The Great British Sewing Bee 2023 returns this month for a new TV series

The Great British Sewing Bee is back for 2023 with its ninth series.

The Great British Sewing Bee is the popular UK TV show that follows a group of amateur sewers as they compete in a variety of challenges designed to test their sewing skills and creativity, and avid fans of the competitive sewing show will be excited to know when GBSB Series 9 will hit our TV screens. In our Sewing Bee 2023 guide, we will tell you everything we know about Series 9.

Sara Pascoe is back as host with a brand new line up of twelve of Britain’s most talented home sewers competing to win one of TV’s toughest creative challenges. Sara will join returning judges Saville Row’s Patrick Grant and Central Saint Martins’s Esme Young.

As ever, they’ll be testing the sewers across a huge range of garments in order to determine the series champion.

The Great British Sewing Bee start date

Alternatively, as well as watching on TV you can watch online via the BBC iPlayer here.

A teaser for the first instalment shares: “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?”

Host Sara, who first took over last year from Joe Lycett, said: “It’s such an honour to get to be part of a show I love watching.

“I’m so inspired by creativity and skill and I am deeply in love with clothes so I can’t think of a happier place to be.”

GBSB Series 9 Air Date

The Great British Sewing Bee Series 9 will return on Wednesday 24th May at 9pm on BBC One.

BBC iPlayer’s description for Episode 1 hints at what we can expect to see on the Great British Sewing Bee:

“Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young want to see how the newbies deal with ‘Classics with a Twist’… 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…”

GBSB Series 9 Contestants

The contestants for The Great British Sewing Bee Series 9 have not yet been announced. Stay tuned for updates. As soon as we know, you’ll know!

GBSB Series 9 Judges

Patrick Grant

Patrick Grant is a top British fabric designer and entrepreneur. Patrick is the owner of Norton and Sons tailors on Saville Row. He also founded the luxury menswear brand, E. Tautz, which won the Menswear Designer award at the British Fashion Awards in 2010.

Patrick Grant has been a Great British Sewing Bee judge since its inception in 2013.

Esme Young

The new series of The Great British Sewing Bee will start on Wednesday, 24 May at 9PM.