Previous Gardeners World presenters

[Maggi Young]

also the bloke with the tweed jacket and brogues who promoted peat and never got his hands dirty

That would be  Peter Seabrook - tho' Bob Flowerdew is pro-peat too to a degree!

There's also Stefan Bukzacki - but  he was only on G/World  briefly , or occasionally, I think.

[johnstephen29]

I remember Geoffrey smith Ian, but not the others. I see nobody has mentioned Alan titchmarsh, have I spelt his last name right? He wasn't too bad.

[johnstephen29]

Peter seabrook? Is he the guy who has the gardening section in the sun every Saturday?

[brianw]

There was another early GW woman gardener/presenter in the Christine Walkden programme today on Waterperry (repeat). Forget her name although it was mentioned on the programme, Mary something. She was the first woman on GW.

[Maggi Young]

Peter seabrook? Is he the guy who has the gardening section in the sun every Saturday?

 Yes, according to Wikipedia - and I found a wikipedia page that gives this list :

Lead presenters have included:

Ken Burras (1968 – 1969) [
Percy Thrower (1969 – 1976)
Arthur Billitt (1976 – 1979)
Geoff Hamilton (1979 – 1996)
Alan Titchmarsh (1996 – 2002)
Monty Don (2003 – 2008)
Toby Buckland (2008 – 2010)
Monty Don (2011 –)
Assistants
The presenter's assistants have included: Alys Fowler, Chris Baines, Chris Beardshaw, Mary Spiller, Liz Rigby, Diarmuid Gavin, Clay Jones, Stefan Buczacki, Christine Walkden, Sarah Raven, Gay Search, Anne Swithinbank, Nigel Colborn, Geoffrey Smith, Roy Lancaster, Peter Seabrook, Joe Swift, Ali Ward, Pippa Greenwood, Rachel De Thame, Carol Klein, Bob Flowerdew, and John Kelly.


So I guess that Mary Spiller is the one Brian mentions?

[brianw]

Yes Mary Spiller. Somehow they did nearly the whole programme on Waterperry without mentioning the National collection of Saxifages or Valerie Finnis.

[FrazerHenderson]

Maggi

Mr Wikipedia has forgotten to include Stephen Lacey who undertook garden visits for Gardeners' World and gave us some wonderfully inspiring essays on plants and designs. I used to look forward - whereas I now skip any offering from Joe Swift.

[Maggi Young]

Maggi

Mr Wikipedia has forgotten to include Stephen Lacey.......

I suggest you contact Mr W. to let him know.......

[Graeme]

Yes, according to Wikipedia - and I found a wikipedia page that gives this list :

Lead presenters have included:

Ken Burras (1968 – 1969) [
Percy Thrower (1969 – 1976)
Arthur Billitt (1976 – 1979)
Geoff Hamilton (1979 – 1996)
Alan Titchmarsh (1996 – 2002)
Monty Don (2003 – 2008)
Toby Buckland (2008 – 2010)
Monty Don (2011 –)
Assistants
The presenter's assistants have included: Alys Fowler, Chris Baines, Chris Beardshaw, Mary Spiller, Liz Rigby, Diarmuid Gavin, Clay Jones, Stefan Buczacki, Christine Walkden, Sarah Raven, Gay Search, Anne Swithinbank, Nigel Colborn, Geoffrey Smith, Roy Lancaster, Peter Seabrook, Joe Swift, Ali Ward, Pippa Greenwood, Rachel De Thame, Carol Klein, Bob Flowerdew, and John Kelly.


So I guess that Mary Spiller is the one Brian mentions?

Happy with everyone apart from Monty Don  - we just watch Beechgrove now - GW with Monty Don at the helm cured my insomnia

[johnstephen29]

I have to admit Graeme I'm not a monty Don fan, I would have preferred Carole Klein in charge.

[Garden Prince]

I don't have a problem with Monty Don. I think the UK should be glad to have a decent gardening program. Come on over to the Continent and discover that many West European countries don't even have a good gardening program.

Gardener's World has a format that is directed at the general gardening public. You can't expect GW to pay attention to difficult to grow Fritallarias or the germination requirements for 20 woody species.  That is not what GW is about. GW is not about specialist information. If you want a good idea of what the general gardening public is you should go and work in a gardening center (not a specialist nursery!). I immediately admit that the GW format has its limits for people who have a more than average interest in horticulture. But for those people we have the internet with its many gardening fora and page after page of specialist information.

[Tim Ingram]

I think that's right but it doesn't mean there couldn't also be gardening/plant-based programmes directed at a more 'sophisticated' audience (there is literary, musical and historical programming after all, as well as a lot of natural history). One reason this would be helpful is that there aren't too many knowledgeable horticulturists that one can find to work in a specialist nursery and garden. Would this create a problem or challenge for programme makers? I don't know - we do have different TV and Radio channels that cater to different people so the 'infrastructure' is there. There is a lot more scope even than is found on an excellent Forum like this, particularly going into the wild and discovering plants and landscapes.

[Maggi Young]

It is the immediacy of this forum and the capacity for interaction here that has provided, for me, some of the most exciting  times here.  I am thinking of Stellan's reports, mostly under the title of  "The Travel Giraffe" sent on the very day, of the landscapes and plants he discovered- while travelling the country on his bicycle,on trips of some 27000 km ! It would take some doing for any TV programme to even equal that, let alone  better it.  Then there are the reports from our expert members in the mountains of Europe, or extraordinary places like Socotra. The reports from unrivalled reporters like Rafa and Oron or the tales of both travel, cultivation and plant description form Janis - and these are just to mention a few of the direct reports we have enjoyed from so many members in so many places -  mercy! What have we not got here to be grateful for ?  And then there is the endless sharing of not only experience but of plants and seed - GardenPrince is correct - we have a GREAT DEAL to be grateful for,  right here! 

[Matt T]

It is the immediacy of this forum and the capacity for interaction here that has provided, for me, some of the most exciting  times here.  I am thinking of Stellan's reports, mostly under the title of  "The Travel Giraffe" sent on the very day, of the landscapes and plants he discovered- while travelling the country on his bicycle,on trips of some 27000 km ! It would take some doing for any TV programme to even equal that, let alone  better it.  Then there are the reports from our expert members in the mountains of Europe, or extraordinary places like Socotra. The reports from unrivalled reporters like Rafa and Oron or the tales of both travel, cultivation and plant description form Janis - and these are just to mention a few of the direct reports we have enjoyed from so many members in so many places -  mercy! What have we not got here to be grateful for ?  And then there is the endless sharing of not only experience but of plants and seed - GardenPrince is correct - we have a GREAT DEAL to be grateful for,  right here!

This is what makes the SRGC, in my mind the best gardening club in the world. I have on occasion dipped into the discussion forums of other societies and none of them have the depth and breadth of content offered in such a friendly and generous manner as it is here. It would be great to see better TV programming catering for our interests and spreading the word more widely, but with or without it this Forum is a daily pleasure and I'm glad to be part of this family.

[Tim Ingram]

No arguement at all with that Maggi - but there is the prospect of attracting many more gardeners to this vision of plants if TV was also more imaginative. I remember especially a wonderful series (in a very different context) called 'Earth Story' presented by Prof. Aubrey Manning, who has also written a forward to the book 'The Carrifran Wildwood Story: Ecological Restoration from the Grass Roots' by Myrtle Ashmole and Philip Ashmole. How do you impress the greatest number of people with a story like that? I think TV does have potential here, and the result would also benefit the Specialist Plant Societies and this thoroughly outstanding Forum.