'The Big Allotment Challenge'

[bearded bloke]

Mrs.BB was somewhat amused by that post VC

[WPG]

Very funny clip VC!

[Potstubsdustbins]

Watched 10 minutes of the program and binned it.

Not you Binners not you.

Potty

[The Nichols']

I really didn't like it (and looking on the big allotment facebook page I'm not the only one). There was far too much "made for TV" stuff and not nearly enough what having an allotment is like.

In the first 3 minutes, one of the contestants was shown digging and said how preparing the soil was the most important part. Then it fast forwarded 15 weeks to show day and no spade was ever seen again.

Not only that but from what I understand, only one or two days a week were needed for filming. That means for the other 5 or 6 days someone else was looking after the plot. Weeding (because I didn't see a single weed), watering and doing general maintenance.

This show could have been so much better, so much more than it was. Instead, it literally is the Great British Bake Off but a few seconds of pulling the food out of the ground.

[Nicos]

I want some piggy poo-poo now!

Have to say I didn't enjoy the show at all. I'll try and watch it again in case it's only the first one which is (I considered ) rather lame.

[binley100]

What a waste of time..allotment challenge my arris. Can't see it improving much ....perhaps the producers need an intake of piggy poopoo as an aid to improvement

[Alison]

What a waste of time..allotment challenge my arris. Can't see it improving much ....perhaps the producers need an intake of piggy poopoo as an aid to improvement

But did you enjoy it then Bins?

[binley100]

Ermmmm........found it a bit meh...I'll probably give it another go next week to see if it gets any better or if they have to cope with a real challenge ie rabbits, vandals, gales etc oh and not forgetting the good ole snug population decimating everything. ?

[Currysniffa]

The take-offs have started already

Good old Garry Entropy

[bearded bloke]

The Guardian is less than impressed

There are already plenty of 'characters'

• Kate and Eleanor (who treated their allotment to the gift of llama poo)
• Alex and Ed (the worm fanatics)
• Harshani and Edd (who like yoga and to chant at their plants)
• Sally and Michelle (who like to garden while dressed as peak-era Lily Allen)
• Gary and Pete (who look like a hipster ZZ Top tribute act or an excessively depressive Proclaimers, depending on how kind you're feeling)
• Shirley and Victoria (who I'm pretty sure fully hate each other)

taken from ..... Six things we learned from The Big Allotment Challenge | Television & radio | theguardian.com

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Just watched it!

"The Great Allotment Challange"

Didn't do it for me!

Was nothing remotely like the endeavours and real life scenario's and real challenges proper "Allotmentering" brings with it!

Just another "Gimmicky" Lets lob a load a money at it TV production in my eyes!
(The reason I don't do telly)

But hey! They have money to lob!

I'll persist on the next one! But if no better, and I really don't have much hopes! If not!

[Nicos]

I think the thing which has struck me most is knowing how hard it is ( should be) to produce all those crops...and then to be chucked out in the first round cos you can't make jam etc etc before we've even got to know the peeps involved
Might have been better if the first 2 programmes had minor competitions as the allotments were being developed ( most unusual design/eco/bird scarer/scarecrow/recycling....etc) before someone got chucked out on a points system??

Bit too 'old school WI' for my liking!

Just a thought!

[Plot28 A&B]

I watched it expecting great things but now class it as a gameshow not a gardening show

Wasn't really real world allotmenting I mean where was:

- the I wouldn't do it like that expert who always turns up just as you've done it
- the sow a packet of last years out of date seeds and hope and hope that one comes up
- the I have a great plan of where things should be placed but now I have a gap at the end of the row I may as well bung in the extra couple of plants Fred gave me from plot 34
- the 'damn' the auto opener in the greenhouse did not open and now everything looks like it spent a month in Arizona
- the couch grass!
- the magpie that likes onions
and finally the - Ithought I could remember what I planted where but now wish I had labelled it!

......perhaps episode 2?

[Martin H]

I watched it just now on iplayer and quite enjoyed it.

I didn't think it was a very good programme and was surprised by how little gardening there was, but I found myself warming to the gardeners, so often out of their depth as they struggled to meet the various seemingly random, ill-thought-out challenges. I assume they were given a detailed brief on most of the challenges back in April so that they could research and practice their curd-making etc, but when they had an unexpected challenge such as creating a hand-tied bouquet they fared about as badly as I would have.

I did feel sorry for the exiting pair, okay they did rubbish but if I had to be judged in late June just on the appearance of my radishes and sweet peas I think I'd be in trouble as well.

I was very impressed by the quality and variety of the flowers that all the gardeners were able to deploy in their bouquets, even though the judges completely ignored that aspect. I'm wondering if maybe some of that material was brought in from the local florist?

I'll watch next week. Possibly from behind the sofa.

[Bill HH]

It wasn't lemon curd Bill, it was fruit curd. Someone used blueberries, and another used rhubarb. Can't remember the others.

Ok but equaly Rhubarb and blueberries are going to take more than 15 weeks to produce a crop.