I used to love Beechgrove and I think Jim was a massive part of that. I have not enjoyed the current series at all. It seems they don't know who their audience is. I hope it can be saved, but i think it is unlikely.
What do you think has been amiss? Is it in the production (format)? The topics? (Plants, techniques, platc ombinations, trials, pests & diseases, season planning, garden design, tools and equipment) The type of gardening? (productive, decorative, small-scale, large-scale, established amateur gardens, established visitor gardens). The presentation? The presenters?
What do you think are The Beechgrove Garden's strong points?
Do you think it needs to clearly differentiate itself from other gardening programmes and if so how?
I think it has improved this season. I'm hard-of hearing so the two new presenters Rosa and the one from Edinburgh Botanics having good diction is vastly better. I wonder though is the programme now considered "too English" for the new audience (nats) BBC Scotland has been created to appease.
I think the basket-weaving and foraging might be considered a bit hippy-dippy by some and not of universal appeal to gardeners.
I wonder who is the audience and what is their interest? Enthusiasts /people who have to do the garden as a chore? Experienced / newcomers People with land / allotmenteers / Weekenders / do a bit daily / live in their garden Well-resourced / on a shoestring? Instant garden bought plants 'flower-arrangers'/ grow from seed cuttings Make-do-and-menders / buy everything in?
Are massive fancy-schmancy gardens going to put off those with more modest means? Are square metre gardens going to put of those viwers who are better resourced?
Could they get Chris Beardshaw in as a more regular presenter, perhaps lead if it would bring in more viewers? He's got the Chelsea background, expertise and qualifications in both design and horticulture and awards to boot. I think that could also take his broadcasting career to a new level.
I think it should be on towards the end of the working week. For most working people the weekend is the time when most gardening is done and a little pre-weekend inspiration is welcome. By the time people watch an episode they've recorded if broadcast Sunday gets to sit down and watch it the weekend wind is out of their sails.
Speaking of Landward, one of my ex-colleague's tasks on that was to light the faces of the presenters with a reflector and on reviewing a couple of episodes from this season wondering if it's getting a bit flat cap and oldmannyish for younger section of the audience I noticed Jim and George's faces were in deep shade from their flat caps.
It's never going to be as bad as Gardening Aus tralia for facial obscuration. In the first few seconds I wondered if I had clicked on a parody programme by mistake.
Whether the New BBC Scotland will survive for two years of the Tern contract is the question. I hope not but that Beechgrove returns to a national channel at a suitable time.
'not very British' @barry island. That's a pretty ludicrous statement when you consider how London centric so much TV is.
I happen to agree with him and in my previous abode I could literally throw stones into The Beechgrove Garden. Beechgrove is a show that has appeal across the UK and even overseas. To try and silo it into a Scottish channel for Scottish people is ludicrous.
There are people here in this part of the UK (call it Scotland if you will) who will not think beyond Hadrian's Wall.
It's pretty British to represent more of Britain throughout Britain and beyond. Doing so is an antidote to London-centricism.
I will watch it tonight and report back for those who miss it. I notice that the date of that article was 28 March 2019 @Reluctant_Gardener so I don't know what has happened with the timing of that contract. Coming back onscreen tonight is welcome, but they have missed a whole season.
I said originally that putting it on the new BBC Scotland channel would lose them viewers, and they did. I hope it recovers from what seems to me to be a mix of political infighting and budget cuts. It's a shame as from what I could see they seemed to be doing well without Jim.
I will watch it tonight and report back for those who miss it. I notice that the date of that article was 28 March 2019 @Reluctant_Gardener so I don't know what has happened with the timing of that contract. Coming back onscreen tonight is welcome, but they have missed a whole season.
I said originally that putting it on the new BBC Scotland channel would lose them viewers, and they did. I hope it recovers from what seems to me to be a mix of political infighting and budget cuts. It's a shame as from what I could see they seemed to be doing well without Jim.
I've no idea. They are in the new contract. It looks like the contract terms were renegotiated by the new BBC regional channel it's been moved to. Whether a previous contract was annulled because of the move I don't know or if it was moved to a new station to aid a contract change. That poster / meme requesting viewership bears hints of an engineered decline. Perhaps they'd do better reintroducing the public engagement they did when the garden was at the local television / wireless centre. I went to the tours as a boy with my dad, it got local people involved and as a locally-produced show it gave us some skin in the game to the programme's success. It put Aberdeen on the map for something other than greyness.
