Mastercrafts

Three hopefuls who are passionate about learning green wood craft are put through their paces by the country's leading practitioners. The students quickly discover that the craft calls for precision, dexterity and patience. The trainees learn how to cleave the raw material; to turn blocks of wood on the pole lathe; and to manipulate the components fresh out of a steam bender.

Under Monty Don's watchful eye, three hopefuls who are passionate about learning to thatch are put through their paces by the country's leading practitioners. To the untrained eye, thatch is just straw spread out on a roof, but there is a reason why it takes apprentices four years to master the necessary skills. As the apprentices quickly find out, not only is it immensely tough physical labour, a fully waterproof thatched roof is also a highly complex and subtle thing to pull off.

The humble village smithy was, for centuries, the most important place in the village and it was the craft of the blacksmith, more than any other, that during the industrial revolution transformed Britain into the great workshop of the world. Market trader Dominic Branch, 37, museum educator Gill Fewings, 47, and architectural illustrator Hugh Gallagher, 40, take up their places as enthusiastic beginners in a three-hundred-year-old forge in Humberside to learn this ancient craft.

Under Monty Don's watchful eye, three hopefuls who are passionate about learning the craft of stained glass are put through their paces by Sophie Hussein, who has been working in the field of stained glass for nearly twenty years. It takes four to five years to train properly as a stained glass craftsman. During their six-week course, the trainees learn the foundations of the craft - from how to cut glass incredibly accurately, to leading up and glazing a window.

Under Monty Don's watchful eye, three hopefuls who want to learn how to weave are put through their paces by the country's leading practitioners. The trainees are immersed in the world of weaving, attempting to sell their woven wares to the general public. Their final test is to both design and weave three-metre lengths of fabric - to be judged by Michelle Bowen from the Arts Council and Angela Swan from the Worshipful Company of Weavers.

Under Monty Don's watchful eye, three hopefuls who are passionate about learning stonemasonry are put through their paces by the country's leading practitioners. It takes four to five years to train properly as a stonemason. During their six-week intensive course the rookies learn the foundations of the craft - everything from quarrying their own stone to intricate carving. Their mentor is Andy Oldfield, senior mason at Hardwick Hall with over 20 years of experience as a stonemason.