Last Words from Owen- Executive Producer
Post categories: Louise Danks
| 14:48 UK time, Saturday, 24 May 2008
Our executive producer Owen Gay sums up our Chelsea experience;
"Well, it's nearly over...the best week of the year. A party atmosphere has descended on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ compound. With just one programme left to complete, many of the crew were scheduled a well-deserved day off, but they've all turned up today anyway. No one wants to miss the last day at Chelsea.
Everyone has had plenty to work on nevertheless. As usual the production team has created a dozen show gardens of their own behind the scenes in our compound. Alan, Joe and Andy judged them at lunchtime and the teams are eagerly awaiting the announcement later this evening of our 'Best in Show'.
The standard has just got better and better. Everyone writes their own brief...though some of the sentiments expressed in them are unrepeatable in this blog! One of my favourites is The Sound Engineers' Garden. MOSS (Moist Organic Seeping Station). It comes complete - appropriately enough - with the sound of birdsong. Modelled on "The Green Door" it has a moss-covered green wall and fountain. The original urban garden was Nicki's favourite small garden and its designer, Kazuyuki Ishihara entered his own garden - exempt from voting - in our backstage competition. "A Garden for Nicky" was delivered on a tea-tray.
Saturday is bitter-sweet too. The final two-minute music montage on tonight's show is a tear-jerker but sums up the sadness we're feeling too. Chelsea is an incomparable working week. We're exhausted but so privileged to have had a chance to put up temporary residence at the greatest flower show on Earth."
The standard has just got better and better. Everyone writes their own brief...though some of the sentiments expressed in them are unrepeatable in this blog! One of my favourites is The Sound Engineers' Garden. MOSS (Moist Organic Seeping Station). It comes complete - appropriately enough - with the sound of birdsong. Modelled on "The Green Door" it has a moss-covered green wall and fountain. The original urban garden was Nicki's favourite small garden and its designer, Kazuyuki Ishihara entered his own garden - exempt from voting - in our backstage competition. "A Garden for Nicky" was delivered on a tea-tray.
Saturday is bitter-sweet too. The final two-minute music montage on tonight's show is a tear-jerker but sums up the sadness we're feeling too. Chelsea is an incomparable working week. We're exhausted but so privileged to have had a chance to put up temporary residence at the greatest flower show on Earth."
Comment number 1.
At 24th May 2008, TChrisG wrote:Congratulations to Owen and the whole team. You have provided a series which should win a Gold for the Best Show!
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Comment number 2.
At 25th May 2008, Josquine wrote:Another wonderful week, thank you so much to everyone concerned.
Next year, I wonder could you review two things please?
1. The background music. I'm sure a great deal of thought is given to this, but when it's well-known classical music, with enormous themes, it can really distract the brain from the visuals, which are the main point after all. Fauré's Requiem in Jamaica?!!!
2. Full picture views. Sometimes it is frustrating not to be able to see the whole garden, or display as a whole, at some point in its presentation. The most outstanding example of this difficulty was for me the Alpine garden. Both earlier on in the week, and then again yesteday, we did see the whole thing - but almost entirely blocked by human beings. Likewise, the ladies from Kent and their display. Please, you are the only possibility we have of seeing these exhibits and gardens, do give us a chance to 'step back' as well as admire the detail!
Can't wait for the next show!
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Comment number 3.
At 25th May 2008, amazingshadowfax wrote:"Saturday is bitter-sweet too. The final two-minute music montage on tonight's show is a tear-jerker but sums up the sadness we're feeling too"
It would have been even better if you had told us what the music was and who by?
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Comment number 4.
At 25th May 2008, anne_wareham wrote:Could we have a little less breathless enthusiasm next year and maybe some genuinely critcal comment - about the show gardens especially?
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Comment number 5.
At 25th May 2008, amazingshadowfax wrote:Can anyone tell me what the music was that was played at the end of the show?
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Comment number 6.
At 25th May 2008, newbarbara wrote:I enjoyed the tv coverage but would agree with other viewers that it would be useful to see a bit more of the big picture. Many of us are already keen gardeners who know what various plants look like but what really interests me at chelsea is the juxtaposition of different plants, the whole planting scheme, the design of the whole garden/courtyard/window box/floral arrangement. Close ups are great but please stand back and please stand still for a moment so that we can take it in!
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Comment number 7.
At 25th May 2008, akajayneb wrote:Amazingshadowfax
Your answer at last - been trying to find it all day! Thanks to my father the song is 'The love inside'by Barbra Streisand.
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Comment number 8.
