Race Against the Tide

Build a sculpture on a sandy beach, before the water washes it away.

Seven talented pairs - made up of an amateur and a professional - battle in a contest to create spectacular sand sculptures to wow the expert judges. Artist Sadie Clayton and sand sculptor Jamie Wardley grade their efforts, choosing a winning sculpture before it is swept away by the tide.

Over the series, we get used to the idea of building "forms" (wooden frames that help to compact the wet sand so it can be carved), then the intricacies of sculpting and carving and the fine details. There's always a threat that the sculpture might collapse, and some improvisation could be needed.

Race Against the Tide is, literally, a race against the tide. The teams have about six hours for the tide to go out and come back in again, leaving just enough time for Sadie and Jamie to give their opinions. Each episode, a team is declared "Sand Champions"; another is judged the worst and leaves the beach.

Before the series, host Iain Stirling commented, "It's got everything you want from a summer show - stunning scenery, incredible creativity and lots of sand puns." He was right about the puns, perhaps cramming so many in that it was impossible to take the show seriously. Nevertheless, Race Against the Tide was a pleasant watch, the half-hour length meant it had to get to the point, and it proved completely inessential in its deliberate daftness.

Based on a Blue Ant Studios format first broadcast on CBC in Canada.

Filmed on West Sands Beach in St Andrews. Clayton had previously competed in an episode of Landmark.

All six episodes were released on iPlayer at once. They aired on BBC Scotland each Monday night for six weeks, with BBC2 showing the episode a day later.

BBC programme page

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