Winner of The Great British Sewing Bee 2024 revealed

Sewer Luke has been revealed as the winner of The Great British Sewing Bee 2024 and has described their victory as “absolutely wild”.

Luke beat Pascha and Ailsa in Wednesday’s final, which saw contestants tasked with creating opera gloves for the red carpet, and transforming decorations into a party garment.

The Manchester-born contestant made it through 10 weeks of sewing challenges to be named Britain’s best amateur sewer, winning garment of the week for their loungewear in diva week.

Luke said: “I can’t believe that I have won. It still feels absolutely wild to have produced all that sewing, and still have so much fun with all the other sewing bees.

“That was really important to me how much we supported with each other and bonded. I didn’t know if I would make it through each week, let alone winning the series.”

Their win was welcomed by judge Esme Young, who said they were “so creative and imaginative” and got “better and better” as the series went on, she added she was “really happy” they had won.

Her fellow judge, Patrick Grant added: “Fantastic, well done. Every single one of Luke’s made-to-measures have been full of ambition.

“Today we saw skill, we saw drama and an absolute flare for making clothes that really catch the eye. They are such a wonderful winner.”

The Great British Sewing Bee began with 12 contestants, with one eliminated each week until the final, where three remained. There have been 10 series of the programme, which is currently presented by Kiell Smith-Bynoe.

Speaking on the programme after they won, Luke said they were “proud of myself”.

They said: “Honestly this doesn’t seem real, never did I think I would get to the final let alone winning, this is just wild.

“All I expected was to get a hug off Patrick, but to have the campest trophy ever I am going to remember this forever.”

Luke said they hoped they had made Manchester and the LGBT community “proud”, and added that the latter was “so important to me” as they “wanted to show that representation”.

They added: “Throughout the series, I was always the bridesmaid but never the bride.

“There were some dips in some weeks, but having the feedback from the judges each week really helped me, and it was a constant journey of sewing learning which I felt really gave me confidence 100%.

“I don’t know what is next for me in the sewing world, but I want to carry on trying new things, sew stuff I never thought I’d try.

“I’d love to get more into costume design and push the limits of the drag garments I make.

“I also really want to explore ways of making sewing more inclusive and accessible.

“I think there is still a long way to go in getting people to see how sewing your own clothes allows you to express yourself, and feel confident in what you are able to wear.

“It’s a skill with a huge reward, and I’ve been privileged to be able to put that skill to practice and I’d love to help others do the same.”

Luke works as a diversity, equality and inclusion director for large companies, and has been sewing since the age of eight. They are also a classically trained musician, playing the piano and clarinet.