.
The woodworkers have given us a mixture of bugs, from caterpillars to dragonflies but both Leo and Clare are making a bee.
Wolfgang is feeling the heat with this dragonfly's wings which are covered in glue which he needs to remove while Clare is running out of energy with the high amount of sawing and carving she has to do. Jen is fiercely trying to impress this week after failing to impress last week.
It's skills challenge time! The woodworkers take a break from their big build with a challenge. This week's make is a dog house. the woodworkers must create something playful, unique and creative. The woodworkers have two sheets of plywood to work with.
The winner of this week's skills challenge and firmly out of the dog house is... Clare! Clare's dog house impressed the most with her TV-shaped house. And Clare won immunity.
Back to the big build. The pressure is on to bring together their final sculptures. The super-sized bugs are starting to take shape.
There judges were impressed by Caroline and her centipede and Jen's abstract caterpillar. The judges thought Wolfgang wasn't on his game and Leo's bee lacked impact.
The Woodworker of the week for her incredible centipede was Caroline! Caroline's build blew us away.
Sadly we said goodbye to Leo.
Highlights: The guest judge (a cute puppy) tests out the woodworker's dog houses.
Lowlights: Leo left us this week.
Quote of the episode: "The Great British Buzz Off" - Mel referring to the competition between Leo and Clare for their bee sculptures.
Episode four: Bookshelves & candelabra
We're back! For this week's big build, the woodworkers are challenged to make a bookshelf. It must be an exceptional, freestanding bookshelf inspired by a natural form. It also has to be functional, strong and sturdy to hold heavy books.
The heat is quite literally on in the shed, with the sun beaming down the woodworkers are certainly feeling the heat! The woodworkers have taken on some super ambitious projects, with Nathenials lamination to Wolfgang's precise angles.
The pressure was too much for Jen who ended up in tears!
Time for the skills challenge! This week the woodworkers were challenged with making a wooden candelabra, using wood offcuts. The woodworkers must select their off-cut wood and get creative.
The winner of this week's skills challenge and the winner of immunity is... Leo! A well-deserved reward for his impressive candelabra.
Returning to the big build, the race is on to apply the finishing touches. At the bottom of the shelf are Nate and Jen who struggled to deliver their shelves. Caroline's and Wolfgang's bookshelves were showstoppers!
The woodworker of the week is Wolfgang for his gorgeous and technical bookshelf.
Leaving us this week is Nate, sadly his bookshelf did not impress!
Highlights: Caroline's beautiful bookshelf which brought her back into the running after her disappointing coffee table last week.
Lowlights: Sadly Nate left us this week.
Quote of the episode: "It sounds like you've been to angle management" - Mel to Wolfgang about his many angled bookshelves.
Episode three: Coffee tables & dice
This week's big build challenge is the focal point of any living room: the coffee table! It needs to have a statement design. Alongside this, the woodworkers must create an ornament to go with their coffee table.
The pressure is on as the woodworkers start creating their coffee table designs. David is feeling the pressure as his resin river table overflowed and Carolyn seems unsure how to execute her woodland coffee table, causing emotions to run high.
Time for the skills challenge! This week the woodworkers are asked to make as many perfectly formed dice in 90 minutes. They have to be uniform and accurate and carve as many as they can.
Caroline's six uniform dice won her immunity!
Back to the coffee tables and the tension is high to bring the final look together. There were some outstanding tables in the lineup this week but Clare's BLT was a cut above the rest thoroughly impressing the judges and earning her Woodworker of the Week!
Sadly David's river table failed to impress as his resin was murky which meant he was going home this week.
Highlights: Tom dubbed Clare's BLT coffee table a triumph! Which earned her woodworker of the week!
Lowlights: Jen's dice were winning quality but she didn't paint them which meant none counted! Poor Jen.
Quote of the episode: "We're not looking for an ordinance survey map" - Sophie in reply to Tom asking if Nate will be adding roads to his map table.
Episode two: A pair of freestanding lamps and chopsticks with hashioki
This week's build build challenge is a pair of freestanding lamps, they must be unique and innovative and complement each other. They can't be identical but must follow a theme. But who lit up the room with their creation?
As always there is a skills challenge! Where one woodworker has the chance to win immunity. This challenge is to create chopsticks and a chopstick rest (known in Japan as a hashioki). The woodworkers only get a small amount of wood that must be carved precisely. The winner of the challenge was Nate! Which means he's immune from this week's challenge.
Returning to the freestanding lamps the pressure is on in the workshop, Paula is behind on her Barley twists for the stem of her lamp and David is feeling the pressure with his heart lamp. It was a tense challenge with the woodworkers scrambling to assemble and light up their lamps!
Wolfgang's beautiful, perfected lamp earned him Woodworker of the Week! Well deserved. It even had the judges arguing over who wanted it more for their own home.
Highlights: Leo's fantastic The Beatles-themed lamps!
Lowlights: Paula's lamp just didn't light up the room and sadly we said goodbye to Paula this week.
Quote of the episode: "You're basically barking up the right tree" - Mel Giedroyc to Caroline about her fairy-themed tree standing lamp!
Episode one: Garden benches & wooden greetings cards
The first challenge was the big build which tests the design skills and creativity of each of the contestants. The woodworkers have two days to build their dream garden bench big enough to share with a loved one. Each bench must have at least one element of joinery and, of course, be flawless!
Each week, one contestant can win immunity in a surprise skills challenge. This week's challenge is personalised wooden greeting cards. There was a variety of fantastic cards (and some not so...) but one person in particular played their cards right and won immunity. The winner was Paula! With her bold and bright mountain range greeting card.
Back to the benches, and the pressure is on to bring the final look together. The benches were beautiful but the woodworker that really stole the limelight to become 2023's first woodworker of the week was... Nathanael!
