I have been watching Real Gardens on 4OD they are rather old repeats but quite interesting to watch when you can't get out gardening because of the RAIN!
I've now had my reply to my complaint to be BBC,. It sounds a lot like the one you had, frensclan. I'll try pasting it in here:
"Thanks for recently contacting the BBC. We aim to reply to complaints within 10 working days (around 2 weeks) and do for most of them but cannot for all. The time taken depends on the nature of the complaint, how many others we are dealing with and can also be affected by practical issues, such as whether a production team is available or away on location.
This is to let you know that we think it may take us longer but that we will respond as soon as we can. We would therefore ask you not to contact us further in the meantime. This is an automatic email sent from an account which is not monitored so you cannot reply to this address. If it does prove necessary however, please use our webform quoting any case number we provided.
We issue public responses to issues which have prompted large numbers of significant complaints on our website at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints along with full details of our complaints procedure and how we consider the issues raised in complaints.
In the meantime we’d like to thank you for contacting us with your concerns. We appreciate your patience in awaiting a response."
Woops, sorry, that was my interim reply. Here is the proper one:
Thanks for contacting us regarding ‘Gardeners’ World’ on BBC Two.
I understand you’re unhappy the programme won’t be broadcast during the month of July.
‘Gardeners’ World’ is incredibly important to BBC Two and we’re aware that it has a very loyal audience. However we have to balance that with the channel’s many other commitments including sport.
The transmission of sporting events is dependent on their dates and every year we juggle the schedule to accommodate Wimbledon, Athletics (including the Olympics) and The Open golf which are contractual sports. This sometimes means that ‘Gardeners’ World’ takes a break but it isn’t the only programme affected and it’s necessary to move all types of programming around in the schedule.
Monty Don did advise viewers at the end of the episode on 22 June that the programme would be taking a break but would return in a month’s time.
I’d like to assure you I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is an internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily and is available for viewing by all our staff. This includes all programme makers and channel controllers, along with our senior management. It ensures that your points, along with all other comments we receive, are considered across the BBC.
I agree with everyone here - its outrageous that it is taken off air for 4 weeks because of sport, surely there could have been some time found for GW - afterall it only takes up 30 mins a week. I actualy like sport, but still don't really get why GW is off air.
The euro football was on BBC and ITV at the same time the other night. I decided to sit in my garden in the rain. It was far lovelier getting wet than watching sport. Why cant they make football more interesting and put 2 balls on the pitch! With all this sport on this summer I will be outside. Maybe we should cancel our TV licences until GW is back on!!!
It's ironic that sport is fundamentally an outdoor activity. All of these athletes are outside, running around, getting wet.
TV sport is designed to appeal to couch-potato spectators who are stuck indoors glued to their TV screens, and to many of whom doing sport is a actually an anathema.
TV sport can be bad for the nation's health. Gardening is certainly good for the nation's health.
There are a lot of people who for one reason or another can't get outside or don't have gardens-to them the tv is their world and the only way they get to see sporting events-you can't right everybody off as couch potatoes.
As I keep repeating GW being off is not just for sport -it is for the proms as well but strangely enough I don't see any body saying they don't like that.
To give a bit of balance this is a one-off Olympic year in this country,there is a big football tournament every 4 years,Wimbledon is every year,GW always gets displaced-there are still over half of the scheduled programmes to be shown.
The point surely is we should get both but lets not knock the sports lovers they have their interests too and that, no doubt for some, includes gardening.
... this is a one-off Olympic year in this country,there is a big football tournament every 4 years,Wimbledon is every year,...
I enjoy watching Wimbledon myself. In fact this year I've seen a lot more than I normally watch, simply because I've been cooped up indoors during the day, due to the bad weather; .
But if the weather had been nice, then I'd have been outside. I would have ignored the TV and Wimbledon, during the daytime. I wonder how many people would choose to stay indoors, all day, on a nice sunny day, to watch TV, rather than be outside.
When the Olympics comes, I wonder how many people will sit indoors for 3 weeks watching continuous telly, even it's gorgeous weather outdoors.
(I realise that 3 weeks of gorgeous weather is extremely unlikely).
Posts
I have been watching Real Gardens on 4OD they are rather old repeats but quite interesting to watch when you can't get out gardening because of the RAIN!
