Tag Archives: Best in Miniature

CBC competition series Best in Miniature returns for Season 3 on December 26

From a media release:

BEST IN MINIATURE (8×60) is back with 10 exceptionally talented miniaturists from Canada and abroad, promising a season of unrivaled creativity and innovation. Season 3 premieres Tuesday, December 26, with all episodes available to stream at 9 am ET on CBC Gem, followed by daily back-to-back episodes on CBC TV beginning Tuesday, December 26 through Friday, December 29 at 8 pm (8:30 NT) and 9 pm (9:30 NT).

This season, the 10 miniaturists will unleash their creative superpowers, crafting petite wonders in 1/12 scale, as time ticks away. In each episode, the judges will decide whose delicate dreams have come to an end, and who’s got what it takes to move forward for the chance to claim a prestigious residency and $10,000. The miniaturists better not get worked up over the minor details because if they survive the chopping block, they’ll score the ultimate prize.

Actor and stand-up comedian Aba Amuquandoh returns as host, alongside judges, UK miniature expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Canadian interior designer and entrepreneur Micheal Lambie.

Meet the Season 3 competitors vying to be crowned Best in Miniature, including five Canadians:

Shelley Acker from Kentville, Nova Scotia has been making miniatures for almost 25 years and is the owner of Freedom Miniatures, a full-service miniatures and hobbies store. Shelley’s skills in miniatures were showcased as one of two Art Directors on the 2022 multi-award-winning documentary feature film Bernie Langille Wants to Know what Happened to Bernie Langille.

Jen Arnold from Winnipeg, Manitoba is a full-time social worker, who finds her strength in the time she spends building hand-held memories, and considers her art as her own form of self-care. Her work has been featured in The Winnipeg Free Press, Global News Morning Winnipeg, Winnipeg radio station 680 CJOB, CBC Radio Information Morning, as well as in the Lac Du Bonnet and Manitoba Clipper.

Lance Cardinal from Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta is a First Nations 2-Spirit artist, designer and television personality, who has quickly become one of the province’s leading First Nation artists and entrepreneurs. His 30-year journey has allowed him to work with world-class organizations all over Canada, including The Edmonton Oilers, IKEA Edmonton, Kunitz Shoes, Rugby Canada, Unbelts, Telus World of Science, Rogers Place, Fort Edmonton Park, and Re/Max Field.

Tiffany Monk is originally from England and now lives in Sutton, Quebec. Tiffany is a versatile multidisciplinary artist with a background in prop making, sculpting and model making for film. She has worked on a number of diverse film and TV projects in both England and Canada including John Carter, The 100 and a number of independent stop-motion animation films and projects.

Arline Smith is from the UK and now lives in Port Hope, Ontario. She is a many-faceted artist and has spent the past fifty years creating everything from a pea to an elephant. After graduating from Liverpool College of Art, she joined The Royal Shakespeare Company as a costumier and worked alongside Sir Ben Kingsley and Dames Helen Mirren and Judy Dench.

In the lead up to the Season 3 premiere, Miniature enthusiasts can catch up on Seasons 1 & 2 on CBC Gem.

BEST IN MINIATURE is produced by marblemedia, a Blue Ant Media company, in association with CBC. Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop, Diane Rankin and Donna Luke are executive producers; Erica Lenczner is series producer; the series is created by development producer Kelsey Espensen. 

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marblemedia heads back into the world of miniatures with Season 2 of Best in Miniature

From a media release:

marblemedia, a leading production and distribution entertainment television studio, is excited that CBC and CBC Gem have announced the return of their hit series, Best in Miniature (8 X 60) for a second season, returning on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 7:00 pm. Production on season 2 wrapped late last summer in Hamilton, Ontario.

The series, which saw major success after its debut season, will once again tap into the viral world of miniatures; and take the reality competition genre to a whole new scale, both in size and creativity.

Season 2 will welcome 10 new highly skilled artists from across Canada and from around the world to compete in the ultimate challenge: building their dream home in miniature-form. The competitors will create their houses, in painstaking detail, room by room by shrinking life-size objects down to 1:12 scale. While the objects may be small, the stakes could not be bigger.

