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Gardeners' Question Time

Related sites: Daphne Ledward, author and broadcaster: www.daphneledward.com/


GARDENERS' QUESTION TIME ARTICLE
I was interested to be contacted by Chris Hastings, reporter from 'The Mail on Sunday', on 15 September 2012. He was writing an article to celebrate 65 years of Gardeners' Question Time, due for publication the following day. I spent an hour locating and supplying some audio clips including one from the very first show back in 1947, two from the sixties, and one from the 25th anniversary programme of 1972. We also supplied programme details from the broadcast of 9 April 1947, and Daphne Ledward talked to Chris about her experiences on the show.

For GQT enthusiasts, the resulting article is reproduced here.

17 Sep 12


I am putting together an archive of Gardeners Question Time programmes. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has recorded these in the past. Perhaps the local gardening club had the team over to answer questions, and you recorded it. Is the reel of tape on your shelf, or in your loft? If so, I would like to hear from you. The BBC has virtually no complete GQT programmes in its archive, except those broadcast after the year 2000.

Please note I am not a member of the BBC, nor affiliated to it in any way.

Episodes located and archived are shown below. When I eventually get the time I'll put the remaining details about each programme: the panel members and the location of the broadcast. It's important that these recordings don't disappear. A surprising number of early broadcasts has surfaced.

If you'd like to swap or donate recordings, please email.

GARDENER'S QUESTION TIME BROADCASTS LOCATED:
09-04-47 With Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Tom Clark, Bob Stead, Dr. F.W.Sansome; brief extract
24-12-61 with Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell; Poulton-le-Moor, Lincs
16-12-62 With Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell
07-08-66 with Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell; studio edition
??..??.72 With Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell: part of 25th birthday edition
12.03.72 With Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell: Franklin Engelmann's last programme
??..??.74(?) With Fred Loads, Bill Sowerbutts, Alan Gemmell: Banwell, Somerset
05-12-82 Orleton Herts (..this batch 1982-3 from DL; many thanks)
09-05-82 Whickham
16-05-82 Etherley
22-08-82 Studio, Manchester
??-??-82 Chippenham
29-08-82 Studio, Leeds
??-??-83 Tewkesbury
??-??-83 Brooksby College
09-01-83 Burghclere nr. Newbury
16-01-83 correspondence edn - Bedford
??-??-83 Studio edition
??-??-83 St. Ives Cambs
??-??-83 St. Ives, another edition
05-01-83 Bedford
14.02.86 Woodley Horticultural Society, Berkshire
23.02.86 Bury St. Edmunds. Clay Jones, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward, Geoffrey Smith
30.03.86 Studio edition. Clay Jones.
06.04.86 Lancing, West Sussex
13.04.86 Melbourne, near Cambridge. With Clay Jones, Geoffrey Smith, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki
20.04.86 Studio edition: Clay Jones, Geoffrey Smith, Stefan Buczacki, Fred Downham
24.04.86 Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. Clay Jones as chairman.
04.05.86 Pickering & District Horticultural Society.
11.05.86 Studio edition. Clay Jones.
18.05.86 Knaresborough
15.06.86 Newport, Isle of Wight
22.06.86 Studio edition
29.06.86 Portsmouth and Hayling Island Gardening Societies
06.07.86 Bathampton
13.07.86 Isle of Man
20.07.86 Studio edition
27.07.86 Studio edition
14.09.86 Meaury, Devon
23.11.86
30.11.86 Studio edition
07.12.86 Norwich
11.01.87 Brimpsfield Mid-Cotswold Garden Society
18.01.87 Studio edition
04.01.87 Marlowe, Buckinghamshire
25.01.87 Malvern, Worcestershire
01.02.87 Grange Park, Enfield, London borough.
08.02.87 Studio edition
15.02.87 Croydon Allotment & Garden Society
22.02.87 Geoffrey Smith, Clay Jones, Stefan Buczacki, Fred Downham; Univ. of Liverpool and Ness, Wirral
29.02.87 Clay Jones, Geoffrey Smith, Fred Downham. Studio edition.
22.03.87 Studio edition
29.03.87 Birmingham and District Allotments Council
05.04.87 Old Palace, Hatfield, Herts
05.04.87 40th anniversary celebrity edition, separately sourced copy
12.04.87 Blewbery village produce Assn, Oxfordshire
19.04.87(?) Studio edition
26.04.87 Llandaff Horticultural Society
03.05.87 Bodenham Gardening Club, Hertfordshire
10.05.87 Hellingly Horticultural Society
11.05.87 Studio edition
14.06.87 Shropshire Horticultural Society, Shrewsbury
21.06.87 Flitwick Gardeners Association, Bedfordshire
28.06.87 Studio Edition
31.05.87 Northern Ideal Home Exhibition, Manchester
05.07.87 National Rose Society, St. Alban's, Herts.
17.06.90
01.07.90
19.08.90 Paris
26.08.90
09.09.90 Guernsey, Channel Isles
23.09.90 Holcombe, Devon
30.09.90
04.11.90
24.11.90 Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward, Clay Jones
02.12.90 Ashover, Derby. Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward, Clay Jones
16.12.90
23.12.90
06.01.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham
13.01.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham
21.01.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
26.01.91 Bottisham, Cambridge. Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
03.02.91 Sidcup. With Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Sue Phillipps
10.02.91 Studio edition. Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki.
19.02.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Sue Phillipps.
24.02.91 Oakham, Rutland. With Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward.
03.03.91 Studio edition, with Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
10.03.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
17.03.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Sue Phillipps
30.03.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Sue Phillipps
07.04.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
14.04.91 with Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
28.04.91
05.05.91 Fred Downham, Sue Phillipps, Stefan Buczacki
12.05.91 Fred Downham, Sue Phillipps, Stefan Buczacki
18.05.91
02.06.91
16.06.91 Clay Jones, Fred Downham, Stefan Buczacki, Daphne Ledward
24.11.91
09.02.92 Stefan Buczacki, Fred Downham, Bridget Moody
03.05.92 Studio edition: Fred Downham, Sue Phillipps, Stefan Buczacki
10.05.92
01.11.92 2000th episode,with Stefan Buczacki, Sue Phillipps, Daphne Ledward, Fred Downham
21.02.93
28.02.93 From Rothamstead Experimental Station
05.09.93 Clay Jones' last appearance on GQT
12.09.93 First programme with Stefan Buczacki as chairman
03.10.93
03.11.93
12.12.93 Greenmeadow Farm, Cwmbran
19.12.93 Studio edition: Stefan Buczacki, Fred Downham, Daphne Ledward, Walter Gilmore
16.01.94
13.02.94 Last programme with the old team: SB, FD, DL.
20.02.94 The first programme with Eric Robson as chairman
02.04.94 Classic Gardeners Forum: FD, SB et al moved to Classic FM
14.04.94 Classic Gardeners Forum
21.04.94 Classic Gardeners Forum - Minster Lovell, Oxfordshire
28.04.94 Classic Gardeners Forum: Harting, West Sussex
29.09.96 Leicester
07.04.97 Isle of Wight
17.09.00 Bob Flowerdew, Pippa Greenwood, John Cushnie, Eric Robson
24.09.00
29.10.00
12.04.98 Madeira: one hour special
14.06.98 Cork, Southern Ireland.
29.08.00
05.08.01
23.02.02 Colyton, Devon
30.11.03 Heligan - followed by a programme about Heligan gardens

Thanks for assistance from: Roger Bickerton, Gordon Burnett, Daphne Ledward, Keith Wickham, Keith Williams.

Nigel Deacon / Diversity website

All of the above known to exist in VRPCC collections

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