Gardeners World

[sazzerbear]

I tuned in tonight after not watching it for a while and could not believe how "dumbed down" it seems to have become! The "What's Hot" wall was just like Top Gear and the shed was like Springwatch. Is Monty ever coming back? What happened to Berryfields, does the credit crunch mean that they have to present from the tiniest bit of garden ever?

Monty is not coming back - he cut back his commitments after having a bit of a breakdown last year and then resigned - but all very amicably.

The new place is actually quite large but is being created from scatch and will have a lot of smaller gardens within it.

And yes, I do agree it is now a bit like "Top Gear"

I thought Monty had a stroke - not a breakdown?

monty is not coming back. and he suffers from depression (he has extensively documented that). don't know if that is any part of his decision or if he fancied going round the world on documentaries (which he has been doing). have to admit that the only sources of inspiration tonight were carole and the guy with the roses who was great.

monty had a stroke and the berryfields garden went with him, which is a shame because gw is always much better with a more mature garden and presenters who have been round for a while.

give them a chance though, i like joe thing (did you know he is margaret drabble's son?) alys is good too when she isn't being embarrassingly 'alternative'.

This is from Wikepedia so don't count it as gospel!!

Don and his wife Sarah's previous career in the 1980s involved making and selling costume jewellery under the company name Monty Don Jewellery. The collapse of the company in the early 1990s prompted him to embark on a career in writing and broadcasting. He has written about the rise and collapse of their business in The Jewel Garden, an autobiographical book written with his wife. Don has also written of his being a sufferer of depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder. He has had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and formerly took Prozac before favouring a lightbox, now a recognised aid for SAD sufferers. Recently he suffered a minor stroke, and latterly announced his retirement from BBC's Gardener's World.

Really don't like the what's hot/what's not thing.

They are trying to get back to basics though which is why it may seemed dumbed down.

hot/not thing cheezy but I have really enjoyed the last two episodes.

I desperately miss Monty DOn but am finding I am learning more without Monty as a GORGEOUS, SEXY [sob...] distraction

I met him at Gardeners world. My knees actually shook a little bit....

New Gardenres world good for time poor, gardening thickies like me but I culd imagine it must be frustrating for more expereinced gardeners.

How is Monty?

Jewellry??!?!?!?

Dreadfully dumbed down and I don't consider myself an expert by any means.

"Toby's Top Tips..." WTF?

And the other things which pissed me off are the fork and spade on the shed door, and the itsy ditsy mixed up fabric on the chairs in the shed. Grrrr.....

But they didn't say what the plants were going in those big pots.

Joes dad played Richard the hen pecked husband in keeping up appearances.

i saw joe at chelsea last year, he is very sort of shiny in rl.

I don't bother watching it all since Monty left.

Miss him terribly and his soothing dulcet tones as he talked about mulching and potting on.

I was very disappointed as well.

I can't take to Toby at all.

Monty had a lovely voice and manner, but as a relatively new gardener I only caught a few with him in

And, although I am a rank amateur, even I found the "new look" utterly inspiring.

And silly. When they said "look we have a muddy field, we just need to prepare the ground now as any ordinary person would in their own garden" and cut to about 50 people beavering away complete with heavy plant etc.

It's all a load of bollocks. I hate it. I wish they'd had Carol Klein and Joe Swift present it together - she's great, really enthusiastic and encouraging for beginners, without dumbing down and Joe's an Arsenal supporter which sorts it for DH (sad I know).

God only knows what target audience they think they're aiming at - it's not Top Gear FFS and never will be. It's just embarrassing and twee and I shall stop watching soon if it doesn't get better! So there...

I think there is a need for a fb campaign to get Carol & Joe as presenters! I loved Joe's allotment last year, and Carol is wonderfully dotty .

I can't stand Carol on TV - she's so FALSE and ott and consciously 'ooh look at me I'm so dotty!' and Joe Swift is so 'ooh i am just like Jamie but with plants'. Gush gush gush. How could you consider them???

Toby is Nice. I don't know what he's 'like' he seems so plain.

Bring back Bob Flowerdew; and John Cushnie. I do quite like Alys.

And Dan Pearson; Cleve West; mmmmmmm.

I am going to Chelsea Flower show FOUR times this year! And Hampton Court. [gosh-she's-sad emoticon]

dh really likes Alys

I really enjoyed last night's eposiode

I miss Monty

I didn't relaise I'd been watching GW. I thought it was The Green Baloon Club.

MissingtheAction - I second your vote for Cleve West and Dan Pearson! Great gardeners/designers and very easy on the eye! See you at RHS Clelsea!

bring back alan

nooooooooo! He is smug and vile

well i tuned in last night expecting Monty Don and he wasnt on but then i remembered him being ill last year.

aw its such a shame he was such a good presenter, i really hope he comes back even if just to do a guest spot.

but i did get to see how i should be planting my carrots in pots tho so was glad for that!!

I like the new gardeners world, I admit it. It inspires me, gives me ideas and I think Toby doing a grand job of filling very big sexy shoes....

Bob FLowerdew is the most prententious chap ever.... and Alan is too busy on ITV