Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?

What? You've never heard of it?

And that's the problem.....

I saw it mentioned in the BBC's gardening magazine this month. The
start of a daily 1-hour program about growing veg on allotments.
Sounded great. I'd already missed the first week or two apparently, but
I set the video today to catch it. But when I got home, I discovered
that the programme had been replaced, with no explanation anywhere on
the BBC website.

A bit of digging (ho ho) online revealed a small snippet from the Daily
Telegraph reporting that the programme had been taken off-air because
of "disappointing ratings".

Why were the ratings disappointing? Would it by any chance be because
the prog seems to have had no publicity? Would it be that 3:30pm on
weekdays isn't a great time in any case?

So anyway, I never did get to see the programme and I suppose I never
will now.

Did anyone else catch it during its brief existence?

wrote..
Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?

I was also disappointed to discover that it's been taken off air. As you
say, 3.30 isn't a great time for it to be on; evening would've been better.
I just got an allotment last week so I was really looking forward to
watching it and had decided to tackle the mysteries of the vcr so that I
could record it! Wasn't the programme only on for 1 week? Nowhere near
enough time to attract a following, IMHO, particicularly as I don't even
think it had been advertised.

TJ wrote:
wrote..
Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?

I was also disappointed to discover that it's been taken off air.
As
you say, 3.30 isn't a great time for it to be on; evening would've
been better. I just got an allotment last week so I was really
looking forward to watching it and had decided to tackle the
mysteries of the vcr so that I could record it! Wasn't the
programme
only on for 1 week? Nowhere near enough time to attract a
following,
IMHO, particicularly as I don't even think it had been advertised.

We've noted before that the BBC can be funny about gardening. GW's
not bad, to be fair, and the Titchmarsh progs are good. But remember
their crass coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show. Note the current
idiotic venture with Diarmuid -- they didn't even get him to plan it
for his money.

--
Mike.

TBH, I'm normally a great supporter of the BBC, but this decision does
seem very odd. I feel there's more to this than meets the eye, he said
conspiratorially....

In message .com,
writes
Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?

What? You've never heard of it?

And that's the problem.....

I saw it mentioned in the BBC's gardening magazine this month. The
start of a daily 1-hour program about growing veg on allotments.
Sounded great. I'd already missed the first week or two apparently, but
I set the video today to catch it. But when I got home, I discovered
that the programme had been replaced, with no explanation anywhere on
the BBC website.

A bit of digging (ho ho) online revealed a small snippet from the Daily
Telegraph reporting that the programme had been taken off-air because
of "disappointing ratings".

Why were the ratings disappointing? Would it by any chance be because
the prog seems to have had no publicity? Would it be that 3:30pm on
weekdays isn't a great time in any case?

So anyway, I never did get to see the programme and I suppose I never
will now.

Did anyone else catch it during its brief existence?

I saw snippet.

According to a report in the paper (probably Grauniad) it is being
rescheduled at a more appropriate time. They did it seems have number
of complaints about the timing

--
Chris French

wrote
Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?
snip

Did anyone else catch it during its brief existence?

Yes, I caught one programme the other week and then it seemed to disappear.
After a few days of its non-reappearance I even looked on Google's archive
to see if it'd been talked about in URG and when there wasn't anything
there or on the BBC website I began to think I must have imagined it!

What a shame if they've given it the permanent chop, it seemed promising
and at the very least would be better than endless housebuying programmes.
They have so many repeats during the daytime schedule, surely there's a
place for something different.

--
Sue

The message .com
from contains these words:



Why were the ratings disappointing?

Missed it. Just a guess, but probably, some crazed maverick at the
BBC foolishly made a programme with some real gardeners in it, spending
a quiet afternoon down the lotty in non-designer wellies. With no
camera gimmicks, celebrities or interactive voting opportunities, it
was bound to fail.

Janet

On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:05:55 +0100, Mike & friends wrote:

you say, 3.30 isn't a great time for it to be on; evening would've
been better

Even for those of us that have the luxury(?) of being home at that
time are probably out in the garden !
( unless it is deep&crisp &even,, but not now! )

We've noted before that the BBC can be funny

Yep, gone really strange and down-hill since I left them
if only they would stop all those pseudo-adds for cr*&p american
cartoons ( and many other things) they might have room for telling us
about their other interesting programmes.
But perhaps even they know that all the other stuff is even less
interesting, and that with mates acomplices and others in fora like
this we already know more than the beeb can tell us about gardening ?

about gardening.
GW's not bad, to be fair,

true.M.Don is doing a good job ( but not as good as he would like if
given his own way, and another1/2hr, I think )

and the Titchmarsh progs are good.