At 26th May 2008, spookydreamerboo wrote:I always look forward to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s coverage of Chelsea but felt it lacked something this year. anne_wareham's comment was spot on. I found myself unable to watch the daytime shows because of Chris Collins talking rubbish, was he just saying the first thing that crossed his mind? Coverage of the show gardens both large and small was more like snippets, I also feel that as a gardener I was left high and dry wanting to see more detail. As newbarbara commented above, give us a view and time to take it all in, slap the hand that tries to move the camera too quick, and it's not TOTP so don't keep cutting and fading like it's a pop video wannabe. Now don't go getting all huffy, for in the main the evening shows were wonderful, the end montages sometimes almost drew a tear with the evocative music, and Alan, Joe, and Carol were a dream team. As for the actual Chelsea show itself, vintage year they kept saying, but where was the WOW factor, where were the giant wooden ribbons, even Diarmuid Gavin played it safe.
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Comment number 9.
At 26th May 2008, amazingshadowfax wrote:akajayneb.
Thank you very much.
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Comment number 10.
At 26th May 2008, hersopmaj wrote:Amazingshadowfax wrote that he would like the name of the music at the end of Chelsea. I completely agree, not only because it was movingly beautiful, but as a professional singer it is the sort of song that I could sing, surely, legalities about performers rights also mean that there should have been an acknowledgement in the credits. I once sang a solo on Songs of Praise and my name appeared in the credits.
The show from beginning to end was excellent, I agree with other viewers that I would rather have seen more about the show itself than visits to other people's gardens, surely, it would have been more sensible to do a completely separate programme, which I would have found interesting, but not at the same time as Chelsea. Afterall we only get Chelsea for one precious week a year.
Congratulations, though !!!!!
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Comment number 11.
At 26th May 2008, scutiform wrote:I just noticed a wife and husband team (who I think were exhibitors) talking about living on a boat with bee hives. I am happy to report that boats and bees do get along together.
Bruno Poissonnier has a barge on the French canal system that he uses to transport hundreds of hives around the French countryside.
Painting his two hives two different colours could help returning bees to get back home.
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Comment number 12.
At 26th May 2008, hersopmaj wrote:I forgot to ask, is there anyway that The ´óÏó´«Ã½ can tell us what the title and performer are?
Over to you ´óÏó´«Ã½.
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Comment number 13.
At 27th May 2008, celiaweb wrote:Just as the standard of the show gardens gets better every year so does the ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage. A truly GOLD experience delivered by an excellent team who feel like friends. Thank You.
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Comment number 14.
At 28th May 2008, amazingshadowfax wrote:12. At 11:32 am on 26 May 2008, hersopmaj wrote:
I forgot to ask, is there anyway that The ´óÏó´«Ã½ can tell us what the title and performer are?
Over to you ´óÏó´«Ã½.
See post number 7
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Comment number 15.
At 30th May 2008, miscelannie wrote:I didn't watch all of Chelsea this year because there was far too much watching presenters talking, I want to see much more of the plants and flowers and when you did show something interesting once again there were the presenters standing in front of what they were talking about, why have so many people chatting in the first place. I am also not interested in why visitors go to Chelsea. Once again far too much coverage of the show gardens, people like me with just a little patch have no interest in unaffordable ideas. I wait to see if it improves next year.
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Comment number 16.
At 3rd Jun 2008, Mr Strop wrote:I thought the ´óÏó´«Ã½ coverage was excellent and I managed to watch much of it as well as visiting the show on Friday. The TV coverage had raised my expectations to exactly the right level. What I think would be interesting to show is how each of the gardens would look in winter. Can the ´óÏó´«Ã½ computer people come up with some projections? I'm tempted to emulate some of the planting, but would want to know about year round appearance. Maybe an idea for future shows if too late for this Chelsea.
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Comment number 17.
At 8th Jul 2008, nishikigoi wrote:If I may, I'd like to offer a little criticism, on what is otherwise done quite superbly.
I personally would like to see a bit less chat from the team, enabling the time to be better utilised by actually showing more of the garden exhibits,
and whilst doing so can we see a long full panoramic shot before zooming in to the close detail, thus allowing us to get a feel for the whole exhibit.
Often we miss the context of the close-up shots.
We are viewing to see the truly inspirational garden and floral exhibits after all.
Far too much viewing time is lost watching Alan and the team just sit and chat when we could be seeing the exhibits!
The music in my opinion detracts from the show, certainly at the volume you choose.
Gardens should be tranquil places in which to relax, unwind and marvel at nature, and the way we have strived to tame it.
Can we see more water gardens and waterfalls? For the converted, they show us how to achieve a natural or contemporary finish.
For those yet to be converted they are equally inspirational.
The RHS shows changed my way of gardening.
I was inspired to let the diggers remove my carefully manicured conventional lawn and flower beds,
and replace it all with a Koi pond and Oriental garden which we thoroughly enjoy,
and visitors are astounded !
Please accept this in the constructive manner it is meant, we love watching.
I;m worried Alan is going to start cutting hair, in lieu of hedges !
Have a quiet word with him about those jackets !!!
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