July 24th 2024.
I had no clue who Kiell Smith-Bynoe was until The Great British Sewing Bee kicked off its tenth season a couple of months back. But now, he's the highlight of my week. Although, that might speak more to the lack of excitement in my social life than anything else. However, besides Claudia Winkleman on The Traitors, I can't think of another presenter I eagerly look forward to watching.
In case you're not familiar with Kiell's work, he's primarily an actor. You might have seen him in shows like Death In Paradise, Stath Lets Flats, Ghosts, or Lily Allen's short-lived comedy Dreamland. He also made a splash on Channel 4's Taskmaster, the hilarious show that pits comedians against each other in absurd challenges. Admittedly, I haven't caught any of those yet.
So when I heard that Kiell would be taking over from Sara Pascoe - one of my all-time favorite people, let alone comedians - my initial reaction was, "Huh?" It's quite a bold move to bring in an actor with no hosting experience to one of BBC's most underrated gems.
Since its debut in 2013, Sewing Bee has never quite received the same level of acclaim as shows with a similar format, like Bake Off or The Great Pottery Showdown - even though it definitely deserves it. The premise is simple: 12 amateur sewers compete in themed episodes (from Diva to Pyjamas Week), with one eliminated each round until there's one champion left.
But unlike other fashion reality shows, Sewing Bee doesn't aim to be a cutthroat competition like the iconic Project Runway. Instead, it celebrates clothes of all styles and sizes, with designers in the latest season ranging from a latex-loving drag queen to an 84-year-old grandpa. It's a heartwarming atmosphere, and sometimes it's easy to forget that it's a competition at all.
Over its 10 seasons, Sewing Bee has had four different hosts - Claudia Winkleman, Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe, and now, Kiell. Claudia, with her immense popularity and charm, was the perfect choice to launch the show. But after four seasons, there was a three-year hiatus, and when Sewing Bee returned, it was without Claudia and her signature quirky jumpers.
Joe took over and became a fan favorite during his run as host, until 2021 when he left to pursue other projects that might have violated the BBC's impartiality guidelines. Then came comedian Sara, who brought her delightful, self-deprecating humor to the show for two seasons.
All of them have been great, but none have fit the show quite like Kiell. Even the 35-year-old himself had a hard time understanding why he was chosen to host Sewing Bee. After appearing in a Christmas special as a contestant in 2021, judge Patrick Grant reached out to Kiell last summer, asking if he'd be interested in hosting the show.
"I was like, 'Wait, haven't I already done it?'" Kiell shared with Fabric magazine. "And he was like, 'No, I mean the main gig.' And I was like, 'What are you talking about?' And yeah, it turns out they were asking me to present it."
Kiell may not have understood Patrick's logic at first, but it turned out to be a stroke of genius. His lack of presenting experience might be why he feels more like a friend catching up with the contestants, rather than a host trying to squeeze out juicy soundbites from panicked sewers.
There's an effortless charm to Kiell, perhaps because he's not trying to be a presenter - he's just there to have a good time. And it's evident that the contestants adore him on a personal level. He approaches each of them with genuine interest and appreciation for their work, without pretending to know exactly what they're doing.
On Bake Off, when Noel Fielding does his little skits to announce how much time is left, it's a cringe-fest for me. But Kiell's jokes genuinely crack me up. Sure, they may not always be the funniest, and if anyone else wore an Anna Wintour wig as a gag, I'd probably roll my eyes. But with Kiell, it just works. The audience loves him too - just check out all the positive tweets about him.
Kiell isn't just the best thing to happen to Sewing Bee - that's no shade to his predecessors - but he might just be the most exciting thing to happen to TV in a long time. We've been stuck with the same batch of presenters (Holly Willoughby, Davina McCall, Paddy McGuinness, and Alison Hammond) across BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 for years. As lovely as they all are, it's been a bit of an overload.
But Sewing Bee took a risk with Kiell, and it paid off big time. Hopefully, other broadcasters will take note and start looking beyond the usual pool of presenters. Kiell has proven that it's worth taking a gamble on fresh talent.
In conclusion, Kiell Smith-Bynoe is a breath of fresh air on Sewing Bee, and I can't wait to see more of him in future seasons. If you haven't checked out the show yet, I highly recommend it - you'll be charmed by Kiell too.
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