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The GW Debate

• Message 1. 

  Posted by The Philosopher (U7869188) on Sunday, 17th May 2009

  I’ve been following the GW debate now for a number of weeks and I must confess that I am also disillusioned by the way GW is turning out. But let me put a few ideas together.
  
  To begin with I think one of the main problems lies with the presenters. Not that they are not any good, on the contrary they are probably all very good in their own field. No I think the problem lies with the number of presenters. Think about it for a moment; there are four presenters Toby, Joe, Carol and Alice. Now simple maths will tell you that to give each of them a fair share of air time means that none of them are really getting enough time to actually be effective. It is my opinion that in the past the most successful GW's were where there was on presenter with a fill in. Think of Geoff and Allan for how long did Allan play support role to Geoff? And what did Allan do when he became the key presenter, pretty much the same thing.
  
  As I said at the top I’m disillusioned by the way GW has went but I have to assume that the suits in Ö÷²¥´óÐã have sat down and done their homework, that their research has shown that this is the type of magazine show that people want to watch on a Friday night.
  
  Also from a broadcasting point of view I’m assuming they have an audience panel and they are taking feedback from them. It would also be foolish to imagine that they are going to change the format of their program mid series; I’m assuming that by now they have the whole series planned. The best, I think, that viewers can hope for is that the format changes next year
  
  There is a lot of anti GW comments on this forum but I wonder how many of you have actually sat down and e-mailed the GW production to state your case, to say what you want – I haven’t and I’m prepared to gamble that the majority of people writing on this thread haven’t. If you want to effect change then you must tell the suits what you want.
  
  However, it would be childish to think that the suits are not reading this forum and that Toby and Co are not also reading it and they must be uncomfortable with what they are reading. What disappoints me though is that not one of the main presenters have come out and tried to address concerns on this board.
  
  To end with I am making a direct plea to the presenters: come on to the Forum and tell us what your intentions are for GW this year, what you are trying to do, and where you hope to take us by the end of the season.
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Stressed out (U11163734) on Sunday, 17th May 2009

  I really hope they are uncomfortable
  Only problem is you cannot vote for the production team or the presenters every four years
  They need to get it together and leave all the rubbish on the cutting room floor. To me it looks like they are showing the out takes each week.
  They are not listening to what is being said on here and never will. The ivory tower is going to be a very lonely place viewing figure wise.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by The Philosopher (U7869188) on Sunday, 17th May 2009

  Viewing figures are what matters and if enough people point their controls at another station then the suits will take notice

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by Plot06 (U13917333) on Monday, 18th May 2009

  True viewing figures do count but let's be honest on a national scale there are not many alternatives I see Beechgrove mentioned a lot its on Scottish I can't get that. Voting with the control could possibly lead to the demise of the programme with the statement that it's not popular therefore not worth making.
  
  In view of the fact it is the only nationally broadcast regular gardening show I feel we should be commenting on the format, the content and the personality of the show. However, the main point is the comments should be constructive. Not just: "it's a pile of rubbish" lets suggest what can be done to satisfy the broader range of customers. This needs to be addressed not only by the production team but by the people making the comments.
  
  For instance I personally don't particularly like the what's hot what's not slot but I'm not saying scrap it; I'd be more inclined to say well what does it contribute to the show, can people learn anything from it, is it entertaining? If it doesn't meet the criteria back to the drawing board a tweak here and there may make it work!
  
  I garden on a budget and whilst I understand people want to see instant effects it works both way some people are wanting a cheaper if longer route to the effect. This is where balence comes in by all means show the costly method some people can afford it but balence this with well here's an alternative way which is cheaper. I do think there is too much emphasis placed on the expensive quick option but that is a personal opinion. Alys has some good ideas on cheap solution but there is more to thought on that subject.
  
  I remember the days of Geoff Hamilton where he would take the balenced approach Gentlemans and Artisans cottage garden for example.
  
  Let's not be too quick to condem the current set up but let's also make sure we let the team know what we the customer expect
  
  

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by The Philosopher (U7869188) on Monday, 18th May 2009

  I quite agree with what Plot06 says that "comments should be constructive." That is part of the reason I posed the question as to how many people have actually wrote: "I wonder how many of you have actually sat down and e-mailed the GW production team."
  
  Again Plot06 is correct when he says that if to many zap GW then the beeb might pull the program altogether: but in all honest I do think that would be a last resort it is after all one of their flagship programs.
  
  A constructive comment: I think GW are trying to do to much on the one show and ending up only half doing anything. Now that the program is an hour long why not have a dedicated 20 minute slot for one particular topic each week whether it be vegetable growing, pruning, compost making, design or whatever and then on other weeks you can come back and visit those topic briefly.
  
  Last year I enjoyed Joe's allotment spot - if he hasn't given it up then I'd like to see some more of it.
  

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Helen May (U1633128) on Monday, 18th May 2009

  I think part of the problem is the fact that it's not a proper garden and that it is all new. How many of us have moved house and are starting with a bare patch of land since the end of last year? Not that many, I'd hazard a guess!
  
  Most of us are wanting to improve an existing garden, reshape the whole thing or part of it. However there is not much to inspire us to do anything with what we are getting from the programme at the moment and we don't all want to let a group of neighbours loose on our plot as they do in Alys' community gardening scheme.
  
  I've got nothing out of it so far this year.
  
  H

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by The Philosopher (U7869188) on Monday, 18th May 2009

  I'd like to make a direct plea.
  
  If there are any of the presenters or any member of the production team reading this post (and I am sure there are)then please come on here and let's know what GW thinking is.
  
  By doing this we might better understand what you are trying to do and be a bit more sympathetic to you.
  
  

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by eco_gardener (U13955786) on Tuesday, 19th May 2009

  The Philosopher:
  
  You might have quite a wait to hear from any of the GW team, so you might be interested in the comments made by Toby Buckland and published recently on the web site of the trade magazine 'Horticulture Week', where he 'answers' the criticism from Stefan Buczacki.
  
  Here's a snippet: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I think it’s a shame that he [Buczacki], or some people, don’t like it. But they’re very much in the minority because we have to look at the facts. And the facts are that we’re reaching a wider demographic than ever before."
  
  The rest of what Toby had to say is at:
  
  

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• Message 9

  , in reply to message 8.

  Posted by TheHejhog (U7657776) on Tuesday, 19th May 2009

  The full version of Toby's response was printed in the Manchester Evening News at the start of May.
  
  Hejhog

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• Message 10

  , in reply to message 9.

  Posted by eco_gardener (U13955786) on Tuesday, 19th May 2009

  Hejhog
  
  That's no reason to ignore the comments published on the Horticulture Week web site, which are probably accessible to more people than the Manchester Evening News is.
  
  There are also some follow-up comments on the Hort Week web site, which make interesting reading.
  
  For example, even the weekly gardening magazine Amateur Gardening admits, in reference to the programme where Toby met Sara Cox that "Yes, carrots sown direct into soil just stripped of turf was a shocker, as was the lack of any other advice in that piece on setting up a first-time veg plot – but it’s early days..."
  
  And that from Amateur Gardening, who have 'backed' Toby Buckland since he took the lead presenter role.

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• Message 11

  , in reply to message 10.

  Posted by TheHejhog (U7657776) on Tuesday, 19th May 2009

  The Manchester Evening News version is available on the Net and as such widely available. Here's the link:
  
  
  
  As for carrot seeds. It appears that for every expert there is another way of doing things. We just followed the instructions on the packet. So far, so good. Our carrots are in a patch that was previously a lawn, but had gone feral.
  
  Hejhog

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