When hordes of people spend their New Year’s Eve watching a sewing bee, the seriousness of the pandemic becomes apparent. Rather than get sloshed, many Britons counted down to 2021 watching The Vivienne and other contestants make pantomime costumes.
The Great British Sewing Bee began airing in Britain in 2013. A spin-off of The Great British Bake-off, it takes a similar format. Following Season Six of the show in 2020, producers put together celebrity editions for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Actors Sally Phillips and Leslie Joseph along with TV presenter Sabrina Grant and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne competed on the two-part episode.
The contestants firstly made a child’s party skirt.
Then came the transformation challenge. Turn a pile of old clothes into a recognisable pantomime costume. Finally, the third challenge — make a made-to-measure party dress.
Bridget Jones actor Sally Phillips won the night with creations that included a pantomime horse. Judges praised her outfits for their sense of fun.
There’s only one long face here as @SallyEPhillips is crowned the Transformation Challenge winner with this truly epic pantomime horse. Congratulations! #SewingBee pic.twitter.com/QScR8lLl2P
— Sewing Bee (@sewingbee) December 31, 2020
“Yay! I cannot believe it I’m over the moon. ‘I am definitely not the best sewer in the room, so in the way, they was robbed.”
The Vivienne
Although the show promoted the contestants as ‘novice sewers’, The Vivienne’s New Year’s Eve party frock stunned.
Glitzy, gold and utterly glamorous. Fabulous work, @TheVivienneUK! pic.twitter.com/eXJPTLEPKr
— Sewing Bee (@sewingbee) December 31, 2020
I am taking part in Celebrity Sewing Bee this Christmas! The show will be on New Year’s Eve, Thursday 31st December at 8pm on BBC One.
Had so much fun doing this show and made friends in Sally Phillips and Lesley Joseph. And always great to see @joelycett pic.twitter.com/HPb5Bugohe— TheVivienne BLM (@THEVIVIENNEUK) December 8, 2020
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
After skipping 2020 because of the pandemic, the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK begins mid-January. 2021 will see two seasons of the show with Season Three showing later this year.
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