A Bude resident is hoping to wow the judges tonight as he enters the final of the Great British Sewing Bee.

For the last nine weeks, Tony R, a postman from Bude, has been displaying his sewing skills as part of the BBC One competition the Great British Sewing Bee. 

Each week, Tony has been asked to take on three separate challenges, the ‘Pattern Challenge’ - in which sewers are given pattern and instructions, which they have to perfectly put together; the ‘Transformation Challenge’ - which sees contestants take a variety of items (shower curtains, jeans, beach towels etc.) and reconstruct them into a new garment; and the ‘Made to Measure’ - which allows the bees to show off their style by creating a tailored outfit to meet the week’s speciality. 

However, despite the myriad of challenges, Tony has fended off the competition with his unique style, creating a variety of garments, including a brilliant high-fashion ‘this is a dress’ piece, an inspired purple smoking jacket, and a neon-camouflage boiler suit.

With plenty of pieces under his belt, tonight Tony he will take to the sewing room one last time, and with the all of Cornwall behind him, will be hoping that he is crowned the winner of the Great British Sewing Bee 2023. 

The Great British Sewing Bee is available to watch on BBC One and iPlayer from 9pm.

Will you be cheering on Tony?