The BBC have spent unimaginable amounts of licence fee payers' money on setting up Greenacres. Another example of their waste and lack of understanding of how scarce money is in the real world. Will we get our money back?
Monty Don returning to GW is the worst news I've heard for ages. Toby was an excellent and informed presenter who was not afraid to cover all aspects of gardening. Now we have to suffer Monty Don and his faux "man of the earth" persona and his intolerance for anything he is not interested in. And as for Carol Klein being replaced by Rachel de Thame. What on earth is the BBC thinking of with such a retrograde revision?
It is interesting to read these comments and has already been said, the camp seems to be divided indicating there is room for two gardening pregrammes with different agendas. I am the coordinator of a local gardening group and every member (many over 60 and long time gardeners) without exception does not like Monty Don's style which to most ordinary people appears condescending. It is also true that he seems to focus much more on growing veg. Mnay of our members did not initially warm to Toby but once he had settled in we all enjoyed his practical approach. It is one thing wanting to win back the old viewers who abandoned GW but what about the new, young gardeners who are looking for guidance and knowledge to enable them to become the experienced gardeners of the future. They are likely to stop watching now. So again this leads back to the need for two different programmes with different styles of presenting and imparting knowledge. As for having two joint presenters as has been suggested, I can't seem Monty Don being willing to share the limelight with anyone else. Remember how rude he was to Chris Beardshaw about a plant he thought was out of place in the long border at Berryfields. Please BBC consider the idea of two different gardening programmes which aim to instruct and encourage not just show us grand gardens owned by others!
Your not on. Rachael the ex-ballet dancer and organic Monty represent everything that went wrong with GW in the last decade. You could tell Alys got in and got her hands dirty rather than simply sniffing the odd bloom, and Toby showed you the key points rather than simply going-on about his latest pet project/book.
I guess I'll leave be leaving GW to the middle classes.
so sorry to hear toby and alys have been droped from gw, they where very good at explainning how to do things in the garden, where i do not think monty don comes across as well, i feel you may have made a misstake in bring back someone from the past.
I'm thrilled to be seeing Monty Don back on Gardeners world and back in a real garden. However, what in the world are the BBC thinking of dropping Alice Fowler? Shes young, full of enthusiasm and has a Kew background like our dear old friend Alan Titchmarch. This is very short sighted BBC Alice has so much more to offer than Rachel. Please think again or give her another slot of her own!!!!
A makeover for Gardeners World was well over due as the programme had lost its way and ended up geared towards novice's, which is all very well but even novices have to move on. For me, I was on the verge of giving up the programme AND the magazine as that seemed to be going the same way. However, I have stuck with it and am happy to welcome back Monty, but more so welcome a change in dialogue which I am sure he will bring.
What fantastic news! Monty is back and in a his own garden. Long overdue ! What a treat for FRIDAY evenings. Nice to see Rachel back too! Good luck Monty!
We have organised a supper so that we do not get too cross that we shall no longer be watching GW. Monty is too boring and smug to be watchable.Is it a BBC Oxbridge mafia thing that he is back? He is just too ridiculous to be called a gardener and just because he went to the right places does not make him the best man for the job. Toby was down to earth and very capable and has been treated in an appalling manner by the BBC. And as for RdeT why her instead of the lovely Alys? What a mess you have made of this BBC and just how many viewers have you now lost. As well as wasting so much money. Shameful.
Posts
I am the coordinator of a local gardening group and every member (many over 60 and long time gardeners) without exception does not like Monty Don's style which to most ordinary people appears condescending. It is also true that he seems to focus much more on growing veg. Mnay of our members did not initially warm to Toby but once he had settled in we all enjoyed his practical approach.
It is one thing wanting to win back the old viewers who abandoned GW but what about the new, young gardeners who are looking for guidance and knowledge to enable them to become the experienced gardeners of the future. They are likely to stop watching now. So again this leads back to the need for two different programmes with different styles of presenting and imparting knowledge.
As for having two joint presenters as has been suggested, I can't seem Monty Don being willing to share the limelight with anyone else. Remember how rude he was to Chris Beardshaw about a plant he thought was out of place in the long border at Berryfields.
Please BBC consider the idea of two different gardening programmes which aim to instruct and encourage not just show us grand gardens owned by others!
I guess I'll leave be leaving GW to the middle classes.
And as for RdeT why her instead of the lovely Alys?
What a mess you have made of this BBC and just how many viewers have you now lost. As well as wasting so much money.
Shameful.