The Great Garden Challenge (2)
Contents |
Host
Nicki Chapman and Diarmuid Gavin
Co-hosts
Judges: Carol Klein and Mark Gregory
Broadcast
Crackit Productions for Channel 5, 2 July to 6 August 2019 (6 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Two teams of designers are given one unloved space, 48 hours, and some resources. The aim: make a garden for the local community.
The winners come back for the semi-finals and finals, with the winners entered into the Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious Garden Exhibition at Wisley.
Thyme for planting.The format is quite simple: two teams, adjacent plots, and two days to make the best you can of it. The teams have had a couple of weeks to work on their design, they've ordered in the plants and materials, and have some labourers to help with the heavy lifting.
Diarmuid and Nicki will ask what's going on, and point out how the designs are changing as time progresses. Of all things, we're reminded of Scrapheap Challenge, how the show would build up to a big conclusion when they put the machines to the test.
Judges and hosts: Mark Gregory, Carol Klein, Nicki Chapman, Diarmuid Gavin.The Great Garden Challenge also features judges, who arrive near the end of the second day. Mark and Carol judge on "industry standards" - the overall design, planting, the hard landscaping, and whether they've met the brief. The better garden takes its designers through to the next round.
Unusually, this show runs in a slot of 75 minutes, bringing to mind arrangements for The Great British Bake Off. To be honest, the programme didn't use the extra time to much advantage, the story could be told more briefly and concisely.
But there's very little wrong with The Great Garden Challenge. Good works for the community, quality gardens on show, a televisual race against the clock, and - perhaps - inspiration for people who are planning gardens of their own.
Trivia
Billed in some places as The Great Gardening Challenge.
