The Great British Sewing Bee 2022 cast: Meet the contestants
The series continues on BBC One with new host Sara Pascoe and returning judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant.
Season 8 of The Great British Sewing Bee is now in full swing, with three of the 12 ambitious sewers who entered the competition already eliminated.
We've already said goodbye to Mitch, Chichi and Richy, but it's still all to sew for. Debra may have taken an early lead with two Garment of the Week wins, but with seven more weeks to go everything is still very much on the table.
The much-loved competition is now hosted by comedian Sara Pascoe, who has taken over from Joe Lycett, while Patrick Grant and Esme Young have both returned as judges.
The talented amateur sewers who are still in the competition include: Man Yee, Annie, Cristian, Brogan, Marni, Steve, Debra, Gill and Angela.
This week they will be facing off in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle week, and will once again compete in three challenges - the pattern challenge, the Transformation Challenge and the Made to Measure, which is the ultimate test where the participants fit to a real life model.
Allow us to introduce all 12 contestants who have been taking part in this year's show.
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Angela
Instagram: @sewange
Angela, from Lancashire, has 50 years of sewing experience, and won an award for her work as a school nurse during the pandemic. She is an NHS health visitor and school nurse, which she balances with her hobbies of gardening, walking and sewing, obviously.
Annie
Instagram: @madeby_annie_
Annie, who lives in Surrey with her boyfriend, credits her grandmother as her inspiration to start sewing. She currently works as a buyer for a high street fashion brand.
Brogan
Instagram: @/the_crafty_pie
Brogan is originally from Edinburgh but now teaches Spanish and French at a secondary school in Derbyshire. she got into sewing after watching series 1 of Sewing Bee as a child, and loves making clothes for her sausage dog, Roger.
Debra
Instagram: @debragoldenzebra
Debra began sewing aged 9, and takes inspiration from luxury designers like Erdem, Gucci and Chanel. She works for a multinational company and likes to dress up in some of her more colourful designer-inspired creations to brighten up the workplace.
Cristian
Instagram: @cristian_mrsn
Cristian grew up near Transylvania as one of six children, and learned to sew by watching his mother making her own garments. He moved to the UK four years ago and he is now the manager of a high street store in London.
Chichi - ELIMINATED
Instagram: @saychichis
Chichi is originally from Zimbabwe and grew up in Somerset and Hampshire, before moving to London. She enjoys making creations from recycled fabrics and transforming vintage clothing. She has a penchant for animal print.
Gill
Instagram: @theonearmedsewist
Gill first tried sewing when her husband bought her a machine three years ago and it was love at first stitch and she's never looked back. She taught herself to sew, and works as a public health intelligence analyst, insisting that her love for numbers helps her in her sewing.
Man Yee
Instagram: @manyee.woo
Man Yee was born in Hong Kong and moved to Portsmouth as a child. Her sewing journey began a decade ago when she and her friends wanted to dress up as Japanese anime characters for Comic Con, so she asked her aunt to teach her how to sew. She works as an actuary and lives with her boyfriend in London.
Marni
Instagram: @marnibettyvet
Marni was born in Canada and is a Canadian First Nation member of the Maliseet tribe, and has been sewing for 35 years. Her signature style is using unique embellishments such as discarded feathers combined with recycled clothing and charity shop finds.
Mitch - ELIMINATED
Instagram: @mitchbridgewater
Mitch taught himself to sew by reading books and studying online videos, and has a passion for loud fabric. . He now runs a university theatre in Cumbria, working behind the scenes and directing when he gets the chance.
Richy - ELIMINATED
Instagram: @the_back_stitch_boys
Richy enjoys creating historical garments, often burying himself in books or heading to a museum for research. His trademark is a homemade bowtie, of which he has over 50. He's a professional baker at an independent cafe where he works with his partner of 15 years
Steve
Instagram: @szczepan_cowling
Steve took up sewing as a lockdown hobby and now sews for at least two hours a day. Growing up in Essex, he moved to Newcastle with his girlfriend of 16 years after giving up his office job and is now a full time running coach.
The Great British Sewing Bee continues on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One. Find something to watch with our TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for all the latest news.
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