
Sky Arts is set to spotlight Britain's best design talent with new series The Big Design Challenge, airing next year. Hosted by DJ, author and presenter Lauren Laverne, this new skills-based reality format will see eight top creatives battle it out over five episodes to be crowned Britain's next design superstar.
Drawn from all corners of the UK, the competitors will put their problem-solving abilities and creative flair to the test as they face a range of weekly challenges set by a guest judge. The guest judges and challenges are as follows:
Konnie Huq, presenter, screenwriter and children's author, challenges the designers to create an outdoor play sculpture for children.
Lemn Sissay, author and broadcaster, asks for a new national reading chair for public libraries.
Mourad Mazouz, restaurateur and founder of Sketch, tasks the designers with creating a lighting design for a home dining experience, inspired by the iconic London hotspot.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist and educator, sets the designers the challenge of reinventing the clock.
Orbital, electronic music duo and Brit Award nominee play live from the V&A and set the final challenge of designing an object or product inspired by their music.
Lauren is also joined by two expert judges, artist and designer Morag Myerscough and industrial designer Tej Chauhan, who will cast their eyes over the designers' creations throughout the series and separate the successes from the disasters.
The designers will compete in two teams of four each week, led by a different team captain. At the end of each challenge, one team will be declared the winner, with all eight artists judged individually by Morag, Tej and the guest judge. When four challenges are complete, two finalists will be announced whose work has impressed the most over the course of the series. They'll go on to lead the teams for the final challenge taking place at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, the worlds leading museum of art, design and performance. The winner will have the opportunity to exhibit their designs at the V&A, gaining exposure to millions of visitors and industry experts.
Lauren Laverne commented: Design affects all of our daily lives, but the world of designers can seem a little remote from the outside - it's been so much fun to lift the lid on that and get up close to the brilliantly creative people at its cutting edge. I can't wait to introduce our viewers to our wonderful judges, fantastically talented designers and some extraordinary guests!
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, commented: Design is all around us everywhere, every day whether we are eating, sleeping, raving or just telling the time. The Big Design Challenge gets us under the skin of the art of the designer in the most informative and entertaining way and we are thrilled to open up that world to our Sky Arts audience.
The Big Design Challenge is produced by Somethin' Else TV Studio, part of 4th Floor Creative, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. The Executive Producer is Ian Sharpe. Barbara Lee is Commissioning Editor for Sky. The series is produced in partnership with Lexus.
More from BskyB
10/11/2026
Tuesday 10 November 2026
What happened to Amy? New true crime series, Don't...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Life in the fast laneTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy options and select Accept All'.
Privacy options
From Tik...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Cathy Newman to revist defining moments in recent histor...
09/11/2026
Monday 9 November 2026
Sky VIP unwraps over one million free rewards for customers this Christmas
This Christmas, Sky VIP is giving away more than one million...
06/11/2026
Friday 6 November 2026
That's Christmas Sorted: Sky brings entertainment ic...
05/11/2026
Thursday 5 November 2026
Sky Sports and Sir Gareth Southgate's 1071 Media p...
05/11/2026
Offers include Sky Essential TV with Full Fibre 500Mbps for £32 a month, Full Fibre 500Mbps for £26 a month, plus savings on Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy and Goog...
05/11/2026
Previously announced David Oyelowo and Viola Prettejohn star as Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander in Sky's timely new evolution of Stieg Larsson's g...
03/11/2026
The Battle for Blackpool comes to Sky Documentaries on 21 NovemberTuesday 3 Nove...
03/11/2026
Don't F*** with Fans comes to Sky Documentaries on 21 NovemberTuesday 3 Nove...
03/11/2026
From The Ghoster to The Flake, new research reveals the characters, chaos and ca...
02/11/2026
UK's biggest commercial news app to put video and personalisation at its heart as part of Sky News 2030Monday 2 November 2026
Sky News expands Arc XP partn...
02/11/2026
Production begins with Solly McLeod and David Dawson also joining the cast, with...
29/10/2026
The Sky Original returns to screens on November 26Thursday 29 October 2026
Ella Purnell is back in the killer new trailer for Sweetpea Season 2Turn on cookies ...
