The few threads on here discussing the compared merits of various
possible presenters for Gardeners' World have set my mind awander...
Gardening programmes on telly used to be educational, now television
executives tend to put a higher premium on entertainment. And like it
or not, gardening, or at least the appearance of it, tends to attract
the punters. And, unashamedly, I am one of them.
Bearing in mind that the education on how to propagate, prune etc. can
be got on line, from experts and keen amateurs here or in books, what
is so wrong with providing entertainment to the m***** through
gardening programmes?
I am quite a consumer of gardening and cookery programmes - mostly for
entertainment, though both give me ideas I often pursue (cookery
programmes more so than gardening ones, by the way). I am a keen
cook, and I am a fair weather gardener. And I love to be entertained
by a quality TV programme.
Say what you like about the shortcomings of the early series of Ground
Force (I hear the rumbles of "Anathema!!" building up amid the ranks
of those in urg who for some unexplainable reason do not believe in
instant gardens), the chemistry between the protagonists and their
individual personalities made for good telly watching.
Gardeners' World has always entertained me, because it was always well
produced, and again because of the personalities of the various
presenters (some good, some that I like less) - though I have not
watched too many of the more recent series - I tend to watch re-runs
on UK TV rather than real times series on the Beeb, generally
broadcast at times I am not watching.
Home Front in the garden was also good in the early days - though both
Llewelyn Bowen and Gavin have become fully paid up members of the
prima donna prat brigade since then.
I loved the series done about "A Year in Kew" - presented by Mr Tit
himself, but good television to me. And while I'm in confession mode,
I admit it - for all his over exposure, I still really like to watch a
gardening or nature programme presented by Alan Titchmarsh.
I used to love Helen Dillon on RTE, though haven't seen her in ages.
However, some of the very worse programmes used to fill up
broadcasting hours on such channels as UK TV Garden have to be among
the most bloody awful formats - like Garden ER (gasp!), Garden Rivals
(yuck!), Weed and Reap (I kid you not - this is a half way house
between house selling and gardening), Garden Invaders (yawnnn!) etc.
Anyway, I like Telly Gardening as entertainment if it is well done,
even if it is not remotely educational, and I need to come back here
to ask how to graft my leeks*.
Cat(h)
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