Returning host this season is actress, writer, and stand-up comedian, Aba Amuquandoh (CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes). Back as the judges are UK Miniature Expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Interior Designer Michael Lambie, whose precision and design techniques will save the vying competitors from dreaded elimination. The winner of the series will win a crash prize and the coveted title of being Best in Miniature!

Trailblazers in the unscripted and competition series space with smash global hits like Netflix’s Blown Away and Drink Masters, as well as CBC’s Race Against the Tide, Discovery’s A Cut Above, and TVOKids’ All-Round Champion, Canada’s own marblemedia is excited to once again be working with CBC and CBC Gem to bring more episodes of the bingeable Best in Miniature series.

Best in Miniature is produced by marblemedia in association with CBC. For marblemedia, Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Diane Rankin are executive producers; Donna Luke and Carly Spencer are co-executive producers, and Erica Lenczner is series producer and showrunner for the series; and created by Director of Unscripted Development, Kelsey Espensen.

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Preview: CBC Gem goes small with Best in Miniature

We have a dollhouse in our home. It’s an antique passed down to my girlfriend from family before her. Delicate, its walls have threadbare patterns, curtains are a little worse for wear and I’m afraid to touch it for fear something will crumble. Still, it’s cool to look at and admire the skill that went into building it and the wee furniture held within.

The history of dollhouses, and the ingenuity behind them and their creators, are on display in Best in Miniature.

Available now on CBC Gem, marblemedia’s latest creation—they’re the production company behind the ingenious Blown Away, Race Against the Tide and Landscape Artist of the Year—pits 11 artists against one another as they create the ultimate miniature house. Hosted by Aba Amuquandoh and judged by Emma Waddell and Michael Lambie, Best in Miniature showcases something that may not be appreciated, or known, by many.

In the debut episode, “Open House,” Amuquandoh introduces the competitors, as well as judges Waddell, who is recognized as the “world’s only interior designer for miniature houses,” and Lambie, a design artist. Then it’s right to work as the participants have just hours to create a miniature home from scratch. Competitors like Tom, Phillip and Susette make an immediate impression with their designs, vision and confidence. Others? Well, let’s just say time management becomes an issue.

Subsequent episodes track the dwindling pool of participants as they fill the bath, living, dining and bedrooms of their homes with furniture while competing in side projects that showcase their ingenuity.

Like Blown Away (glass blowing), Race Against the Tide (sand sculptures) and Landscape Artist of the Year, Best in Miniature pulls back the (little) curtain on a unique art form and celebrates it.

Season 1 of Best in Miniature is available on CBC Gem.

Image courtesy of CBC.

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Marblemedia goes big with miniatures in new competition series Best in Miniature for CBC and Discovery+

From a media release:

Leading international production company, marblemedia, is excited to announce the start of production on their latest competition series, Best in Miniature (10 x 60) a new original series for CBC, premiering later this year, and discovery+ in the UK and Ireland airing in 2022.

Trailblazing producers of global unscripted hits like Blown Away and Restaurants on the Edge for Netflix, as well as four seasons (and counting) of the award-winning sports competition All-Round Champion, marblemedia is once again breaking the mold with an all-new competition series that will tap into the viral sensation that is #miniatures; a world that has captured over 170 million views on TikTok alone.

Hosted by writer and stand-up comedian, Aba Amuquandoh (CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes), the brand-new series will welcome 11 highly skilled artists from across the world to compete in the ultimate challenge: building their dream home in miniature-form. The competitors will create their houses, in painstaking detail, room by room by shrinking life-size objects to 1:12 scale. While the objects may be small in stature, the stakes could not be higher.

Judged by UK Miniature Expert Emma Waddell, and esteemed Designer Micheal Lambie, precision and design technique will save the competitors from elimination. Week after week, the remaining miniaturists will continue to battle it out to stay in the game until only three remain for the last competition in the grand finale. The winner will receive a cash prize and the coveted title of Best in Miniature!

Best in Miniature is produced by marblemedia in association with CBC and discovery+ UK & Ireland. For marblemedia, Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop and Diane Rankin are executive producers; Donna Luke and Marike Emery and are co-executive producers, and Jacqui Skeete is series producer and showrunner for the series; and created by development producer, Kelsey Espensen. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production. Matt Reid is Executive Producer for discovery+ UK. Distribution360 (D360) holds worldwide rights to the format and finished program.

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