The Great British Sewing Bee

In their first week, the sewers are eased in gently with wardrobe staples that might look familiar but aren’t necessarily straightforward to make. For their pattern challenge, the judges ask for a wrap skirt, a garment whose clean crisp lines can only be achieved through precise cutting, accurate stitching and a judicious choice of fabric.

The contestants are asked to insert an invisible zip and pockets on a pair of palazzo pants, while the judges keep a keen eye on how well they pattern-match the bold prints. For the transformation challenge, the sewers must turn towels into stylish beach cover-ups in just 90 minutes. Male models arrive in the Sewing Room for the final challenge, ready to be fitted with a made-to-measure holiday shirt using bright and colourful fabrics. Whose shirt will bring on the sunshine, and who will be sent packing?

Joe Lycett welcomes the ten remaining home sewers back to the nation’s most famous sewing room for children’s week. The garments might be mini, but they are a mammoth challenge because they are fiddly to sew.

It's sportswear week, and the sewers must create rugby shirts, waterproof onesies for toddlers and tennis outfits.

The eight remaining contestants take part in a series of challenges as they return to the sewing room for lingerie and sleepwear week. To test the sewers' handling skills, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick off the pattern challenge with a boned basque. The task requires sewing together small pattern pieces for a precise fit and creating a tricky hook and eye fastening. Next, in the transformation challenge, the sewers transform pyjamas and nightwear into a summer dress, before finally being tasked to create a two-piece female sleep set which has to incorporates lace somewhere in their design.

For reduce, reuse and recycle week, all the fabric in the haberdashery is replaced with charity shop clothes and soft furnishings.

The six remaining home sewers head back in time to the 1980s, attempting to revive the glamorous - and sometimes ridiculous - style of that decade.

For the quarter final, the five remaining sewers go global, taking on garments and techniques from around the world. Firstly, the sewers must follow a pattern like they have never encountered before, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a Filipino Terno Blouse. In the Transformation Challenge, the competitors are asked to turn Provencal tablecloths from France into a brand new outfit in just 90 minutes, before creating a dramatic Flamenco skirt from Southern Spain in the final challenge.

For their semi-final challenge, the four remaining sewers go to the movies, taking on garments and techniques from the silver screen.

The competition reaches its dramatic denouement as the final three sewers tackle celebration wear challenges and the series winner is crowned.