I see that Stefan Buczacki has waded in to publicly denounce the
current incarnation of Gardener's World. First printed in the
Manchester Evening News, word has spread and it is being widely noted
with a fair degree of agreement. The article is here for those who
haven't read it:

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....ardeners_world

I have a feeling that there's a touch of the whinge about his attack,
maybe because he's been overlooked by the 'mejia' in recent years.
Nevertheless, he makes some valid points amid mentions of when he was
part of the team and I wholeheartedly agree with his pragmatic swipe
regarding winter pansies. I had my doubts when I heard that Buckland
had been selected to front the programme, because having seen him
present 'lesser' gardening programmes I've always felt there to be a
hint of superficiality about the lad. No doubt this has found favour
with the idiots producing GW and the result is almost an insult to the
intelligence of those looking in. I rarely watch it because there is
absolutely nothing of interest to me, but I did manage (with some
considerable difficulty) to view for nearly 5 minutes last week and
was shocked by its utterly banal nature.

Getting back to something far saner, it's good to see dear old Percy
being favourably mentioned. I was lucky enough to get to know him a
few years before he died and occasionally took part in a few of his
charity 'Gardener's Question Times' along with Arthur Billet, Bob
Price and a few others. Fabulous people, full of genuine friendship,
generous hearted and sincere to a fault ... oh and I can't forget Riet
(Arthur's wife) who almost mothered me to death whenever she got a
chance. It was a time when real gardeners showed interested gardeners
how they did it. No prissiness, pomposity or airs and graces, just
straightforward, dirt under the nails stuff and a million miles away
from the rubbish fobbed off onto the viewers nowadays.

Whether we'll ever see truly decent, mainstream gardening programmes
again remains to be seen, but I'm full of doubt whilst 'mejia' types
continue to mould something about which they know absolutely nothing
into something that they think is gardening and which we do not
recognise.