Nigel Colborn – What Was Pebble Mill?

Gardeners’ World – Lavender July 1990

The photo is from the Radio Times, July 1990, and is of me (Vanessa Jackson) in a Norfolk lavender farm, with some expert, whose name I forget! I was a researcher on Gardeners’ World at the time, and I couldn’t understand why the Radio Times wanted a photo of me, with the expert, rather than one of the presenters, especially as I was at least seven months pregnant at the time!

This was shortly before the series was handed over to Catalyst Television, and produced independently for 10 years.

Here is the Radio Times entry for the episode, courtesy of the BBC Genome project: http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3d4dfe567db54f5d9544599bfd5a5728

“A visit to Dr Stefan Buczacki ‘s low-maintenance garden in Stratford-on-Avon; the lowdown on lavender, the sweet-smelling herb for edging and hedging; jobs for the week from Barnsdale; and a report on the mail-order bugs business – breeding predators and parasites to prey on white fly and other garden pests. With Geoff Hamilton , Nigel Colborn and Pippa Greenwood. Executive producer Stephanie Silk, Editor Dennis Adams
Plant list on Ceefax page 617. “

Gardener of the Year 1999 – Vanessa Jackson

Photos by Vanessa Jackson, no reproduction without permission.

These photos were taken on location shoots for the heats of the ‘Gardener of the Year’ competition in late spring 1999. They show gardening expert Nigel Colborn interviewing contributors, and visiting their gardens.

The ‘Gardener of the Year’ competition began in 1999. It comprised of regional heats, which were held at the Botanical Gardens of Wales, and then a Final which was held at the Earth Centre in Doncaster. The regional heats included question rounds on a specialist subject, a general knowledge gardening round, as well as skills tests, and a visit to the shortlisted candidates’ gardens. The judges included Nigel Colborn, Adam Pasco and Ali Ward. The series was presented by Alan Titchmarsh.

I was the series producer of the competition in its first year. Subsequently the regional heats were dropped, but the Final, which included designing and building a show garden remained for the next ten years.Roger Casstles was the executive producer.

The competition was transmitted on BBC 2 in the Gardeners’ World Friday night slot in the run up to Christmas.

Vanessa Jackson

Gardeners’ World – photos by Gail Herbert

Photos by Gail Herbert, no reproduction without permission.

The photos are of ‘Gardeners’ World’ shoots from around 1989. This was just after the programme moved to single camera production, instead of a two camera outside broadcast.

The first includes (left to right) presenter Nigel Colborn, director Annette Martin, PA Gail Herbert, sound Paul Taylor.

The second photo is taken at Barnsdale, presenter Geoff Hamilton’s garden, and main location of the popular series in the 1980s. It shows Geoff recording a piece to camera in the snow.