Kitchen Garden Forum

Dear Sue, thats just blown another big hole in my trusting nature.
I must admit, i thought Monty looked a bit green the way he was going about the job.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

Well sorry about that OH, but you can't stay an innocent forever - yeah right

I used to quite like Monty when he did his fork to fork programme, but can't take to him in Gardeners World. Must be the clothes from an alternative reality he insists on wearing. Where does he buy them - I've never seen anything remotely like for sale, but maybe I don't go to posh enough shops You'd know all about that being in such a posh bit of Bedfordshire don't ya know

Sue

Dear Sue, even in my posh neck of the woods, you can't buy them shepherds smocks like Monty's.
Wonder where he gets them.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

better ask jb if its the posh part of hereford?

Hi Richard,
There are parts of Herefordshire that are said to be 'quite select' but they are at the other end to the county from me! I live in the sticks where there are few houses and few people. Sadly the few contain this awful TV presenter who you will note never appears on any proper 'Gardening Programmes' 'cos he simply would not be able to answer even the most basic of question. Best described as a total fraud!!
JB.

JB
I think you are being a bit too hard on Monty. I wouldn't like to swop positions with him. He has been put at the front of an invisible team of manipulators, if he doesn't meet your requirements I blame the people who put him there. Perhaps you can tell me the whereabouts of the 'posh' end of Hereford, I have yet to find it. Now Monmouth perhaps, that is riddled with NIMBYs....

Oh dear...... I've stayed out of these ongoing debates about the GW's MD as he happens to be a good friend of one of my best friends and I have great respect for his honesty about his depressive illness.

Whilst I agree that GW was better hosted by Alan T or Geoff H., although they also had help in their gardens. I don't have the same strength of hatred about MD as many others, probably because I like the other presenters so much - especially Sarah Raven and - having spent over 30 years in the land of mental health/illness, I do understand what he has to endure.

Any chance we could call a truce?

I agree with Tigger and I've been trying to keep out of this too. However, Monty is the person who inspired me to get an allotment so, no matter what he does or doesn't do, I owe him big time. Without him, I'd not know you lot would I?

There again..........

Just joking Chantal. Love you lots.

Hi Johnboy,

What do feel a presenter needs to have to present a gardening show

I have no gardening qualifications at all other than what my son calls Q.B.E = (qualified by experience)yet I have been a so called "Gardening Expert" for BBC Radio Merseyside, this I did for 3 months and I would not have missed it for the world, yet if they asked me back I would have to say thanks but no thanks. The show was unscripted and you did not get to see any of the questions before hand which was fun the show only lasted 30 minutes but believe me it was a life time, the first show I did I thought I would die I mean it I was terrified .

I was also involved in one episode of the TV program Veg Out which was far better as it had a script of sorts, But if you did make mistakes you just keeping doing your bit to camera until you get it right, not that I made any mistakes (darling)
The point I am trying to make is this you really should not be to harsh on MD as he must have some gardening Knowledge as it is not easy to put your self in front of a camera or on radio without it because you will be found wanting.
As for proper Gardening Programs which ones

Kind regards

Kevin

Hi Kevin,
I feel that as the presenter of the so called Number One Gardening Programme he should be fully qualified.
There are very many people who could and should be at the helm of that programme and quite frankly he should not have had the job in the first place.
He even has difficulty using a spade.
If he didn't have an autocue just out of camera he would be totally lost.
Frightened as you may have been I consider with your experience you deserve the job before him.
My local newsagents used to sell almost 30 copies of the GW Magazine but as soon as he took over the figure dropped to 4 and now there is only one person in the district that buys the magazine. On the other hand the KG Magazine is up to 26 copies per month from 2. Me and A.N.Other. This is all because of MD.
He is not liked in the district at all and he lives quite locally.
We used to run a coach to the GW Exhibition at the N.E.C. Birmingham but not anymore.
To even mention MD in the same breath as Geoff Hamilton, Alan Titcthmarsh, Peter Seagrove or Roy Lancaster is to denigrate these fine gardeners.
When you consider that this fraud has made a fortune on the backs of other people merits I feel he should go soon!
JB.

Although formal Qualifications are of course beneficial, please spare us from the present daft insistence of pieces of ‘paper’ before capable persons can do a job.

Other than (well deserved ) honorary degrees, I do not believe that the late Fred Dibnah had any formal qualifications in Civil, Mechanical Engineering or Victorian Industrial History. However what he did have was an understanding and enthusiasm for his subjects together with practical skills and experience.

It is this that I wish to see in any television presenter. My favourite time for GW was when they briefly had two presenters; I think one of them was Arthur Billet but can not remember the other. They always seemed to end up contradicting one another which I found interesting. Perhaps this is why I enjoy reading the KG forum so much.

All the best

Barney

why are we jumping on MD, he's only one of the faces of the programme and basically has to do as he is told . arguably any one who can read an autocue would do (why are newsreaders paid so much?) you only have to wait till the end of the program to see the list of credits to see the structure. has anyone got an old tape of one of the hamilton or titchmarsh programs to compare the number of researchers, etc
a lot of successful long running programs are fronted by presenters who are "presenters" not technical experts in the program's field, top gear is a prime example, they have had ex professional drivers as co presenters, who have not made an impact as tv personalities, but clarkson has made himself the big cheese, though he's a total prat what he does is entertain.

Cider boys, I have to agree with you. It is one thing to have all those bits of paper, quite another to present effectively. you have only to look back in history, many of the brightest stars had no qualifications whatsoever but they triumphed. On the other hand I have had teachers at school with high qualifications that were hopeless at teaching. I rate Monty Don highly for presentation style, it's just the content and indeed the whole concept of the programme that has come adrift and has little to do with our sort of gardening.
Cider Boys,Shame that you don't remember that Arthur Billet was with Percy Thrower for many programmes, they didn't live all that far apart. I went to one of AB's open days at Clack's Farm, Ombersley, an unforgettable memory.Percy of course was at Shrewsbury and there is still a Garden Centre there that carries his name.
Allan

Hi Barney,
It is not pieces of paper that matter but practical experience. To use the revered Fred Dibnah's name in the same sentence as MD is what amounts to 'Blasphemy'!
Fred was highly qualified by experience but the same cannot be said for MD. You could ask Fred a question and get a direct answer but alas I fear the same cannot be said of MD.
I fear that I will have to agree to disagree on this one.
JB.