Keith Brymer Jones
Keith Brymer Jones | |
|---|---|
Brymer Jones on a wheel at Clay Gulgong 2016, Gulgong, New South Wales | |
| Born | |
| Occupations | Potter, ceramic designer |
| Notable work | The Great Pottery Throw Down |
| Partner | Marj Hogarth |
| Website | www |
Keith Brymer Jones is a British potter and ceramic designer who produces homeware with retro lettering and punk motifs. He is an expert judge on Channel 4 television programme The Great Pottery Throw Down.
Early life
Brymer Jones was born in Finchley, London.[1] He describes his father as a "very, very sporty" tennis player.[2] His mother was an alcoholic who died at age 55 in 1992.[2] At eighteen months old, Brymer Jones developed a serious case of gastroenteritis.[1]
Brymer Jones has dyslexia, something he was not diagnosed with as a child, and he recalls teachers often ridiculing him. At the age of 11, Brymer Jones made his first pottery object – an owl – in his art class in secondary school. It was then that he knew he wanted to be a potter. He has said appreciation for his work by his art teacher, Mr Mortman,[1] was one of the first times a teacher complimented his work.[2] Brymer Jones also studied many forms of dance, including ballet, Highland, tap, and Scottish country dance age 3 until age 18.[3][4]
Career
In 1983, Brymer Jones was working at a Tesco, when he was approached by a co-worker who said he was in a punk band called The Wigs and needed a lead singer.[2] Brymer Jones then began his brief stint as lead singer for the group.
Brymer Jones soon left the band and worked for two men in a Watford pottery studio.[1] He would wake up at 5am and walk two and a half hours to his job, where he spent ten hours preparing clay.[1] Brymer Jones then became an apprentice at Harefield Pottery in London. This is where he learned to make modern ceramics.[5] He stopped working for them when they relocated to Scotland.
After his apprenticeship, Brymer Jones started out hand-making ceramics for retailers including Conran Group, Habitat, Barneys New York, Monsoon, Laura Ashley and Heal's. He began to develop the Word Range for the first time;[5] he was originally attracted to words because of their shapes, as he is dyslexic. Brymer Jones describes working with clay, shape and form as a natural affinity, as a result of his condition.[6]
Brymer Jones is head of design for MAKE International.[7]
In 2015, he debuted as an expert judge alongside Kate Malone on BBC2's The Great Pottery Throw Down where his readiness to shed tears at the contestants' work attracted comment.[8] He remained as judge when the programme transferred to More4 in 2020 and Channel 4 in 2021.
Brymer Jones published his autobiography in 2022: Boy in a China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything.
Personal life
In 2019, Brymer Jones was made an honorary graduate of the University of Staffordshire.[7][1]
Brymer Jones has a studio in Whitstable, Kent, where he lives with his partner, actor Marj Hogarth.[7][4]
In 2022, Brymer Jones and Hogarth bought Capel Salem, Pwllheli.[9][10] Their restoration of the chapel as a home and studio has been filmed as Our Welsh Chapel Dream on Channel 4.[9][11] The first series was in 2024 and the second in 2025.[9][11][12] A third series has been confirmed for 2026.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Leszkiewicz, Anna (6 February 2022). "Keith Brymer Jones: "My dad couldn't handle emotion. I'll cry over a pot, for God's sake"". New Statesman. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d Graham, Jane (29 January 2023). "Keith Brymer Jones: 'I get emotional about pottery'". Big Issue. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Saturday Live, Keith Brymer Jones, Ornithology, Royal Stonemasonry, and the Inheritance Tracks of Mark Heap". BBC. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ a b Hogan, Michael (24 December 2023). "Keith Brymer Jones: 'I'll walk past a building site and blokes shout: "Oi, love your crying on TV!"'". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Keith Brymer Jones Contemporary ceramic tableware, mugs and homeware | About Keith". www.keithbrymerjones.com. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
- ^ "Youtube". Youtube. Keith Brymer Jones.
- ^ a b c "Keith Brymer Jones - Honorary Graduate - Staffordshire University". www.staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Tim Dowling (11 November 2015), "The Great Pottery Throw Down review: if your pot doesn't make the judge cry, you aren't trying hard enough", The Guardian
- ^ a b c Warner, Matt (5 May 2024). "How Keith and Marjory made dream to convert Wales chapel a reality". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (25 March 2025). "'Our Welsh chapel cost £200k but we'll spend six times that doing it up'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ a b Glover, Patrick (19 May 2024). "Who are Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth on Channel 4's Our Welsh Chapel Dream?". North Wales Chronicle. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ Ridout, Joanne (1 April 2025). "Our Welsh Chapel Dream conversion uncovers toxic issue 'worse than asbestos'". Wales Online. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- ^ Heath, Olivia (15 July 2025). "Our Welsh Chapel Dream Series 3: Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth's Renovation Continues". House Beautiful. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
External links
- Keith Brymer Jones – professional website