Thou jest ?

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message .com
from contains these words:



Why were the ratings disappointing?

Missed it. Just a guess, but probably, some crazed maverick at the
BBC foolishly made a programme with some real gardeners in it, spending
a quiet afternoon down the lotty in non-designer wellies. With no
camera gimmicks, celebrities or interactive voting opportunities, it
was bound to fail.

Janet

I'm assuming the welsh geezer named Terry is the same Terry who is the
allotment holder featured on Jeremy Vine's programme on Radio 2, can anybody
confirm or deny?

Steve

WaltA wrote:
[...]
and the Titchmarsh progs are good.

Thou jest ?

Nay, gentle Walt, verily I jest not. Master Titchmarsh pleaseth me
well when allowed to do his own thing. I very much liked, e.g., his
royal gardens series. And I liked the hint of a smirk when he did a
very neat whip-and-tongue graft on screen -- he seemed to be thinking
"...and take that, all you who despise telly gardeners!"

I don't mean the make-over trash, which he wisely quit; though even
that made more sense when he was in charge.

--
Mike.

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:
The message .com
from contains these words:

Why were the ratings disappointing?

Missed it. Just a guess, but probably, some crazed maverick at the
BBC foolishly made a programme with some real gardeners in it, spending
a quiet afternoon down the lotty in non-designer wellies. With no
camera gimmicks, celebrities or interactive voting opportunities, it
was bound to fail.

Ah, I see those cynic seeds came up...

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone know more detail about what happened to the daily BBC2
programme called "The Big Dig" about allotments?

What? You've never heard of it?

And that's the problem.....

I saw it mentioned in the BBC's gardening magazine this month. The
start of a daily 1-hour program about growing veg on allotments.
Sounded great. I'd already missed the first week or two apparently, but
I set the video today to catch it. But when I got home, I discovered
that the programme had been replaced, with no explanation anywhere on
the BBC website.

A bit of digging (ho ho) online revealed a small snippet from the Daily
Telegraph reporting that the programme had been taken off-air because
of "disappointing ratings".

Why were the ratings disappointing? Would it by any chance be because
the prog seems to have had no publicity? Would it be that 3:30pm on
weekdays isn't a great time in any case?

So anyway, I never did get to see the programme and I suppose I never
will now.

Did anyone else catch it during its brief existence?

I saw one and was going to tape the rest..........won't be happening now
It was rather good - very down to earth (no pun intended!)
Did anyone tape the episode about sheds?
Jenny

The message
from martin contains these words:
On Tue, 25 Oct 2005 00:12:19 +0100, Janet Baraclough
wrote:
The message .com
from contains these words:

Why were the ratings disappointing?

Missed it. Just a guess, but probably, some crazed maverick at the
BBC foolishly made a programme with some real gardeners in it, spending
a quiet afternoon down the lotty in non-designer wellies. With no
camera gimmicks, celebrities or interactive voting opportunities, it
was bound to fail.

Was it shot on EE's Arfer's allotment?

*BANG!*

Drat!

That damn peasant again...

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from martin contains these words:

Cold, nasty, drizzly here in the northeastern U.S. today. Good day to stay
indoors and scheme for spring!

I'll trade 70 MPH winds in an abnormally mild Zuid Holland. 20degC
forecast for tomorrow.

Don't be too quick to trade - there's a hurricane moving up that way innit.

--
Rusty
horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com
from contains these words:




Why were the ratings disappointing?


Missed it. Just a guess, but probably, some crazed maverick at the
BBC foolishly made a programme with some real gardeners in it, spending
a quiet afternoon down the lotty in non-designer wellies. With no
camera gimmicks, celebrities or interactive voting opportunities, it
was bound to fail.

Janet

Serves them right for doing something right!

They could have at least tried those awful jolting sweeps and zooms of
the five-year old on his first "OB", then frame the person so half their
head is off the edge of frame.

Couldn't they have put several plants of differing types together in a
greenhouse then vote one out each week ?


Richard.