Jim Moir hosting Sky Arts crafting show for Prince Charles
- Jim Moir will host a new crafting show on Sky Arts
- The reality-challenge series tasks amateur craftspeople to take on traditional crafts
- Winners will be chosen by Prince Charles
Comic Vic Reeves, under his real name of Jim Moir, is to present a new crafting series on Sky Arts, in conjunction with Prince Charles.
The Prince's Master Crafters: The Next Generation "will see a selection of top amateur craftspeople take on a variety of crafting challenges to supercharge their skills before each of them creates a final showcase piece to present to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales in person".
Covering traditional crafts ranging from pargeting to blacksmithing and the making of stained glass, the seven-part series has already been filmed and will air later this year.
Sky say: "When it comes to traditional crafts, Britain has a rich heritage - from wood carving to blacksmithing and weaving to stained glass - but we risk losing them forever. Last year alone in the UK, four heritage crafts were declared extinct and a further 56 critically endangered.
"The Prince's Foundation advocates for the preservation of heritage craft skills through the vast array of education and training programmes it runs at sites across the UK including at its Ayrshire headquarters Dumfries House, Trinity Buoy Wharf in London and at Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire. The Prince's Master Crafters: The Next Generation will bring some of these crafts back to life, reinvigorating them with a new generation of talent.
"Drawn from across the country, the six amateur craftspeople will explore the history and importance of six key disciplines. They're joined by some of the country's leading experts who each week set them a new task within their crafts."
In the finale, crafters will visit Dumfries House, home to The Prince's Foundation, to seek inspiration for their showcase pieces, before presenting their finished work to Prince Charles at his private residence, Highgrove House.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, commented: "Over the last two years many of us have taken up artistic pursuits and more people are getting into crafts - from stained glass to woodcarving and everything in between. The Prince of Wales has championed those traditional crafts for many years, so it feels like there's no better time to showcase the brilliant skills of this cohort of crafters. And with Jim Moir at the helm guiding us through the show it promises to be an entertaining and enlightening delight."
The series will air from May.