Now there is social media we don't have to be Aberdonian to be ambassadors for the programme.
I was thinking of heading out today to find out but I've left it too late now and the sunshine has disappeared so I might not by chance run into those in the know in their gardens.
Glad that it's on tonight. It should be on Thursday for everyone so folk can plan in their gardening into their weekend.
Not ludicrous at all Fairy Girl when you consider that I wasn't commenting about the geography of the situation but the underhand way this seems to be being handled.
I watched Beechgrove and really enjoyed it. It felt like they had never been away and as usual, a few unusual tips, like black peppermint to stop ants farming aphids. There were two interesting garden visits too. Well worth a watch, and I hope we don't lose it any time soon.
I didn't get home in time and when I did get in, iplayer showed it as not available. It appeared around 9-ish and I'm watching now (the carnivorous plants chap is on and that's not really my thing, so looking at the computer at the same time).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Oh good! Love Mr B, so eloquent about how to look at and see and use plants for particular situations and in combo. I shall watch my recording with great anticipation.
I knew about pennyroyal supposedly deterring ants but not black mint.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
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What do you think has been amiss?
Is it in the production (format)?
The topics? (Plants, techniques, platc ombinations, trials, pests & diseases, season planning, garden design, tools and equipment)
The type of gardening? (productive, decorative, small-scale, large-scale, established amateur gardens, established visitor gardens).
The presentation?
The presenters?
What do you think are The Beechgrove Garden's strong points?
Do you think it needs to clearly differentiate itself from other gardening programmes and if so how?
I think it has improved this season. I'm hard-of hearing so the two new presenters Rosa and the one from Edinburgh Botanics having good diction is vastly better.
I wonder though is the programme now considered "too English" for the new audience (nats) BBC Scotland has been created to appease.
I think the basket-weaving and foraging might be considered a bit hippy-dippy by some and not of universal appeal to gardeners.
I wonder who is the audience and what is their interest?
Enthusiasts /people who have to do the garden as a chore?
Experienced / newcomers
People with land / allotmenteers /
Weekenders / do a bit daily / live in their garden
Well-resourced / on a shoestring?
Instant garden bought plants 'flower-arrangers'/ grow from seed cuttings
Make-do-and-menders / buy everything in?
Are massive fancy-schmancy gardens going to put off those with more modest means? Are square metre gardens going to put of those viwers who are better resourced?
Could they get Chris Beardshaw in as a more regular presenter, perhaps lead if it would bring in more viewers? He's got the Chelsea background, expertise and qualifications in both design and horticulture and awards to boot. I think that could also take his broadcasting career to a new level.
I think it should be on towards the end of the working week. For most working people the weekend is the time when most gardening is done and a little pre-weekend inspiration is welcome. By the time people watch an episode they've recorded if broadcast Sunday gets to sit down and watch it the weekend wind is out of their sails.
Speaking of Landward, one of my ex-colleague's tasks on that was to light the faces of the presenters with a reflector and on reviewing a couple of episodes from this season wondering if it's getting a bit flat cap and oldmannyish for younger section of the audience I noticed Jim and George's faces were in deep shade from their flat caps.
It's never going to be as bad as Gardening Aus tralia for facial obscuration. In the first few seconds I wondered if I had clicked on a parody programme by mistake.
There are people here in this part of the UK (call it Scotland if you will) who will not think beyond Hadrian's Wall.
It's pretty British to represent more of Britain throughout Britain and beyond. Doing so is an antidote to London-centricism.
I said originally that putting it on the new BBC Scotland channel would lose them viewers, and they did. I hope it recovers from what seems to me to be a mix of political infighting and budget cuts. It's a shame as from what I could see they seemed to be doing well without Jim.
Perhaps they'd do better reintroducing the public engagement they did when the garden was at the local television / wireless centre. I went to the tours as a boy with my dad, it got local people involved and as a locally-produced show it gave us some skin in the game to the programme's success. It put Aberdeen on the map for something other than greyness.
Now there is social media we don't have to be Aberdonian to be ambassadors for the programme.
I was thinking of heading out today to find out but I've left it too late now and the sunshine has disappeared so I might not by chance run into those in the know in their gardens.
Glad that it's on tonight. It should be on Thursday for everyone so folk can plan in their gardening into their weekend.
I knew about pennyroyal supposedly deterring ants but not black mint.