Patrick Grant is back to judge The Great British Sewing Bee but, despite his TV success, he’s had a tough few years.
The designer and clothier is returning for the 10th series of the BBC One show, which sees amateur sewers compete to be named Britain’s best home sewer.
The new 2024 series welcomes a new host, but the format is largely the same – with judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young right at the heart of it.
Here’s everything you need to know about Patrick, his relationship status, and the tragic shock death of his father during the Covid pandemic.
The Great British Sewing Bee season 10 on BBC One
BBC One favourite The Great British Sewing Bee returns for series 10 on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 9pm.
This time, Ghosts star Kiell Smith-Bynoe is at the helm, replacing former host Sara Pascoe. Sara stepped down as host of the BBC programme after welcoming her second child.
But that’s pretty much all that has changed. As the series returns, 12 of the country’s best home sewers “create exquisite and imaginative garments” under the watchful eyes of judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant.
As a nod to their 10th year anniversary, the new series will feature challenges inspired by its first series. The Pattern Challenge sees the sewers making denim A-line midiskirts and, in the 90-minute Transformation Challenge, the contestants must turn a t-shirt into a completely different garment.
The competitors then meet their models for the first time and make their interpretation of a casual day dress in the Made-to-Measure Challenge.
Who is Patrick Grant? What’s he famous for?
Patrick Grant is a hugely respected British menswear designer who has made a name for himself on Savile Row. In 2013, he appeared as a judge for the first time on The Great British Sewing Bee. He is the only original member, and earned a 2017 National Television Awards nomination for his part in the show.
Patrick, 52, is a regular on television and radio as a commentator on the British fashion, clothing and textile industries. His career in fashion has spanned nearly two decades.
In 2005, after leaving a career in engineering, he took over as Director at bespoke Savile Row tailor Norton & Sons. He relaunched E. Tautz & Sons as a ready-to-wear label in 2009, for which he was awarded the Menswear Designer award at the British Fashion Awards in 2010.
The Scottish clothier, businessman, television personality, and author is currently the director of Community Clothing and textile manufacturer Cookson & Clegg.
Despite being very much a part of the fashion industry, he isn’t afraid to be a critic. He has famously gone on the record lamenting the environmental damage caused by fast fashion and synthetic clothing. He published a book on the subject – Less: Stop Buying So Much Rubbish – in May 2024.
Is Patrick from The Great British Sewing Bee married?
Patrick is not married. However he is dating girlfriend Dr Rachael Hampton, a top dentist in central London. He met the 41-year-old at a friend’s dinner party two years ago. There is more a 10 year age gap.
The pair spend weekends together there they walk, cycle and play board games.
He previously dated designer Katie Hillier. However they split in 2016 after six years together.
Talking to The Times last year, Patrick revealed why he tries to keep his love life out of the public eye. He said: “My last girlfriend [the British fashion designer Katie Hillier] was so badly stalked online while we were together. I’m loath to put someone else through that ordeal.”
He previously admitted he was not against dating a Sewing Bee fan. Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I’ve dated people who are fans, but I didn’t find them through the fandom.
“It would be unusual if that was how it happened, but I couldn’t rule it out. There are quite a lot of fans, so if I start saying I wouldn’t date anyone who was a fan I’d be disappointing several million people.”
How old is Patrick Grant? Where is he from?
Patrick James Grant was born on May 01, 1972, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and raised in the city’s Morningside district.
He is currently 52 years of age.
Patrick attended South Morningside Primary School, then Edinburgh Academy, before joining Barnard Castle School as a boarding pupil.
Was Patrick Grant a rugby player?
While at Barnard Castle School as a boarding pupil, Patrick represented Scotland at rugby union at U18 and U19 level.
He took a gap year after school and played for West Hartlepool R.F.C. although his rugby career was cut short by a shoulder injury. Patrick subsequently attended the University of Leeds, where he completed a degree in material sciences.
Where does Patrick Grant live?
The Great British Sewing Bee judge spends most of his life in rural Lancashire. He moved out of his south London home during the pandemic to a village near Preston, so he could be near one of his factories.
The rest of the time, mainly for work purposes, he lives in London, commuting when necessary. He says he “needs both” London and Lancs.
BBC One’s The Great British Sewing Bee is filmed at Sunny Bank Mills, a famous 19th-century woollen mill located just outside of Leeds in Farsley, West Yorkshire.
The series moved there in 2022. It had previously been filmed in The Chainstore on Trinity Buoy, London, where Dragons’ Den is filmed.
What happened to Patrick’s dad?
In 2023, Patrick Grant revealed that his father died “very unnecessarily” due to personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages during the Covid pandemic.
His father, James, had been a manager of the Scottish pop rock band Marmalade, as well as an accountant and rugby coach. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, he said that the government at the time was “running this catastrophically shambolic programme to try and manage PPE supplies into the NHS”.
He told presenter Lauren Laverne: “My dad died of Covid very, very early on, very unnecessarily, because there was no PPE in the hospital. He’d gone into hospital [in March 2020] for a pretty routine operation, caught Covid in hospital and died three days later.”
While choosing the song Get Better by Alt-J – about “struggling with the loss of a loved one” – Patrick became emotional and broke down.
He said: “It’s a beautiful song. Of course it brings back memories of my dad. And it’s also kind of uplifting, because we will get through.”
Is The Great British Sewing Bee star Patrick Grant teetotal?
Patrick gave up drinking five years ago. He initially gave Dry January a try, but then just kept going.
Speaking to The Times, he explained: “I might have three glasses of wine a year – and only when it’s really good stuff. Stopping drinking made me sleep better and my joints ache less, which is great because I’m quite sporty, or try to be.
“I recommend it. You get much more out of your day without a hangover.”
I’d had the most hellish six months of my life. Then I got on set with Joe and Esme and this year’s adorable contestants and all the bad things just went away.
Hope you had as much fun watching it as we had making it. #SewingBee pic.twitter.com/TEu87A9AK1— Patrick Grant (@paddygrant) April 14, 2021
Patrick on “hellish six months of my life’
In April 2021, after filming series 7 of The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick told his Twitter followers that he’d had a “hellish six months”.
In a candid post on the social networking site, he wrote: “I’d had the most hellish six months of my life.
“Then I got on set with Joe and Esme and this year’s adorable contestants and all the bad things just went away. Hope you had as much fun watching it as we had making it. #SewingBee.”
The series was the first time filming after the death of his dad. It also marked the beginning of ‘normality’ after the Covid pandemic, and its restrictions.
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The Great British Sewing Bee returns with season 10 on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 9pm on BBC One.
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