Sadly one woodworker had to go home, the person to lose their seat this week was Ade.
Highlights: The judges sitting on Nate's bench which looks like it was made for giants!
Lowlights: Ade's African-inspired bench was amazing in detail but not in practicality. The judges weren't impressed by the spiky backrest, which might catch clothing.
Quote of the episode: Judge Tom Dyckhoff referring to Caroline's Love Bench: "Who are the people sitting on this seat?" Caroline: "Me and my dog"... - We feel you, Caroline!!
Where is Britain's Best Woodworker filmed?
Britain's Best Woodworker is filmed in the beautiful Glanusk Estate in the Brecon Beacons National Park, South Wales. The contestants battle it out in a rustic, custom-built studio that's kitted out with all the wood and machinery a woodworker could dream of!
Who presents Britain's Best Woodworker?
Britain's Best Woodworker is presented by everyone's favourite TV legend Mel Giedroyc. The comedian and former Bake Off presenter has joined the show to find Britain's most talented craftspeople.
Mel spoke to the Radio Times expressing her love for the show and we're so glad she chose to join the hunt for Britain's Best Woodworker.
The woodworkers have got such grit. They’re a brilliant bunch of people and enjoyed all being together, because it is usually such a solitary activity. So for them to meet others who have the same passion was wonderful.
Mel Giedroyc for Radio Times
Woodworking experts Sophie Sellu and design academic Tom Dyckhoff are more than qualified to judge this year's contestants.
Sophie Sellu
Sophie is the brains behind Grain & Knot. She creates beautiful wooden objects made from reclaimed timber. She's made and sold everything from wooden vases to brushes as well as a range of incredible kitchenware. Sophie has won many awards and is known in the industry for her creativity and passion for sustainability.
Tom Dyckhoff
Tom Dyckhoff is one knowledgeable man. Previously an architecture and design critic for The Times, deputy homes and design editor at The Guardian, Tom's accolades are endless. You might recognise him from shows like The Great Interior Design Challenge and The Secret Life of Buildings as he's been both a presenter and judge on a host of shows.
We can't wait to see what Sophie and Tom think of this year's contestants!
Britain's Best Woodworker contestants 2023
This year's cast features the best Britain has to offer in both traditional and modern woodworking. The ten contestants have already blown us away with their creations but let's get to know them better. Meet the 2023 cast of Britain's Best Woodworker...
Ade
Ade has travelled the world and previously worked in hospitality before recently starting a new career as a trainee carpenter in Birmingham.
He's new to woodworking but believes his joinery experience and drawing and design ability could give him the advantage.
Caroline
Mum-of-two Caroline from Tyne and Wear works as a veterinary nurse and also runs a women’s woodcraft course, practicing traditional woodcrafts like carving and whittling.
Caroline took up woodwork in her late 30s and, although more used to working to at a smaller scale, her have-a-go attitude means she won’t shy away from the big builds.
Clare
Self-employed tradeswoman Clare from Glasgow chose a hands-on career after completing a women in construction course. She also has a degree in Fine Art Sculpture and woodwork is her artistic release. However, without a proper workshop, her only space to practice is under a gazebo, battling with the Scottish elements.
David
Primary school assistant head teacher David lives with his wife, daughters and cats in Preston. David’s interest in woodwork developed during lockdown as he completed jobs at home and in the garden.
Jen
Jen from Aberdeen studied graphic design at university before taking up woodworking as a hobby and training as a teacher. Jen teaches Design Technology in a secondary school and says she has the coolest job in the school.
Leo
Liverpudlian music teacher Leo took up woodwork in 2018 when he had to give up his hobbies of golfing, fishing and playing the piano following a car accident that resulted in the functional loss of his right arm.
Leo set up a YouTube channel to document his woodworking journey and now he uses the platform to raise awareness of his disability and his craft.
Nate
Kent-based housing manager Nate lives with his wife and two young sons and is slowly renovating their house. Nate gave up a job in IT to work in a role that helps people, to honour his late mum’s memory, who was a nurse.
Nate’s father was a passionate woodworker and Nate says he has learnt his DIY skills through osmosis by watching what his dad used to do.
Nathanael
At just 18, Nathanael from Chester is the youngest woodworker in the competition. Nathanael found his passion for woodturning at school after his teacher introduced him to a lathe and he now makes unique pieces of art on it.
In 2019, Nathanael won the title of Young Woodturner of the Year.
Paula
Paula is a carer from Oxford. She's a life-long woodworking hobbyist having been introduced to it at the tender age of nine by her father.
Paula has taught basic woodwork skills in a rehab centre and, alongside her husband, has fostered over 30 children. Paula has also represented Great Britain in roller hockey.
Wolfgang
Originally from Germany, IT manager Wolfgang lives in the West Midlands with his wife, two horses and two cats. His passion for wood started when he was just 10 and he now has a particular focus on woodturning.
Wolfgang’s style is art deco with a 21st century twist.
Watch the hunt for Britain's Best Woodworker 2023
Settle down on your sofa and get ready for some wholesome autumn TV! Britain's Best Woodworker features a host of talented crafters and it's a joy to watch them at work.
Each week the skilled craftsmen and women will battle it out for a chance to win the coveted title of Britain's Best Woodworker. You'll be blown away by their incredible work!
Fall in love with clay with The Great Pottery Throwdown
Once you've finished Britain's Best Woodworker, we'd recommend trying the wonderfully creative Pottery Throwdown.
This Channel 4 show is a soothing way to spend a winter evening. We love the way the contestants support one another and how passionate the judges are about ceramics!
Find out everything you need to know about The Great Pottery Throwdown.
