''Beechgrove'' (formerly known as ''The Beechgrove Garden'') is a

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

programme broadcast since 1978 on

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...

. Over the years it has been broadcast on

BBC One Scotland BBC One Scotland is a Scottish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by BBC Scotland and is a Scottish variation of the UK-wide BBC One. For all of the time the channel is referred to on screen as ''BBC One Scotland'', sometimes us ...

BBC Two Scotland BBC Two Scotland ( gd, BBC Dhà Alba) was the national variation of BBC Two for BBC Scotland. It was broadcast via digital television and was the sister Scottish channel of BBC One Scotland and Gaelic-language BBC Alba. Unlike BBC One Scotland, ...

and

Britbox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.

History

''Beechgrove'' is a gardening programme, which started on 14 April 1978. It was inspired by the garden behind the home of WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts, named the Victory Garden. The original plot of land used was the small area of garden attached to the BBC studios in Beechgrove Terrace,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. Due to its small size, the programme's popularity and the fact the garden had been transformed several times over, a new area of ground to the west of Aberdeen was acquired for the programme by Tern Television who have produced the series since 1992. The new site covers 2.5 acres and is located at the former

Grampian Regional Council Grampian ( gd, Roinn a' Mhonaidh) was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The region t ...

Brotherfield Nursery, in

Westhill, Aberdeenshire Westhill is a suburban town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, located west of the city of Aberdeen. Size of Westhill The town of Westhill covers the area that was the Western Kinmundy and Blackhills Farming areas. Demographics The population in 20 ...

. Episodes were broadcast from the site in 1996. The show was once parodied in the BBC Scotland comedy sketch show ''

Scotch and Wry ''Scotch and Wry'' is a Scottish television comedy sketch show produced by BBC Scotland and starring Rikki Fulton and a revolving ensemble cast which over the years included Gregor Fisher, Tony Roper, Claire Nielson, Juliet Cadzow and John B ...

'', with

Rikki Fulton Robert Kerr "Rikki" Fulton, OBE (15 April 1924 – 27 January 2004) was a Scottish comedian and actor best remembered for writing and performing in the long-running BBC Scotland sketch show, ''Scotch and Wry''. He was also known for his appea ...

as George Barron and

Gregor Fisher Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series ''Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...

as Jim McColl (dubbed the sunshine boyos) "growing"

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

. Since the 1980s, The Beechgrove Garden has been shown intermittently on the BBC in England usually in non-prime time slots during the day. Since 2013 The Beechgrove Garden has been broadcast in the rest of the UK, usually early on a Sunday morning slot. On 17 June 1983, the 100th show was broadcast. In 1990, the decision was made to redevelop the garden, which meant literally uprooting everything and starting again. It caused an outcry from the press and public, but it went ahead and led to a public auction for keepsake plants from The Beechgrove. There was even bigger change six years later, when the garden moved from its original home to an exposed, rural hillside on the outskirts of Aberdeen. In 1992, ''The Hit Squad'' with Jim McKirdy and Walter Gilmour was launched. They revamped gardens in need, according to presenter Jim McColl, they started all today's make-over shows. Episodes of the show have been transmitted across the world, from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

. The 1,000th episode was filmed in May 2016. During the 2020 pandemic and the subsequent

lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

, the presenters filmed episodes from their own gardens. George Anderson was filming in his home in

Joppa, Edinburgh Joppa is an eastern suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is bounded on the north by the coast of the Firth of Forth, on the west by Portobello of which it was a suburb when Portobello was a burgh, to the south by the open area sou ...

. Kirsty Wilson was presenting from her flat in Edinburgh, Brian Cunningham was in his garden in

Scone A scone is a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash. The scone is a basic component of th ...

and Carole Baxter will film from her garden in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

. 2022 was the 30th year of production company, 'Tern' producing Beechgrove for BBC Scotland.

Theme

The theme tune for the show is the

jig The jig ( ga, port, gd, port-cruinn) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It is most associated with Irish music and dance. It first gained popularity in 16th-century Ireland and parts of ...

"Miss Tara MacAdam", written by Phil Cunningham. This replaced the show's original theme tune, "Sponge".

Presenters

The current Presenters are: * Carole Baxter (1986–current) *

Chris Beardshaw Christopher Paul Beardshaw (born 11 January 1969) is a British garden designer, plantsman, author, speaker and broadcaster. Background Beardshaw was formally trained in Horticulture at Pershore College, and holds a BA Hons and PGDip in Landscape ...

(2013–current) * George Anderson (2005–current) * Brian Cunningham (2015-current) * Kirsty Wilson (2019-current) * Calum Clunie (2021-current) Vale View, Beechgrove day 3

Previous presenters on the programme included: * Jim McColl (1978–1988, 1993–2019) * George Barron (1978–1984) * Dick Gardiner (1984–1990) * Sid Robertson (1990–1994) * Bill Torrance (1990–1999) * Walter Gilmour (1984–) * Jim McKirdy. (1984–) * Carolyn Spray (1995–2014) * Lesley Watson (1995–2013)

Programme side-shoots

''Beechgrove Repotted''

''Beechgrove Repotted'' is one of Beechgrove's side-shoots. ''Repotted'' is a 2019 series of reversions that have been moulded to form a series of programmes which all explore a specific gardening theme. Themes include: * Gardening on a Budget * Garden Art * Gardens on the Edge * Community Allotments * Garden Therapy * Garden for Wildlife * Urban Gardens * Growing Communities

''The Beechgrove Potting Shed''

A sister programme, ''The Beechgrove Potting Shed'', was broadcast weekly on

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...

between 1978 and 2012. Presented in its latter years by Theresa Talbot, it was axed as part of a cost-cutting measure by the station."Beechgrove's McColl angry as radio show axed"
''The Herald'', 4 October 2012

References

External links

Beechgrove Garden website"Miss Tara MacAdam" entry on thesession.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beechgrove Garden, The BBC Scotland television shows Gardening in Scotland 1978 Scottish television series debuts Culture in Aberdeen 1970s Scottish television series 1980s Scottish television series 1990s Scottish television series 2000s Scottish television series 2010s Scottish television series 2020s Scottish television series Gardening television