THE Great British Bake Off was a ratings smash, proving that there was an audience for a show where people nervously crouched in front of ovens, willing their loaves to rise. But even with the magic words “The Great British” slapped on the front of it, would viewers also tune in to watch a Sewing Bee that involved people hunched over sewing machines, desperately trying to get their hems finished on deadline?

It turns out that they would, with the first series scoring very respectable ratings.

“It has proved that an ill-fitting zip or badly placed dart can make for compelling television in much the same way as a soggy bottom on Great British Bake Off,” says BBC controller Janice Hadlow.

This second series is twice as long as the first, although the pattern remains much the same – host Claudia Winkleman invites ten home stitchers to show off their skills in the hope of impressing judges Patrick Grant and May Martin and eventually being crowned Britain’s best amateur sewer.

As in the previous series, it’s an eclectic line-up. Those we meet in the opener include David, a Scotland Yard police constable who has been known to alter his colleagues’ uniforms; cookery teacher Cerina who makes ballgowns for her teenage daughter; and learning support assistant Lynda loves to make clothes for her grandkids.

Meanwhile, resources manager Jenni only picked up a needle a year ago and her first project was making her own wedding dress. So, in theory she should not be too phased by the first challenge, which involves whipping up a tunic top.

For their second task, they are asked to transform a plain high-street woollen skirt into something unique, before facing an even more daunting challenge – making a made-to-measure nightgown out of one of the trickiest fabrics in the sewing basket – silk.