The Great British Sewing Bee has crowned its 2024 winner after a tense final on Tuesday night. Luke, a 34-year-old from Manchester, was named champion by judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, beating fellow finalists Ailsa and Pascha.
Luke, who uses they/them pronouns, impressed the judges throughout ten weeks of challenges, culminating in a final that tested their precision and creativity. The final tasks included making opera gloves, transforming party paraphernalia into a party outfit, and a made-to-measure design. Luke chose to create a pastel dress from napkins and a dramatic black dress with a white half-jacket, which Patrick called 'near to perfection'.
An emotional Luke said: 'I feel so proud of myself and I don’t tend to say that a lot, but yes I am proud of myself.' They expressed surprise at winning, saying: 'Never did I think I would get to the final let alone winning… this is just wild!' Luke also hoped to make their LGBTQIA+ community proud, emphasising the importance of representation.
Luke’s drag persona, Selma Skreams, performs internationally, and they aim to break gender stereotypes through sewing. Working as a Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Director, Luke learned to sew from their grandmother at age eight. They are engaged to partner Jesus and plan to marry in Gran Canaria next year, with wedding outfits already in the works.
The champion receives a trophy and the title of Britain’s Best Amateur Sewer, with no cash prize. The final marked the end of the tenth series, hosted by Kiell Smith-Bynoe, which featured contestants including Alex, Comfort, Don, Georgie, Janet, Lauren, Marcus, Neil, and Suzy.
