AN artist whose work was destroyed in a crusher machine on a TV craft show says the "horrible" stunt goes against the ethos of crafting.

Former Coronation Street star Jayne Tunnicliffe, of Bingley, appeared on the first episode of Channel 4’s new series The Fantastical Factory Of Curious Craft and had to watch as a puppet she’d spent four hours making was ripped to shreds.

Set in a quirky ‘factory’, the show, hosted by comic Keith Lemon and Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson, sees four skilled crafters working against the clock to create “mic-drop makes of epic proportions”. Craft experts Harriet Vine and Zak Khchai choose the three that impress them most, with the other dramatically ‘recycled’. The remaining contestants compete to make a bespoke creation for celebrities including Mel B, Eamonn Holmes, Martin Kemp and model Vogue Williams.

This week Jayne was shown making a marionette of a ‘wolpertinger’; a Bavarian mythical creature. Her hare with horns and wings was made from recycled plastic, wire, foam and fake fur, and had moveable limbs. But when Jayne was the first to leave, the puppet was destroyed, with the camera capturing it in close-up detail caught in the teeth of a crusher.

The programme is promoted as an ideal family watch in lockdown, but Jayne says it goes against the ethos of crafting. “When we were told there was a machine that would ‘recycle’ the losing creation we didn’t like the sound of it. And we were only told the host was Keith Lemon half an hour before we went on set,” she said. “I didn’t mind being first to go, but when we all had to mount the stairs wearing hard hats and watch my creation being shredded, it was a horrible feeling. They said it would be ‘recycled’ but it was a crusher with teeth - what can you make from a bit of shredded foam?

“The tone of the show just isn’t right for crafts, or for the time we’re living in. It could have been a warm, kind, supportive show but it didn’t feel like that. I’d never made a puppet before, I usually make ‘faux taxidermy’ animal heads, and it felt very rushed. I didn’t have time to finish it.

"Crafting shouldn't be against the clock and competitive.”

Jayne, who played Corrie’s Yana Lumb from 2004-2007 and has worked with Peter Kay and Paul O’Grady, sells her animal-inspired crafts online. Described as "super skilled" by Zak Khchai on the show, she said: "Everyone should have a go at crafting - it's good for the soul."

Jayne told the T&A: “I wasn’t happy after the show but I’ve worked in TV long enough to know it can be manipulated. The prospect of filming a craft show seemed like fun, a bit of an adventure, but I just want to warn crafters, particularly any contestants fresh out of college, that although this looks sparkly and colourful, beware.

"I hated the crusher part, but I was glad it was mine that went in rather than the other younger contestants.”

* Jayne's work is @artrockpopfilm on Twitter and @craftedcreaturez on Instagram.