The Great British Sewing Bee

Sara Pascoe welcomes 12 sewers to the Sewing Bee in Leeds. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young want to see how the newbies deal with 'Classics with a Twist'. For their first Pattern Challenge, the sewers make a top with a twist at its centre, which is a straightforward construction with a tricky brain-teaser.

For the 90-minute Transformation Challenge, they take the office uniform – a pencil skirt and blouse – and give it their own personal twist to reflect their style.

Finally, in the Made to Measure round, the sewers meet their models for the first time, and they attempt to perfectly fit a dress that has cut-out details. Who will impress the judges and win Garment of the Week, and whose hopes of staying in the competition won't last beyond Week One?

It's not exactly a holiday this week for the sewers, as judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young task them with creating garments based around a travel wardrobe.

It's a Sewing Bee first in the Pattern Challenge, when Sara Pascoe reveals they have to make a rucksack. This fiendishly tricky challenge involves battling complex strap construction, complete with metal hardware for adjustment. They must also add a lining to create a robust and stylish bag ready to hit the backtracking trail.

It's off to the seaside in the Transformation, when the sewers are challenged to sculpt windbreakers into emergency rainwear.

And staying in the sun, they attempt another Sewing Bee first with made- to-measure swimsuits. For some, their costume is designed for open-water swimming, for others it's strictly poolside posing. Who will make a splash, and who will take a nose dive and be the second sewer to leave the competition?

The ten remaining sewers celebrate clothes from west Africa. Sara Pascoe and judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young are joined by a special guest judge, Nigerian fashion designer Banke Kuku. The Pattern Challenge takes inspiration from a Ghanaian batakari or fugu tunic, which first involves sewing strips of handwoven deboya fabric.

In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers focus on Nigeria. They have 90 minutes to turn beautiful hand-dyed adire fabric into stunning dresses by draping the fabric on the stand.

Finally, for the Made-to-Measure round, the sewers make boubous, a dramatic and flowing wide-sleeved robe worn by men and women across west Africa. Who will make something to impress all three judges and win Garment of the Week, and who will become the third sewer to leave the competition?

Taking on the fast fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world, Sara Pascoe welcomes back Reduce Reuse Recycle week. First, the sewers attempt a zero-waste pattern for a pair of trousers, which involves complex mathematical skills to work out how to create the pattern pieces without leaving a scrap of waste fabric.

In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers use up a mountain of waste tote bags to create a garment. They can combine several bags to transform them in just 90 minutes, making imaginative use of the different prints and straps.

Finally, the sewers have been asked to source second-hand crochet blankets to create a made-to-measure outfit. They need to ensure that while chopping up their blankets, they don't unravel before they are sewn into outfits.

It's Art Week as the remaining sewers tackle three challenges inspired by the world of art. First, Sara reveals they must make a skirt inspired by the modernist movement. The techniques involved include appliqueing abstract shapes and making a sash tied in an enormous, Esme-pleasing bow.

In the Transformation Challenge, the sewers are asked to take huge canvases painted by local art students and turn them into dresses making clever use of the sculptural fabric and the painted design. Finally, for the Made to Measure, the sewers take inspiration from the 20th-century surrealist movement, which drew on artists' dreams and subconscious. The sewers dig deep into their own dreams to create fantastical outfits for a mind-bending catwalk.

It's Kids' Week in the sewing room, and Sara Pascoe invites the seven remaining sewers to follow the pattern for a child's dragon dressing gown. The task requires the sewers to use a thick towelling fabric to create the dragon spikes, while the rough seams need finishing with a neat binding. The hood is topped off with googly eyes and spiky teeth.

For the Transformation Challenge, the sewers personalise denim jackets using hand-me-downs. They can applique, add trims or totally deconstruct the jackets.

Finally, mini models are welcomed for the Made-to-Measure challenge, which this week is to make special-occasion outfit for a five-year-old. As well as being party-ready, these outfits must be comfortable, allowing enough movement for playing games and dancing. Who will win Garment of the Week, and who will have to leave the party early, becoming the sixth sewer to leave the competition?

A place in the quarter-final is at stake, and this week host Sara Pascoe takes the sewers on a trip down memory lane to the 1990s.

First up, in the Pattern Challenge, the sewers are asked to make the 90s most popular trousers – cargo pants. Loved by hip-hop musicians and British girl bands alike, these trousers involve grappling with unfamiliar bellows pockets and a fly zip.

For the Transformation Challenge, the sewers take household textiles and rustle up a 90s celebrity-themed fancy dress outfit.

Finally, in the Made-to-Measure Challenge, the sewers take on the legendry supermodel dress. These bodycon and body-skimming dresses summed up the glamour and decadence of the decade. Who will make it into the quarter-final, and who will take a tumble on the catwalk?

The quarter-final sees the five remaining sewers make garments inspired by history's most influential fashion Icons.

For the Pattern Challenge, judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young draw on old-time Hollywood glamour with a dress reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn's little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's – a garment that demands a tight-fitting bodice and elegant cut.

The Transformation Challenge is inspired by the Sewing Bee's very own fashion icon, Esme Young, and her work with fashion label Swanky Modes, specifically their range of clothes made from shower curtains, shot by legendary fashion photographer Helmut Newton for Nova magazine.

Finally, in the Made-to-Measure Challenge, it's an all-male affair as the sewers have been asked to make smoking jackets. This tailoring test is combined with tricky-to-handle fabrics alongside the added pressure of creating a perfect fit for their model. Who will secure icon status and win Garment of the Week, and who will be a fashion fail?

Sara Pascoe welcomes the four semi-finalists into the sewing room as they get to work with utilitarian clothing, with a place in the final at stake.

Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young challenge the sewers to make an office staple – the trench coat, which originated as part of a military uniform. They must tackle the multiple parts that make this coat so distinctive, from the storm flaps to the epaulettes to the double-breasted design.

The sewers really need to use their imaginations in the Transformation Challenge as it turns to housework and making a garment from old cleaning products, including cleaning cloths, rubber gloves and mopheads.

The Made-to-Measure Challenge is boiler suits. Once worn to stoke boilers, they are now a fixture on the catwalk and high street alike. Multiple pockets feature, but the sewers' biggest challenge is to make sure their boiler suits fit their models perfectly around the crotch and bottom.

Who will get promoted to the final, and who will be pipped to the post and take their leave of the competition?

It's the grand finale of The Great British Sewing Bee as the three finalists compete for the title of Britain's best amateur sewer, making the most glamourous and extravagant of garments.

Patrick Grant and Esme Young kick things off by challenging the sewers to make a Victoriana-style evening dress. These dresses require delicate fabrics to create the glamorous effect, but they are tricky to handle, especially when the pattern demands a fitted bodice, puff sleeves and frilled cuffs.

Next, it's the sewers' final chance to show off their instinct for design in the Transformation Challenge, as they attempt to turn female party wear into a glamorous men's red-carpet outfit, inspired by figures such as Billy Porter, Timothee Chalamet and Harry Styles.

Finally, they fit a Met Gala-worthy 'two-in-one' dress for their models, who this week are a friend or family member. Creating a dress which transforms from one dress into another whilst on the catwalk will take a feat of engineering and leap of imagination.

The past sewers return for a reunion, while the judges will make their decision then crown this year's best amateur sewer.