I'll reserve judgement until I've seen them. But I thought Alan T. was good as a presenter of Chelsea, lively, intelligent, a real gardener. I do think, though, that the girl presenter should also be a gardener, not just a pretty face, and I'm sure there are plenty of girl gardeners with pretty faces.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
So I would hope Doc - I'm sure he's a very nice man, but I find fewer celeb gardeners more irritating than DG, and for an Irishman to have so much difficulty in talking intelligibly is surely a contradiction in terms
As for Sophie Raworth - I think the idea is that they need someone very used to live broadcasting - all sorts of things can go wrong and no matter how experienced someone is to recording a programme, coping on live tv when something unexpected happens needs someone with real skill and experience - a safe pair of hands - Sophie Raworth has proved she is definitely that - and she's said that she comes from a family of keen gardeners - many people don't get the chance to become gardeners until they retire - doesn't mean they're not interested.
She's not there to be a gardener - she's a professional presenter - a different thing altogether.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As lovely as Sophie undoubtedly is, and professional and aritculate , etc etc. Would that same criteria get her a presenter's job on, for example, Match of the Day? No way José.
Perhaps find someone young(ish) to try to encourage a younger audience, but they MUST know their subject matter. In my humble opinion.
But isn't that the point? She takes the role of Everyman, asking the questions that ordinary people would ask if they were there - whereas Monty will tackle the more specialised 'plantsman's issues'.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
we'll have to agree to disagree. The questions will be fed to her by the production team and they'll not come across as spontaneous. My opinion is that MD is such a control freak ,he'd never work with another gardener. And I know many who'd refuse to work with him. Have you ever seen anyone plant anything in her garden on GW? I haven't. Joe Swift moved some stones about, but never planted anything.
I used to think I didn't want anyone else messing in my garden and certainly can't afford to let OH loose unsupervised as he is an indiscriminate weeder. For years i've had th emost expensive compost heap in Belgium as he blitzes treasures and weeds alike - too hard to work round goodies apparently.
Anyway, we all know Monty has help in his garden even if he doesn't acknowledge it on GW and I no longer find ita problem having someone else knowledgeable in teh garden as Iv'e had to accept help recently. Since having neck surgery in March 2012 and ops on both feet in turn in Jan and April 2013 my garden has been going to pot so I now have someone who comes in and does 5 hours work every 2 weeks. She's great and very good at weeding which is a boon as my garden is surrounded by pasture and arable land and ull of invasive weeds invading from left and right.
I am careful to give her things to plant as well as just weeding and digging so she can share the pleasures and it's worked very well so far. We've started swapping plants as she takes away spares form mine that she doesn't have herself or can plant in other people's gardens and she brings me goodies from her own garden.
Monty should relax a bit.
I have also now read the press coverage of the switch to M from AT and it looks to me as though the Beeb has decided to fix the bit of Chelsea coverage that wasn't broken and has lost AT as a result. Too stoopid. I shall wait and see but I rather suspect that with MD at the helm it's going to be another snooze fest - like GW. Either that or a dangerous rise in blood pressure from frustration with gimmicky coverage as the Beeb tries to change the demographics.
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)."
Hello mike I like what you are saying Sophie is gorgeous and so is Nicky but I stand by what I say Monty has the talent and skill to do the job and after all what is Chelsea flower show for ? Iv never liked it my opinion is that it makes a mockery of gardening or in other words a chav show
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I'll reserve judgement until I've seen them. But I thought Alan T. was good as a presenter of Chelsea, lively, intelligent, a real gardener. I do think, though, that the girl presenter should also be a gardener, not just a pretty face, and I'm sure there are plenty of girl gardeners with pretty faces.
Dove, I was only being mischievous, although I do find him entertaining. His 2011 Chelsea garden was a truly wonderful creation as well.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
So I would hope Doc
- I'm sure he's a very nice man, but I find fewer celeb gardeners more irritating than DG, and for an Irishman to have so much difficulty in talking intelligibly is surely a contradiction in terms 
As for Sophie Raworth - I think the idea is that they need someone very used to live broadcasting - all sorts of things can go wrong and no matter how experienced someone is to recording a programme, coping on live tv when something unexpected happens needs someone with real skill and experience - a safe pair of hands - Sophie Raworth has proved she is definitely that - and she's said that she comes from a family of keen gardeners - many people don't get the chance to become gardeners until they retire - doesn't mean they're not interested.
She's not there to be a gardener - she's a professional presenter - a different thing altogether.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As lovely as Sophie undoubtedly is, and professional and aritculate , etc etc. Would that same criteria get her a presenter's job on, for example, Match of the Day? No way José.
Perhaps find someone young(ish) to try to encourage a younger audience, but they MUST know their subject matter. In my humble opinion.
But isn't that the point? She takes the role of Everyman, asking the questions that ordinary people would ask if they were there - whereas Monty will tackle the more specialised 'plantsman's issues'.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
we'll have to agree to disagree. The questions will be fed to her by the production team and they'll not come across as spontaneous. My opinion is that MD is such a control freak ,he'd never work with another gardener. And I know many who'd refuse to work with him. Have you ever seen anyone plant anything in her garden on GW? I haven't. Joe Swift moved some stones about, but never planted anything.
clearly I meant "in HIS garden" oops
I probably wouldn't mind if they did some digging - but I'd have to supervise
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I used to think I didn't want anyone else messing in my garden and certainly can't afford to let OH loose unsupervised as he is an indiscriminate weeder. For years i've had th emost expensive compost heap in Belgium as he blitzes treasures and weeds alike - too hard to work round goodies apparently.
Anyway, we all know Monty has help in his garden even if he doesn't acknowledge it on GW and I no longer find ita problem having someone else knowledgeable in teh garden as Iv'e had to accept help recently. Since having neck surgery in March 2012 and ops on both feet in turn in Jan and April 2013 my garden has been going to pot so I now have someone who comes in and does 5 hours work every 2 weeks. She's great and very good at weeding which is a boon as my garden is surrounded by pasture and arable land and ull of invasive weeds invading from left and right.
I am careful to give her things to plant as well as just weeding and digging so she can share the pleasures and it's worked very well so far. We've started swapping plants as she takes away spares form mine that she doesn't have herself or can plant in other people's gardens and she brings me goodies from her own garden.
Monty should relax a bit.
I have also now read the press coverage of the switch to M from AT and it looks to me as though the Beeb has decided to fix the bit of Chelsea coverage that wasn't broken and has lost AT as a result. Too stoopid. I shall wait and see but I rather suspect that with MD at the helm it's going to be another snooze fest - like GW. Either that or a dangerous rise in blood pressure from frustration with gimmicky coverage as the Beeb tries to change the demographics.
Hello mike I like what you are saying Sophie is gorgeous and so is Nicky but I stand by what I say Monty has the talent and skill to do the job and after all what is Chelsea flower show for ? Iv never liked it my opinion is that it makes a mockery of gardening or in other words a chav show