Viewers slammed Channel 4’s Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker last night as they criticised the difficulty of the challenges on the show.
In the last night’s episode of the new show, which has been dubbed ‘Bake off for wood’, eight amateur carpenters were asked to build an ‘exquisite’ doll’s house in the ‘Big Build’ challenge in 18 hours.
Meanwhile they were also tasked with tackling an ‘impossible dovetail joint’ in 90 minutes in this week’s technical task.
However many of those watching slated the programme, with one commenting: ‘Who dreams up these awful challenges?
Viewers slammed Channel 4’s Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker last night as they criticised the difficulty of the challenges on the show (pictured, one of the amateur carpenters making a doll’s house)
In last night’s episode of the show, eight amateur carpenters were tasked with tackling an ‘impossible dovetail joint’ in this week’s technical task
‘Last week beds were just hours of watching people sawing wood. Now it looks like they’re sticking flat pieces of wood together. Not the best for TV viewing.’
At the start of last nights programme, judge Helen Welch explained: ‘This time we want you to think small and beautiful as you design and build an exquisite doll’s house with three pieces of furniture to fit inside.’
Meanwhile Alex De Rijke said: ‘We’re not just looking for a child’s toy. We want this to be so well made, it could be a collector’s item.’
Helen said: ‘Miniature is really hard. Everything has to be done to a much finer level of detail.’
Many of those watching the programme were highly critical of the format, with some saying the contestants ‘looked tired’ and ‘like they didn’t care’ by the end of the big build challenge
Alex explained: ‘As an architect, I would like to see the contestants surprise us. I think the perfect miniature building captures the imagination.’
The woodworkers had each pre-designed a unique doll’s house, which needed to be a scaled down miniature house and include three pieces of furniture fit to size.
To be worthy of collector’s item status, it needed to be meticulously crafted with a perfect finish.
Five hours into making the doll’s houses, Joe had smashed the perplex front of his modern home, while Minti was feeling frustrated that they hadn’t used plywood for the challenge.
Meanwhile Rhada said he ‘needed about 25 hours’ to make his dolls house when they only had 18 to complete the challenge.
The woodworkers were each tasked with building a scaled down miniature house and include three pieces of furniture fit to size (pictured)
And after falling behind, Joe was playing catchup, saying: ‘Time soon gets away from you. I am worried.’
Midway through the day, the amateur carpenters were left baffled when they were challenged with creating an ‘impossible dovetail joint’ during the technical task.
Alex explained: ‘You have two pieces of timber in front of you, and we want you to produce a beautiful and accurate joint.’
Helen said: ‘Your joint must fit perfectly and showcase your joinery skills.’
Midway through the day, the amateur carpenters were left baffled when they were challenged with creating an ‘impossible dovetail joint’ in 90 minutes
They were given 90 minutes to complete with the joint, with Jim confessing: ‘I’ve never done this in my life. What could possible go wrong?’
Helen told the camera: ‘It’s called an impossible dovetail joint because you think how, how is this possible.
‘But once you see how it slides apart, you realise it’s not impossible at all. There is a direction that this goes in.’
Joe described the challenge as ‘a nightmare, an absolute nightmare.’
The judges were wowed by Misti’s woodwork for their doll’s house castle, calling it ‘quality work’
With time running out, Jade said: ‘I’ve given up all hopes of finishing!’
The judges deemed several of the joints unworthy, and in the end Billy was granted the win and immunity to go through to next week.
With just five hours to go on their big build, a wonderous toy town was springing up in the tent.
But several contestants were feeling the pressure, with Tim saying: ‘Time is very very tight. I’m going to have to chuck many details of this build out of the window.’
Jade added: ‘I’ve definitely run out of time to make the furniture like I wanted to make it.’
However Helen criticised Joe’s Miami beach house design and said it was showing up some ‘really rough finishing’
The judges were wowed by Misti’s woodwork for their doll’s house castle, calling it ‘quality work.’
Helen said: ‘From a distance, the castle looks stunning and close up – it looks just as good.’
However Helen criticised Joe’s Miami beach house design, saying: ‘It’s showing up some really rough finishing.’
But in the end, it was Tim whose rocket ship didn’t come up to scratch for the judges.
Helen said: ‘His design promised so much but the wow factor was just a bit meh.’
But in the end, it was Tim whose rocket ship didn’t come up to scratch for the judges and he was sent home
However viewers were highly critical of the judges and the challenges on the show, with one commenting: ‘Wish they gave the contestants more time on Britain’s Best Woodworker. This happened last week and it’s happening this one too.
‘I feel the quality/finish of these builds could be improved if they just gave them a few extra hours.’
Another wrote: ‘Totally shouldn’t be against the clock, ruins the quality. Some of tonight’s dolls houses were very poor.’
A third commented: ‘Handmade is a bit old fashioned based on GBBO format and is nowhere near as good as Jay’s Yorkshire Workshop.
‘Tonight’s dolls houses are quite simple and crude. I expected better.’