MUCH has been made of ITV’s new series Food Glorious Food and its perceived similarities to the smash-hit series The Great British Bake Off.

Indeed, the BBC’s baking contest proved so unexpectedly popular, one can hardly blame rival companies for attempting to replicate its success.

However, The Great British Sewing Bee can be excused its eerie similarity in terms of both format and title to the Bake Off, for it is actually a spin-off of sorts, made by Love Productions – the company behind the original (and, let’s face it, best) series.

But how will they fare without their two biggest stars – Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood? Attempting to fill their shoes on the Sewing Bee will be Women’s Institute grande dame May Martin and Savile Row designer Patrick Grant – the latter of whom has clothed the Duke of Edinburgh, George W Bush and the King of Spain among others.

Presenting the show is Claudia Winkleman, who should be no stranger to the format having appeared on the Bake Off during the Comic Relief special.

Eight people compete to be crowned Britain’s best amateur sewer. Each week, they are given three challenges, and in tonight’s opening edition they begin by following a simple pattern for an A-line skirt, before transforming a highstreet top by altering the neckline.

The last task involves producing a a tough enough task already, made harder by the fact they are placed under intense time pressure.

It then falls to May and Patrick to pick one garment as the best of the week, and select which two contenders must leave the Sewing Bee for good.

However, one challenge the show faces is getting the public excited about needlework. Before Bake Off, there already existed a slew of cookery shows that served to whet the viewers’ appetites for such things, but you’d be hard-pushed to find a sewing programme outside of the dedicated digital channels.