Beechgrove (TV series) explained

Alt Name:The Beechgrove Gardens, The Beechgrove Garden
Runtime:28 minutes
Creator:BBC Scotland
Country:United Kingdom (Scotland)
Language:English
Network:BBC Scotland
BBC Two Scotland
BBC One Scotland
Last Aired:present
Producer:Tern Television

Beechgrove (formerly known as The Beechgrove Garden) is a television gardening programme broadcast since 1978 on BBC Scotland. Over the years it has been broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC One Scotland, BBC Two Scotland and Britbox.

History

Beechgrove is a gardening programme, which started on 14 April 1978. It was inspired by the garden behind the home of WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, named the Victory Garden.[1] The original plot of land used was the small area of garden attached to the BBC studios in Beechgrove Terrace, Aberdeen. Due to its small size, the programme's popularity and the fact the garden had been transformed several times over, a new area of ground to the west of Aberdeen was acquired for the programme by Tern Television who have produced the series since 1992. The new site covers 2.5 acres and is located at the former Grampian Regional Council Brotherfield Nursery,[2] [3] in Westhill, Aberdeenshire.[4] Episodes were broadcast from the site in 1996.[3] In June 1983, the 100th show was broadcast.[2]

Since the 1980s, The Beechgrove Garden has been shown intermittently on the BBC across the UK usually in a non-prime time slot; however, since 2021 it has been shown on BBC 2 in a prime Friday night slot.[5] Since 2013 The Beechgrove Garden has been broadcast in the rest of the UK,[6] usually early on a Sunday morning slot.[7]

In 1990, the garden was redeveloped, which meant uprooting everything and starting again. It caused an outcry from the press and public, but it went ahead and led to a public auction for keepsake plants from The Beechgrove.[1] Six years later, when the garden moved from its original home to an exposed, rural hillside on the outskirts of Aberdeen.[1]

The 1,000th episode was filmed in May 2016.[8] During the 2020 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, the presenters filmed episodes from their own gardens. George Anderson was filming in his home in Joppa, Edinburgh. Kirsty Wilson was presenting from her flat in Edinburgh, Brian Cunningham was in his garden in Scone and Carole Baxter will film from her garden in Aberdeenshire.[9] 2022 was the 30th year of production company, 'Tern' producing Beechgrove for BBC Scotland.[7]

Theme

The theme tune for the show is the jig "Miss Tara MacAdam", written by Phil Cunningham.[10] This replaced the show's original theme tune, "Sponge".[1]

Presenters

The current presenters are:

Previous presenters on the programme included:

Programme side-shoots

Hit Squad

In 1992, The Hit Squad with Jim McKirdy and Walter Gilmour was launched. [2]

Beechgrove Repotted

Beechgrove Repotted is one of Beechgrove's side-shoots.[27] Repotted is a 2019 series of reversions that have been moulded to form a series of programmes which all explore a specific gardening theme. Themes include:

The Beechgrove Potting Shed

A sister programme, The Beechgrove Potting Shed, was broadcast weekly on BBC Radio Scotland between 1978 and 2012. Presented in its latter years by Theresa Talbot, it was axed as part of a cost-cutting measure by the station.[28]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Scougall . Murray . Garden parties as Beechgrove hits 40: Birthday bash for a show that's still bursting with life . 30 September 2022 . The Sunday Post . 12 August 2018.
  2. News: English. Paul. GROWING PAINS; TV legend Jim McColl takes a swipe at new-fangled shows as Beechgrove Garden celebrates 30 years. 18 March 2018. The Daily Record. 2 April 2008.
  3. News: Beechgrove Garden digs in to its new plot. 18 March 2018. The Herald. 12 March 1996.
  4. News: Down to earth evergreens. 18 March 2018. The Scotsman. 22 March 2003.
  5. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001qj1t
  6. News: Beechgrove and Beardshaw - a winning combination for gardening TV?. 1 May 2015. The Guardian. 7 February 2013.
  7. News: Porter . David . Beechgrove returns to bloom even bigger in 2022 . 30 September 2022 . Grampian Online . 23 March 2022 . en.
  8. Web site: Blooming Beechgrove. 3 May 2016. 3 May 2016 . trendmagazine.co.uk. 18 March 2018.
  9. News: Scougall . Murray . With the famous Beechgrove Garden in lockdown, presenters are preparing to broadcast from their homes . 30 September 2022 . The Sunday Post . 13 April 2020.
  10. News: Docherty. Gavin. Beechgrove Garden's Jim is a TV perennial. 1 May 2015. Daily Express. 6 February 2013.
  11. Web site: The two of us: Jim McColl and Carole Baxter. Stewart. Helen. 22 June 2008. The Sunday Times. 5 May 2010.
  12. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: Carole Baxter . Beechgrove.co.uk . 2016-04-22.
  13. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: George Anderson . Beechgrove.co.uk . 2016-04-22.
  14. Web site: Media Release: Scone Palace's head gardener showcases The Douglas Trail on Beechgrove Garden - allmediascotland…media jobs, media release service and media resources for all . www.allmediascotland.com . 30 September 2022.
  15. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: Brian Cunningham.
  16. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: Kirsty Wilson.
  17. Web site: Alex. Michael. er. New BBC Beechgrove star Calum Clunie from Fife thanks his grandparents for his gardening bug roots. 2021-10-11. The Courier. 24 April 2021 . en-GB.
  18. Web site: Fife allotment holder to be regular on BBC Scotland's Beechgrove. 2021-10-11. www.fifetoday.co.uk. en.
  19. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: Calum Clunie. 2021-10-11. www.beechgrove.co.uk.
  20. Web site: Smith . Scott . 23 May 2023 . Press and Journal: Gardening with Scott Smith . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230524070249/https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/5741269/scott-smith-what-weve-been-up-to-in-the-beechgrove-garden/ . 24 May 2023 . 10 August 2023 . www.pressandjournal.co.uk.
  21. News: First episode of The Beechgrove Garden - Sunday Post 100. 2015-10-01. Sunday Post 100 - Scotland's Iconic Moments. 2018-02-25. en-US.
  22. Web site: The Beechgrove Garden: Jim McColl . Beechgrove.co.uk . 2016-04-22.
  23. News: Beechgrove Garden presenter Jim McColl retires after 40 years . BBC News . 18 April 2019 . 2019-04-18.
  24. News: Walls. Sandra. Former Beechgrove man Walter opens new walled garden in Strathaven. 18 March 2018. The Daily Record. 5 June 2008.
  25. News: Swarbrick. Susan. After 33 years the Beechcroft Garden's success still bloom. 18 March 2018. The Herald. 30 March 2011.
  26. Web site: Appleby. Matthew. Chris Beardshaw joins BBC Beechgrove Garden. 4 February 2013. hortweek.com. 18 March 2018.
  27. Web site: BBC Scotland - Beechgrove, Beechgrove Repotted. 2021-10-11. BBC. en-GB.
  28. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/beechgroves-mccoll-angry-as-radio-show-axed.19058309 "Beechgrove's McColl angry as radio show axed"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Beechgrove (TV series)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.