Gardeners' Question Time
Encyclopedia
Gardeners' Question Time is a long-running BBC Radio 4
programme in which amateur gardeners
can put questions to a panel of experts.
on 9 April 1947. Originally named How Does Your Garden Grow? it was inspired by the wartime Dig For Victory
campaign. On the first panel were Bill Sowerbutts
, Fred Loads, Tom Clark and Dr E.W.Sansome.
Professor Alan Gemmell joined Loads and Sowerbutts in 1950 when their contrasting styles (Professor, Traditional Head gardener and Commercial Grower) added an entertainment element. The successful format allowed it to broadcast nationally from 1957 in the light entertainment slot on Sunday afternoons. The programme marked its 1000th edition in 1972, though the occasion was overshadowed by the death of long-serving chairman Franklin Engelmann
just days earlier.
The format and panel were largely unchanged for many years. In 1994 the complete panel left the BBC and they moved to the new Classic FM
station on a short-term contract as Classic Gardening Forum with sponsorship by The Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society
. In 2009 the production of the show was taken over by the UK's largest independent radio production company Somethin' Else
. In December 2009 panellist John Cushnie
died suddenly. The current production team are Senior Producer Lucy Dichmont, Producer Howard Shannon and Assistant Producer Amy Racs. The programme's audience figures continues to perform strongly as confirmed by the official audience measurement body, RAJAR.
or northern France
. There are also regular editions in which the panel answer questions sent in by post
or email
. These editions are recorded in a specially adapted potting shed at Sparsholt College near Sparsholt
, Winchester; where the regular panel members also maintain a small demonstration garden, curated by Rosie Yeomans.
Since 2001, GQT factsheets have been made available after each episode covering all questions and their answers given.
In July 2009 publication of the programme as podcast has commenced.
with regular deputisations from Peter Gibbs
. Current panelists include: Matthew Wilson
, Chris Beardshaw
, Matthew Biggs
, Bob Flowerdew
, Pippa Greenwood
, Bunny Guinness
, Anne Swithinbank
, Christine Walkden
.
Past participants have included John Cushnie, Dr Stefan Buczacki
, David Burges, Fred Downham, Professor Alan Gemmell, Walter Gilmore, Jill Hicking, Clay Jones
, Nigel Colborn
, Daphne Ledward
, Fred Loads, Bridget Moody, Martin Fish, David Jones, Sue Phillipps, Geoffrey Smith
, Sid Robertson, Bill Sowerbutts
Past Chairmen were Bob Stead, Franklin Engelmann
, Michael Barratt, Steve Race
, Ken Ford, Les Cottingham, Clay Jones
, Stefan Buczacki
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme in which amateur gardeners
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
can put questions to a panel of experts.
History
The first programme was broadcast from the 'Singing Room' at the Broadoak Hotel, Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
on 9 April 1947. Originally named How Does Your Garden Grow? it was inspired by the wartime Dig For Victory
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
campaign. On the first panel were Bill Sowerbutts
Bill Sowerbutts
William Edmund Sowerbutts, better known as Bill Sowerbutts, was a panellist on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners Question Time....
, Fred Loads, Tom Clark and Dr E.W.Sansome.
Professor Alan Gemmell joined Loads and Sowerbutts in 1950 when their contrasting styles (Professor, Traditional Head gardener and Commercial Grower) added an entertainment element. The successful format allowed it to broadcast nationally from 1957 in the light entertainment slot on Sunday afternoons. The programme marked its 1000th edition in 1972, though the occasion was overshadowed by the death of long-serving chairman Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann was a radio personality popular in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, nicknamed "Jingle". He was best known for hosting Down Your Way , Gardeners' Question Time and the quiz show What Do You Know?, which later became Brain of Britain. In 1955 he was also the original host of Pick...
just days earlier.
The format and panel were largely unchanged for many years. In 1994 the complete panel left the BBC and they moved to the new Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
station on a short-term contract as Classic Gardening Forum with sponsorship by The Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society
Building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...
. In 2009 the production of the show was taken over by the UK's largest independent radio production company Somethin' Else
Somethin' Else Sound Directions Ltd.
Somethin' Else is a content design and creation company. They specialise in content across, games, interactivity, radio, TV, branded content and talent management....
. In December 2009 panellist John Cushnie
John Cushnie
John Cushnie was a gardener and broadcaster in the United Kingdom.Born in Lurgan, County Armagh, he was best known as a regular panellist for 15 years on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, Gardener's Question Time...
died suddenly. The current production team are Senior Producer Lucy Dichmont, Producer Howard Shannon and Assistant Producer Amy Racs. The programme's audience figures continues to perform strongly as confirmed by the official audience measurement body, RAJAR.
Format
The programme typically comes from a village hall or other public venue somewhere in Britain, or occasionally further afield, such as in the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
or northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There are also regular editions in which the panel answer questions sent in by post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
or email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
. These editions are recorded in a specially adapted potting shed at Sparsholt College near Sparsholt
Sparsholt, Hampshire
Sparsholt is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. The village lies to the west of Winchester, and has a population of 967.Sparsholt College, a leading land-based college and home to the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time 'potting shed', is located on the outskirts of the village. The...
, Winchester; where the regular panel members also maintain a small demonstration garden, curated by Rosie Yeomans.
Since 2001, GQT factsheets have been made available after each episode covering all questions and their answers given.
