Gardener's World

Err..

This series is supposed to be a "less dumbed down" version!

I stopped watching gardening programmes after the death of Jeff Hamilton, sadly that was the opportunity for Titchmarsh, who I've always called "The Perennial Plant Potter" as at one time he was in "everything all year round."

 

I certainly think we should have a few more - ahem - what is the correct phrase? Probably 'people of age' :rotfl: on television. This morning I listened to the wonderful Katherine Whitehorn on Radio 4 - now a positively adolescent eighty-two. I wonder whether she likes gardening? Somehow I think she could probably turn her hand to anything.

 

I stick by scraggy looking! My mum was born in 1945 and looks better than Carol Klein does!

 

My main gripe though is with the appalling dumbing down of what used to be an excellent programme. If the last 5 minutes are anything like the rest, how sad.

Why do television programmes these days have to be reduced to the lowest common demoninator - is it to appeal to the thicko masses who are obviously incapable of concentrating on anything more complicated?

I'm sure Carol is a lovely lady though in real life. Brushing her hair for the camera might be a good start though!

 

I think Carol Klein's enthusiasm for her subject makes her an excellent gardening presenter. As far as dumbing down is concerned - why would gardening be exempt from the general policy of presenting television as if the audience was mostly made up of particularly inattentive and slow-witted three year-olds. Even the news is frequently adorned with graphics of jaw dropping stupidity. A news item on housing will frequently have a illustration of a house in the background - presumably aimed at that sizeable percentage of the viewing public that do not know what a house looks like. It therefore follows that instructions on how to sow a pansy is pretty advanced stuff when it comes to current trends in television.

 

No, Gardener's World does nothing for me anymore. Fine when it concentrated on showing you 'how', then it went all 'tree hugging and knitted yoghurt' and I gave up on it. I watch it occasionally, but it seems to concentrate these days on visiting every garden show imaginable rather than getting its own hands dirty. True it's interesting to see what the crème de la crème of gardening can produce, but it's of no help to those starting out and I may be a Phillistine, but one garden show does begin to look very much like another by the time you get to the third one. The presenters leave me cold, although for sheer entertainment value I'd become a regular viewer if Christine Walkden were persuaded on to the programme.

On the upside folks - we don't have to suffer the truly awful Diarmuid Gavin anymore, or indeed 'Ground Force' . Every cloud ....

 

Hi Shiney,Sorry I didn't realise that you were part of an organised group so didn't have a say on your itinery.As we never actually got in to see the nursery because it was closed when we eventually found it,we thought that after five years things would have improved there.I didn't even know that she employed students to look after the place:p

Only one thing do me and Carol Klein have in common and that is our nobbly fingers:D

 

"I'm reliably informed" shares in concrete suppliers did a nosedive when Diarmuid left Gardener's World.

 

From the views expressed in this theme it appears there is a gap in the tv schedules for a gardening programme for "expert" gardeners. Gardener's World is appealing to the GP's not the specialists. Having said that I like the programme and never miss it.
I find myself slagging off the presenters for their dress sense and general appearance but all the current presenters are not afraid of getting their hands dirty. Has anyone tried talking to camera when doing a job? - It's not easy but Toby, Joe, Carol and Alys make it look a doddle. I've seen Joe down at Wisley doing a piece to camera and he's a true professional.
My husband, who is no gardener, loves Alys Fowler but he wouldn't let her in our garden - she would eat everything!!!

 

Actually I miss Diarmuid the 'Gordener'. I was always hugely impressed by his fluency in twaddle and codswallop.

 

Me too - I loved his Chelsea garden a couple of years ago. Novel or what?