The Great British Sewing Bee

Joe Lycett is back in charge, with twelve of Britain's most talented home sewers competing to win one of TV's toughest creative challenges. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young cast an expert eye over the garments, in the contest to find Britain's best amateur sewer.

Week One sees Patrick and Esme settling the contestants in with a trio of challenges based on everyday wardrobe staples. They start with their first Pattern Challenge, creating the simple, clean lines of the versatile classic sleeveless blouse known as a shell top. For the Transformation Challenge, the sewers must turn old t-shirts into completely new garments for men, women or children, in just 90 minutes. And in the Made to Measure, mannequins are replaced with real-life models. Who will whip up a well-fitting buffet dress and win themselves Garment of the Week, and whose hopes of staying in the competition will flounder?

Joe Lycett hosts as Summer Week hits the sewing room, with three challenges themed around sewing clothes to look and feel cool in even the fiercest heat.

Patrick and Esme's Pattern Challenge is a pair of paperbag shorts. They might be a small garment, but creating the signature shape means perfecting pockets, tackling tricky turn-ups and wrestling an elastic waistband with a mind of its own.

The sewers hit the beach in the Transformation, sculpting second-hand men's swimming gear into a woman's outfit worthy of sunset cocktails, all in just 90 minutes.

Finally, button-down sun dresses are the focus of the Made to Measure. As well as style, fit and finish, the judges have their eagle eyes primed for perfectly aligned buttonholes and secure fastenings. Who will miss the mark and be the second sewer to leave the competition?

Joe Lycett hosts as the ten remaining home sewers return to the nation's most famous sewing room for gent's classics week. In a gentle first test of tailoring, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick off the Pattern Challenge with a Sewing Bee first - a baker boy cap. The cap requires perfect symmetry in its construction, a supporting brim and a snug fit to get that full Peaky Blinders look.

Next, in the Transformation Challenge, they have just 90 minutes to smarten up and convert secondhand men's jackets and blazers into a garment for a woman.

Finally, for the Made to Measure challenge the sewers must make a casual utility jacket, which should have a relaxed fit and include at least three pockets. Who will make something for the perfect gent and win Garment of the Week, and who will become the third sewer to leave the Great British Sewing Bee?

Joe Lycett hosts as the nine remaining sewers go global, taking on garments and techniques from around the world. First, they must follow a pattern as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a French Breton top. Horizontal stripes must be perfectly matched, the wide-set boat neck must lie completely flat, and the fiddly button placket must be expertly constructed.

Next up, it's the Transformation Challenge, with the sewers taking on sarongs. These colourful cloths must be transformed into a brand new outfit in just 90 minutes, making imaginative use of the distinctive, bold print.

For their final challenge, the Made to Measure, the sewers make outfits inspired by the life and art of the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Known as much for her personal style as her vivid artwork, the sewers must use Kahlo as their inspiration while creating a modern garment that fits their model perfectly. Who will ace this creative brief and win Garment of the Week, and who will have to leave the sewing room?

It's children's week in the sewing room and judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young's pattern challenge choice is a classic for any toddler's wardrobe - a romper suit. The transformation task sees the sewers turning an adult wetsuit into a kids' fancy dress costume, before they tackle a children's raincoat, remembering it must be fully waterproof but allow enough movement for jumping in muddy puddles.

The fashion industry is the biggest polluter of our planet next to oil, so The Great British Sewing Bee returns to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Week, with all the usual fabric in the haberdashery being replaced with charity shop clothes and soft-furnishings. Host Joe Lycett kicks the six remaining home sewers off with a pattern for a gentleman's waistcoat using just second-hand clothes.

In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers are tasked with changing items of army surplus into a stylish and wearable garment for a woman.

Finally, the sewers are asked to use old jeans to create a Made to Measure dress. Jeans are one of the most polluting garments to manufacture, so to breathe a new lease of life into them, the sewers must create a new denim dress that fits their model perfectly. At the end someone will win Garment of the Week and the sixth sewer is asked to leave the Sewing Bee.

Joe Lycett hosts as temperatures drop and winter hits the sewing room, with challenges themed around keeping warm and adding sparkle to the coldest months of the year.

Patrick and Esme's Pattern Challenge this week is a man's flannel shirt. The sewers must create cuffs and collars, challenging both their construction technique and precise sewing skills.

The sewers wrap up warm for the Transformation, turning old scarves into a new wearable garment in a mere 90 minutes.

Finally, in the Made to Measure, they are asked to make a festive winter party dress. Working with tricky-to-handle fabrics, including velvets and sequins, each must create a perfect fit for their model. Who will cheer the judges' spirits and win Garment of the Week, and who will be sent out into the cold?

Joe Lycett hosts as the five remaining sewers tackle challenges inspired by music and the movies, taking on garments and techniques from the silver screen. First, they must follow a pattern like none they've encountered before, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young ask them to make a dress inspired by Baby from Dirty Dancing. The techniques involved in creating the iconic dance dress include a tightly fitted bodice and perfect full circle skirt.

Next up, it's the Transformation Challenge, and just like Julie Andrews's Maria in The Sound of Music, the sewers are asked to adapt old curtains into play clothes for children.

For their final challenge, the Made to Measure, the sewers take on the disco era with an outfit inspired by the movie Dreamgirls. Tasked with creating a dazzling 1970s-influenced dress fit for dancing the night away, they must ensure it skims the model's body using tricky technical fabrics. But only four of these five talented sewers can make it through to the semi-final.

oe Lycett hosts the semi-final, as the four remaining sewers go back in time to the 1940s. Attempting to revive both the glamorous and thrifty styles of the decade, they tackle its most elegant and innovative garments.

First up, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young challenge the sewers to make the decade's most famous trousers, Oxford bags, perfect for dancing the jitterbug and swing, but tricky to make. Creating the perfect trouser involves grappling with oversized pattern pieces, fly zips and a waistband with pleats to make room for the extra-wide legs.

For the Transformation Challenge, it's time to take a leap of faith, as the sewers are set a wartime task to turn old parachutes into glamorous dresses.

In the Made to Measure challenge, the sewers take on their final icon of 1940s fashion, Dior's New Look. Characterised by an hourglass silhouette and involving masses of fabric, this style means each sewer must exaggerate their model's figure to create the iconic shape. Who will sew their way to victory and win Garment of the Week, and for whom will 40s week signal the end of an era, as they become the ninth sewer to wave goodbye to the Great British Sewing Bee?

The Great British Sewing Bee reaches its dramatic denouement, as the three finalists compete for the title of Britain's best amateur sewer, taking on a trio of challenges for special occasions. Bringing together a range of advanced sewing skills, from couture techniques to the handling of delicate luxury fabrics, perfecting occasion wear is a pinnacle for any home sewer. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young start by challenging the sewers to make a little girl's bridesmaid dress packed with complex elements including puff sleeves, a lined bodice and a bound buttonhole.

Next, it's the sewers' final chance to show off their instinct for design in the Transformation Challenge. They attempt to turn homeware items such as cushions, bead curtains and table cloths into dramatic and fun outfits fit to wear at a summer festival.

Lastly, for the most important Made to Measure challenge of the competition, the sewers attempt to construct and fit glamorous off-the-shoulder evening gowns for their models. Creating a unique, red-carpet-worthy gown using yards of luxury fabric is a feat of daring construction and requires their most precise sewing yet. Once the final stitch is in place and the catwalk is over, the judges will make their decision and crown this year's winner.