Feels like summer's never going to come!
I've now had my reply to my complaint to be BBC,. It sounds a lot like the one you had, frensclan. I'll try pasting it in here:
"Thanks for recently contacting the BBC. We aim to reply to complaints within 10 working days (around 2 weeks) and do for most of them but cannot for all. The time taken depends on the nature of the complaint, how many others we are dealing with and can also be affected by practical issues, such as whether a production team is available or away on location.
This is to let you know that we think it may take us longer but that we will respond as soon as we can. We would therefore ask you not to contact us further in the meantime. This is an automatic email sent from an account which is not monitored so you cannot reply to this address. If it does prove necessary however, please use our webform quoting any case number we provided.
We issue public responses to issues which have prompted large numbers of significant complaints on our website at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints along with full details of our complaints procedure and how we consider the issues raised in complaints.
In the meantime we’d like to thank you for contacting us with your concerns. We appreciate your patience in awaiting a response."
Woops, sorry, that was my interim reply. Here is the proper one:
Thanks for contacting us regarding ‘Gardeners’ World’ on BBC Two.
I understand you’re unhappy the programme won’t be broadcast during the month of July.
‘Gardeners’ World’ is incredibly important to BBC Two and we’re aware that it has a very loyal audience. However we have to balance that with the channel’s many other commitments including sport.
The transmission of sporting events is dependent on their dates and every year we juggle the schedule to accommodate Wimbledon, Athletics (including the Olympics) and The Open golf which are contractual sports. This sometimes means that ‘Gardeners’ World’ takes a break but it isn’t the only programme affected and it’s necessary to move all types of programming around in the schedule.
Monty Don did advise viewers at the end of the episode on 22 June that the programme would be taking a break but would return in a month’s time.
I’d like to assure you I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is an internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily and is available for viewing by all our staff. This includes all programme makers and channel controllers, along with our senior management. It ensures that your points, along with all other comments we receive, are considered across the BBC.
I agree with everyone here - its outrageous that it is taken off air for 4 weeks because of sport, surely there could have been some time found for GW - afterall it only takes up 30 mins a week. I actualy like sport, but still don't really get why GW is off air.
Wimbledon 2 weeks ,Prom Concerts 2 weeks
The euro football was on BBC and ITV at the same time the other night. I decided to sit in my garden in the rain. It was far lovelier getting wet than watching sport. Why cant they make football more interesting and put 2 balls on the pitch! With all this sport on this summer I will be outside. Maybe we should cancel our TV licences until GW is back on!!!
I'll be outside most of the time, too (in a tiny summerhouse).
Unfortunately OH is "so old" he doesn't have to pay for a TV licence, so we can't cancel ours.
It's ironic that sport is fundamentally an outdoor activity. All of these athletes are outside, running around, getting wet.
TV sport is designed to appeal to couch-potato spectators who are stuck indoors glued to their TV screens, and to many of whom doing sport is a actually an anathema.
TV sport can be bad for the nation's health. Gardening is certainly good for the nation's health.
There are a lot of people who for one reason or another can't get outside or don't have gardens-to them the tv is their world and the only way they get to see sporting events-you can't right everybody off as couch potatoes.
As I keep repeating GW being off is not just for sport -it is for the proms as well but strangely enough I don't see any body saying they don't like that.
To give a bit of balance this is a one-off Olympic year in this country,there is a big football tournament every 4 years,Wimbledon is every year,GW always gets displaced-there are still over half of the scheduled programmes to be shown.
The point surely is we should get both but lets not knock the sports lovers they have their interests too and that, no doubt for some, includes gardening.
I enjoy watching Wimbledon myself. In fact this year I've seen a lot more than I normally watch, simply because I've been cooped up indoors during the day, due to the bad weather; .
But if the weather had been nice, then I'd have been outside. I would have ignored the TV and Wimbledon, during the daytime. I wonder how many people would choose to stay indoors, all day, on a nice sunny day, to watch TV, rather than be outside.
When the Olympics comes, I wonder how many people will sit indoors for 3 weeks watching continuous telly, even it's gorgeous weather outdoors.
(I realise that 3 weeks of gorgeous weather is extremely unlikely).