In July 2009 publication of the programme as podcast has commenced.
Panelists
The current chairman is Eric RobsonEric Robson
Eric Robson, born in Scotland, is a television broadcaster, author and documentary film maker who has lived for most of his life in Cumbria, where he has a sheep farm.-Career:...
with regular deputisations from Peter Gibbs
Peter Gibbs
Peter Gibbs is a BBC Weather forecaster, who appears regularly on BBC News, BBC World News and BBC Radio, particularly BBC Radio Four. He has previously worked on the BBC News at One, BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten and BBC Breakfast....
. Current panelists include: Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson
Matthew Wilson is an English rally driver from Cockermouth in Cumbria. He is the son of M-Sport boss and former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson. Wilson currently competes in the World Rally Championship for the Stobart M-Sport Ford team...
, Chris Beardshaw
Chris Beardshaw
Chris Beardshaw is an award winning UK gardener who is perhaps best known for his work on the BBC's long running television series Gardeners World. He is formally trained and holds an MA in Landscape Architecture from the University of Gloucestershire...
, Matthew Biggs
Matthew Biggs
Matthew Biggs, is a radio personality in the UK, best known for his appearances on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners' Question Time. He has been a professional gardener for over 20 years, since studying at Pershore College of Horticulture and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. His first...
, Bob Flowerdew
Bob Flowerdew
Bob Flowerdew is an organic gardener, and television and radio presenter. He is a regular panel member of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time. He has nearly an acre of garden in Dickleburgh, Norfolk, England, where he lives with his wife, Vonetta, a care worker, and their twins, Italia and...
, Pippa Greenwood
Pippa Greenwood
Pippa Greenwood is a British plant pathologist. She appears frequently on the BBC's long running Gardeners World television programme and has been a regular panelist on Gardeners' Question Time on BBC Radio 4 since 1994....
, Bunny Guinness
Bunny Guinness
Bunny Guinness is a chartered landscape architect, journalist and radio personality who is a regular panellist on the long running BBC Radio 4 programme, Gardener's Question Time. She also writes a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph...
, Anne Swithinbank
Anne Swithinbank
Anne Swithinbank is a trained horticulturist, freelance gardening broadcaster and writer. She trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew Gardens and was Glasshouse Supervisor at the Royal Hortcultural Society's garden at Wisley, Surrey.She is known for being a regular panellist on Gardeners'...
, Christine Walkden
Christine Walkden
Christine Helen Walkden is a British television presenter and gardener, best known for her appearances on gardening programmes and The One Show...
.
Past participants have included John Cushnie, Dr Stefan Buczacki
Stefan Buczacki
Dr. Stefan T. Buczacki is a British horticulturist, broadcaster and author.After growing up in Duffield, Derbyshire, where he was educated at The Ecclesbourne School, he gained a first-class honours degree in botany at Southampton University, and a D.Phil...
, David Burges, Fred Downham, Professor Alan Gemmell, Walter Gilmore, Jill Hicking, Clay Jones
Clay Jones
Clay Jones, , was a horticulturist and broadcaster best known as the Chairman of the BBC Radio 4 programme Gardener's Question Time....
, Nigel Colborn
Nigel Colborn
Nigel Colborn is a British TV presenter and gardening expert/writer. He is a former presenter of the long running BBC Gardeners World. He is often a panelist on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time and is a regular presenter of Granada TV’s Gorgeous Gardens....
, Daphne Ledward
Daphne Ledward
-Early life:She was born in Bradford in West Yorkshire. At the age of three she moved to Essex. Her parents separated and she moved with her mother to south Lincolnshire. She attended Stamford High School, then a direct grant grammar school. She left at the end of her lower sixth. She had...
, Fred Loads, Bridget Moody, Martin Fish, David Jones, Sue Phillipps, Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith (gardener)
Geoffrey Denis Smith was a professional gardener, broadcaster, writer and lecturer. He was the presenter of Gardeners World from 1980 to 1982 and a number of other BBC series in the early 80s including Geoffrey Smith's World of Flowers, Mr Smith’s Flower Garden, Mr Smith's Favourite Garden and Mr...
, Sid Robertson, Bill Sowerbutts
Bill Sowerbutts
William Edmund Sowerbutts, better known as Bill Sowerbutts, was a panellist on the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme Gardeners Question Time....
Past Chairmen were Bob Stead, Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann was a radio personality popular in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, nicknamed "Jingle". He was best known for hosting Down Your Way , Gardeners' Question Time and the quiz show What Do You Know?, which later became Brain of Britain. In 1955 he was also the original host of Pick...
, Michael Barratt, Steve Race
Steve Race
Stephen Russell Race OBE was a British composer, pianist and radio and television presenter.-Biography:Born in Lincoln, the son of a lawyer, Race learned the piano from the age of five...
, Ken Ford, Les Cottingham, Clay Jones
Clay Jones
Clay Jones, , was a horticulturist and broadcaster best known as the Chairman of the BBC Radio 4 programme Gardener's Question Time....
, Stefan Buczacki
Stefan Buczacki
Dr. Stefan T. Buczacki is a British horticulturist, broadcaster and author.After growing up in Duffield, Derbyshire, where he was educated at The Ecclesbourne School, he gained a first-class honours degree in botany at Southampton University, and a D.Phil...