28/10/2026
Wednesday 28 October 2026
Claire Goodlass joins Sky as Commissioning Editor, Documentaries
Sky has appointed Claire Goodlass as Commissioning Editor, Document...
27/10/2026
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Sky announces new stand-up comedy showcase series John ...
26/10/2026
The multi-award-winning comedy from acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom retu...
23/10/2026
Can Danny and Dani's grand plans save Christmas, or are they heading for a festive fiasco?Friday 23 October 2026
The Dyers' Caravan Park: A Merry Elfin...
23/10/2026
Friday 23 October 2026
Matchday Ready: Ella Toone & Keely Hodgkinson Star in New WSL Series
Sky Sports has launched Minus 1, a new social series that pairs th...
19/10/2026
Slow internet leaves millions apologising for their connectionMonday 19 October 2026
Brits are saying sorry, my Wi-Fi is playing up almost twice a week
Brit...
16/10/2026
Friday 16 October 2026
The Alessia Cup, powered by Sky, returns with Lioness an...
16/10/2026
Friday 16 October 2026
iPhone Duo now available to pre-order with savings of up...
16/10/2026
Republic of Ireland defenders back their future careers while nominating local c...
16/10/2026
Friday 16 October 2026
LOITV arrives on Sky Glass and Sky Stream
Sky customers in the Republic of Ireland can now enjoy the pulsating SSE Airtricity Men's...
13/10/2026
New Football and Multi-Sport Memberships join All Sky Sports, with minimum-term prices starting at £19.99 a monthTuesday 13 October 2026
NOW gives sports fans ...
13/10/2026
Tuesday 13 October 2026
Same beach, new era! The official Baywatch trailer has ...
07/10/2026
Wednesday 7 October 2026
Sky Sports to broadcast England's ODI tri-series a...
06/10/2026
Tuesday 6 October 2026
Official trailer released for The Good Daughter ahead of...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Crystal Lake, a Friday the 13th' prequel series, com...
02/10/2026
Friday 2 October 2026
Sky VIP helps families celebrate the Christmas season wit...
01/10/2026
Thursday 1 October 2026
Nominees revealed for 2026 Sky Arts Awards
Current slide, 0 0, undefined1
0
Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe: MARS
Jacob Al...
28/09/2026
Monday 28 September 2026
Sky launches Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps for millions of homes
Sky has launched a new Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps product, rolling out from today, gi...
25/09/2026
Friday 25 September 2026
How to watch an unmissable weekend of women's football on Sky Sports and NOW
Sky Sports and NOW will broadcast seven live games f...
25/09/2026
Friday 25 September 2026
YAGA trailer released, coming exclusively to Sky and N...
24/09/2026
Thursday 24 September 2026
Sky Mobile named Best MVNO at the Mobile Industry Aw...
24/09/2026
Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of six-time Academy Award-nominated King Richard...
23/09/2026
Wednesday 23 September 2026
Sky Sports to show England Men's tour of South ...
22/09/2026
From Academy Award-winning Passion Pictures and BAFTA-winning director Marian Mo...
22/09/2026
Tuesday 22 September 2026
Portrait Artist of the Year returns to Sky Arts with ...
18/09/2026
Friday 18 September 2026
The new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch ...
17/09/2026
The bold, new legal drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller launches on Sky and NOW on 2nd OctThursday 17 September 2026
Official trailer released for Sk...
14/09/2026
Monday 14 September 2026
Award-winning network Sky Mobile to Offer iPhone Duo, ...
13/09/2026
Sunday 13 September 2026
Sky releases trailer for Crystal Lake, an A24 produced...
11/09/2026
Friday 11 September 2026
Sky Sports extends US Open deal to 2030
Sky has agreed a three-year extension to its US Open deal, ensuring Sky Sports & NOW remains ...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Sky News Defence Insider app launches as new researc...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Award-winning network Sky Mobile to offer Apple iPho...
10/09/2026
Thursday 10 September 2026
Sky unveils gripping teaser for The Good Daughter, coming this NovemberTurn on cookies to view this content. Go to Privacy options a...
09/09/2026
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Tom Daley adds final stitch to giant Baa-Ewe' t...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...