Great British Sewing Bee will feature Wittering Primary School teaching assistant

A teaching assistant with a passion for fashion will appear on the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee.

Matthew, known to his pupils as Mr D, is one of 12 contestants who will be put through their paces on the BBC show.

Each week the home sewers take on three challenges to impress judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young.

The first is the pattern challenge where contestants choose fabric from the haberdashery to all make the same pattern. Round two is a test of creativity in the transformation challenge, where the sewers get 90 minutes to turn items of old clothing into something new and exciting.

The final round is called made to measure where contestants fit garments to a real life model in a challenge they’ve had time to plan in advance.

Matthew, a teaching assistant at Wittering Primary School, was taught to sew by his nan when he was young. She was a tailoress and he still feels connected to her when he sews and keeps her tailoring certificate above his sewing space.

Matthew’s own style is influenced by Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and fashions from the drag scene. He is often seen wearing sparkly heels in the classroom.

Wittering Primary School has shared the news of his television appearance on Facebook.

The post said: “Keep your eyes peeled for our very own fabulous Mr D on the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee.

“As a former pupil of Wittering Primary School and now one of our wonderful teaching assistants, we are so immensely proud to watch him in his next adventure.”

The first episode will be screened on Wednesday, May 24 on BBC One at 9pm.

Alongside his sewing skills, Matthew also trained as a dancer and performed at the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics, UEFA Champions League Final and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant.