Talkback: Monty Don - Page 15

Whar a wonderful time of year - I can see some of my survivors in the garden coming through. Trouble is I can not look forward to GW ever again now you have gone and put Monty back. I loved it with Toby and Alys. Why Monty? he is so old fashioned and really very dull. I did not enjoy him last time so why have you spoiled a good GW and made it all bad again?

I have just heard the terrible news! I was just saying that I was looking forward to Gardeners World returning as it had improved greatly over the last year after the dumbing down which had occurred over the last few years with Monty et al (and during the first year of Toby's tenure). Then I was told the bombshell that GW is going back to the personality over substance format. I have nothing against Monty as a person (and he obviously has a number of very good friends/fans willing to keep his numbers up in this blog - evidenced by the many short but gushing praises without substance appearing with clockwork regularity when the opposite view starts to look too dominant). YES IT IS OBVIOUS. However, he is a presenter first and not a professional gardener. Although his presenting style is not to my taste either. Toby, on the other hand was obviously properly trained and knew his stuff. He reminded me of my hero Geoff Hamilton (like a lot of other posters here I see) - the man who fired up a gardening enthusiasm in me in my early twenty's which continues to this day in my late forties. The BBC is supposed to cater for all viewers and not just the lowest common denominator who might be interested in style over substance. GW is supposed to be for gardeners not for fans of this or that presenter. As has been mentioned elsewhere, why not create an additional prog for Monty to do his thing but leave GW to the real gardeners like Toby. If the reduction in numbers of viewers for Toby's show is to be believed, I can only put it down to the lack of priority given to the programme which disappointingly was taken off too regularly to make way for sports, etc. And why was there no repeats shown of the prog? Much more boring shows were repeated but not GW. Also, I am wondering if the production team is using Toby as the fall guy for their own incommpetence. There have been gimmicky scenes and overly matey behaviour which have obviously been production ideas and have not worked, yet when Toby settled down to impart some of his wisdom, his knowledge and comfortable friendly presentation shone through. I do hope the BBC sees sense and returns Toby to GW but I fear vested interests and the attitude that they don't make mistakes will ensure this does not happen. Shame! Violet

I reckon Violet has hit the nail on the head. Toby is a very good gardener and teacher. the production tea loused everything up and have tried to put him in the wrong. Well the viewing public are not so stupid. Neither are we so dumb that we can't see that bringing back a minor celeb, who is actually not a trained gardener, is their way to "rescue" the GW they mucked up. If Toby had been allowed to get on with it he would have carried on showing us all how much he was in line with Geoff Hamilton. It was beginning to shine through and then they do this.A huge shame and it is like missing a friend. Hope we see Toby again soon. Would it not be a good idea to sack the production team/editors and just start again.Let Toby show us real gardens and show us his obvious expertise. I'd watch that. I will not be watching GW this coming season and i hope the BBC realise what a daft thing they have allowed to happen.

I meant team not tea! Still maybe this was all a result of the production team not having enough tea and all getting drunk down the pub and coming up with crazy ideas.

This is such a shame. I have just got into gardening and my Dad and I loved to watch Toby and Alys.He is no fan of Montys and I find him just over the top dull so Dad and I will not be enjoying GW with a glass of wine on Fridays. Dad knows a lot about gardening so I can learn from him but you have wrecked a good night for us.And I guess you have treated Toby very badly in favour of giving Monty another go at driving the fans away. Well done BBC.

AAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!! Not him again. Bring back the lovely Toby. How can the BBC expect me to watch Monty ?

I am delighted that Monty Don is returning. I stopped watching GW with Toby and Alys. I'm sure they're both really nice people but not for presenting GW. It really was boring and non inspiring. I've always enjoyed MD's gardening style both in books and on TV. His knowledge and ideas are super but it's the fact that he has never lost his sense of wonder and appreciation of the growth of plants however small.Wishing you all well Sue Germany

It seems the right way for Gardener's World to go. I've long admired Monty's Garden through his books and look forward to seeing it on the screen. I will miss Alys Fowler though......

I adored Toby - he was so inspirational to me setting up my new garden when I moved last year. I have seen Monty before with my Mum and i know he is just so not for me.Even my Mum said Toby is better. So I think this is a rubbish move. Is Toby going to be on some other channel? I liked Alys too and I hear she is on ITV. I will hang on to see Toby again .

Oh no please please no!! I am so sorry he is coming back. He isn't a gardener!! Thats me finished with GW I only came back when he went last time.

I find this hard to take. BBC GW was getting so much better - so why have they taking the wrecking ball to it? If Monty did a presentation in my unit he would be given the push. Toby knew what he was talking about with none of the waffle.

Why did the BBC see fit to inflict Monty on us? I would be happier watching fish rot than see him pretenting to garden. I will hope to see Toby back soon.

Won't be watching Gardeners World anymore, very disapointed with Monty at the helm. He is not a trained gardener and you can tell. I've actually been told by my local garden nurseries, that i am getting some stuff wrong when i quote it to them re plants, as a result of what i have quoted to them from Monty, which is a bit scarey. He is in a position of "teaching" for heavens sake for all us Friday night Gardeners World viewers. I'm sticking to my Alan Titchmarsh and Chris Beardshaw books & dvd's, and Carol Klein t.v. specials from now-on. Plus you can actually follow their instruction, Monty is so pro veggie/organic there's hardly anything else sometimes anyway.

I will not be watching Monty. Why would I wish to be spoken at by someone who has not been trained in the subject? I know lots of very good amateur gardeners that I have great respect for but none of them would go on TV and pretend to garden like Monty. I really liked Toby. I have just enjoyed watching some of his GWs I ahd recorded and it reminded me how much i could learn from him. I learnt nothing of any worth from Monty and I can not work out why the BBC have put Monty back.Toby is a gardener Monty is a mere showman.I will not be watching again. I will stick to my recordings until they bring him back.

I shall be pleased to see Monty back on GW. He is a passionate gardener, even though he may not be "trained" - as so many people have commented. So he makes mistakes? All gardeners do, professional and otherwise, that's how you learn. Personally, I admire his organic approach to the whole garden. As he's pointed out many times, there's no point in only growing your veg organically whilst spraying everywhere else, a garden is a holistic thing. However, having said that, I was beginning to warm to Toby. The first year that he fronted GW, I was appalled and thought I'd tuned into a (poor quality) children's gardening programme by mistake. This was not Toby's fault, it was undoubtedly the production team trying to make GW more "modern" and "fun". Nauseating. The following year, when Toby was allowed, it seemed, to do things in his own way, there was a vast improvement and he seemed to blossom. So, good to have Monty again, but I feel that Toby has been very shabbily treated. I shall miss Alys as well.

I will miss all the good advice from Toby - shame the BBC did not ask the viewers if they wanted Monty back - seems most do not. I reckon it is important for a frontsman on GW to be a trained gardener - all the others have been.We are being fobbed off with a celeb not a knowledgable gardener. I agree that passion is impotant but it is also very important that someone on Tv should be giving proper information.TV cooks would not get away with the sort of misinformation that Monty so often spouts.We often fell about laughing at some of the stuff he said - that is bad in a programme that reckons to give information. The BBC have treated Toby in an outrageous manner and someone deserves to be made to account for this. I will be another of the folks reaching for the off switch when GW returns as it will be a waste of time.

I have cancelled my Gardeners World subscription-i feel that says it all!

Me too mia and I will not be watching GW again. Toby is a good bloke and they wou;d not let what I think about monty stay on the blog so nuf said.

Thank goodness - Monty's back! I was so sorry when he had to step down through ill health. I didn't really take to Toby - nice man with some down to earth knowledge but he somehow didn't quite click although he was growing on me a little. I wish him luck in his next venture! I'm glad Alys won't be presenting - she's a little too twee for my taste and I didn't like her whining voice! I wish her well in whatever she does next! To me, Rachel de Thame is like the Katie Price of gardening - all media exposure and very little substance! Apart from annually wafting about the flower tent at Chelsea, has anyone seen her actually gardening? I'm really glad Carol and Joe are still on board - both offer such a wealth of experience and knowledge, I always gain useful tips from them. I'm so excited - I can't wait to see the new series! Well done BBC!

Just read my radio Times - just how smug can a bloke be? I will not be watching Monty and i am so cross that Toby has gone. monty is very dull, very smug and grows far too many veg. he is also not a good gardener so I'm not going to be wasting my Friday nights shouting at the telly when he gets it all wrong again.