A young blacksmith from Northumberland is set to appear in a TV series on Sky Arts.
Alex Sowden, from Cramlington, will appear in 'The Prince's Master Crafter: The Next Generation,' a programme which aims to spotlight Britain's rich heritage of traditional crafts. Last year in the UK, four heritage crafts were declared extinct and a further 56 were critically endangered.
The programme presented by Jim Moir (also known as Vic Reeves), hopes to reinvigorate some of these crafts back to life, with contestants learning about the history and importance of six key disciplines from the country's leading experts. Alex and five other craftspeople will then take on a variety of challenges around each craft before creating a final showcase piece to present to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, with the gift being kept a secret until the end of the series.
Alex, who started his business Hammer and Hound Forge in September 2020 in Blyth, got into blacksmithing after a taster course with Darlington -based Adrian Wood. The pair are filming a second programme for BBC where Alex and another blacksmith from Glasgow are mentored by Wood.
The Prince's Master Crafter was Alex's first experience of TV, which he enjoyed overall, despite a rocky start. He said: "Getting to be behind the scenes and see how media and TV is done is really interesting but it was incredibly stressful at the start. I was really concerned trying to do everything to the best of my ability."
As well as having his own business, Alex is the resident blacksmith at Killhope Leadmining Museum in County Durham and has been in the Northumbria Viking Re-enactment Society for several years. One of his specialisms is replicating historical Viking artefacts such as swords, knives and horse bridles and his next commission is to make a replica sword for Bamburgh Castle based on the original found in an archaeological dig and dating back to around 850AD.
Some of his commissions can take weeks and months. However, the programme had him really up against the clock, with just four hours to complete each weekly challenge.
Alex said: "I was really trying to finish each piece and got really annoyed because I'm a massive perfectionist - I just needed another 20 minutes. But then I mellowed out because there's a lot of pressure on you to perform and do as well as you possibly can and I was really buying into that, but by the time we filmed the third episode I tried my best to enjoy myself and chill out.
"That made me zone into it more and I forgot the cameras were there. I actually started having a bit of fun after that!"
Unlike some reality TV shows where a contestant is sent home at the end of each week, the format of The Prince's Master Crafter sees all contestants remain so they can try each craft and build their skills. As well as Alex's passion and day job blacksmithing, there was wood carving, stained glass, weaving , stone carving and pargeting.
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Alex continued: "Stone carving was massive fun for me, I really enjoyed it, I'd happily do more of it and I could really see myself taking it on as a hobby in a few years time. It's a lovely blend between the artistic wood carving we were getting and the mess and violence involved with iron work - I really enjoyed that."
Pargeting, an endangered craft which sees the application of ornamental plasterwork onto a flat surface, often buildings, didn't have the same effect on Alex though.
He added: "It's not for me. I'd never heard of it and I was quite interested to have a go - I'd always have a go - but it's not something I have any desire to take on, even as a hobby."
Unfortunately, despite participating in each challenge and making the final 'gift,' Alex didn't get to meet Prince Charles, though all of the other contestants did, as his dad tested positive for coronavirus. And it was made all the more frustrating as Alex himself continued to return negative PCR tests.
Alex said: "I've written to Prince Charles but I haven't heard back yet. Hopefully in five or 10 years' time, I'll go to the centre they're opening and see what I made in person.
"It's not a massive problem but it does kind of suck. I've created something that I really do hope Prince Charles likes!"
Given the choice, Alex probably wouldn't watch the show, but he doubts that his proud parents will let that happen. He said: "I find watching and listening to my own voice really uncomfortable and I wasn't planning on watching it because I find that a really weird experience.
"But my mum's really excited and my dad's hyped up. She's going to be recording all the episodes and putting them on the drive and she's trying to figure out how to put them on a USB stick so she can keep them - I think I'm going to get roped into watching them with my family regardless!"
Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, said: "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 Prince's Master Crafter: The Next Generation will air on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 11, and streaming service NOW from May 18 2022.
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