Tom Chance's website

Media interest in the Ugly Gardens Project

This is part of The Ugly Gardens Project. Go there for an explanation of why this page is here!

We've never sought interest from the media. That anyone besides zines and blogs would cover it is testament to the stupidity of certain sections of the mainstream media. But here we go...

4th April 2003 - NTK

Need To Know is an "underground" techie newsletter written by clever monkeys who play computer games for a living. No really, I've met one of them. They gave us this briefest of mentions:

nothing to do in Bedford?

26th June 2005 - Bedfordshire on Sunday

All those years ago, we had speculated about this venerable rag's chances of passing across our pages. Almost three and a half years later, the plucky Mr Alder said:

I'm a reporter from Bedfordshire on Sunday (which, er, covers Bedfordshire and ... well, I think you get the idea).

Just saw your website on Ugly Gardens of Bedford and was very much amused.

I think I'm going to write a piece about it. Would you like to get in touch, so I can scribble down a few comments from you?

The result can be seen in the link given above, or with this lovely scan. We are propelled from mischief makers into vigilante inspectors.

27th June 2005 - local radio

First Three Counties Radio email me. They would "like to speak to you on our Beds & Herts Breakfast programme tomorrow, about the ugly gardens project". Why?

28th June 2005 - a deluge

After a quick interview the day before, the Daily Mail run an article. Quite why aesthetically challenged gardens warrant a full page in a national daily can only be known to the editors and hacks on the Daily Racist. Trademark writing skills are manifest in the opening paragraph:

With their profusion of unusual features, they are truly gardens for the connoisseur.

I receive emails suggesting that we might have been on Radio4. Lo and behold, I find an audio clip of the newsreader on the BBC's flagship programme, Today, informing early birds about the project. Insane. Listen to an OGG Vorbis recording.

At a lively 7.38am I get the following:

Dear Mr Chance

We'd like to talk to you on our midmorning programme about the Ugly
Gardens Project. Could you email me back, or call xxxxx xxxxxx after
9am?

Thanks in advance -

Jim Hawkins
Presenter/producer
BBC Radio Shropshire 96, 95, 90 & 104.1 FM and DAB Digital Radio

Followed by this, sent at 7.59am:

Tom -

Having read today's Mail and spent an entertaining few minutes browsing
your site - any chance of meeting up with you today in Bedford? As you
say, there's not enough publicity for Bedford!

Andy Thomson

Anglia Television

I'm not awake at this point, so when I download my mail I also get the following:

Hi Tom

I am a researcher on Richard & Judy for Channel 4 and have seen an
article in The Daily Mail today regarding your Ugly Gardens Project. It
would be really interesting to chat with you about it in more detail as
we like to invite you to appear on the show this Thursday. Please could
you get in contact with me - my number is xxx xxxx xxxx.

Best Wishes

Lucinda Barker
Researcher

My prompt answer to all three is: No thanks. Shropshire? They're on the wrong side of England. Anglia TV have obviously run out of stories about angry farmers and court cases that began five years ago but that still warrant coverage. The third email only confirmed my suspicion that Richard & Judy is the Daily Mail's TV division. Could you imagine the horror of sitting in a TV studio discussing the project with celebrities?

Not deterred, the emails keep arriving:

Hi Tom, my name is Diana and I work as a reporter at the Evening Advertiser in Swindon.
We would very much like to do an article about your project. Please get in touch by email on by phone on xxxxx xxx xxx.
Thanks!
Diana Milne

I called her, and it turns out that the Daily Mail suggested we will be doing Swindon next. That's what you get for an off the cuff comment. She's dissappointed that we aren't.

At 11:22am I get the last media approach:

Hi Tom

I'm a producer on BBC Breakfast TV and I've seen an article on your project in today's Mail. We're interested in talking to you about it and I wonder if you'd be good enough to either email me or give me a call on the number below?

Siân Richards
Producer, BBC Breakfast

I have to admit, I was tempted, if only to suggest on national TV that a publisher ought to approach us. The thought of The Sounds of Bedford audio CD bundled in with a stupid stocking filler packed with photos of gardens was too much for me. But the thought of looking like an idiot discussing gardens with a celebrity on national TV, and blocking real news, put me off.

3rd July 2005 - Bedford has its revenge

Letters page in the Beds on Sunday:

BoS letters page

26th July 2005 - Amateur Gardening?

Hi Tom

I'm writing a piece for Amateur Gardening magazine about the state of front gardens in the UK and have referred to your Ugly Gardens Project website. I'd like to use a few of your pics (like the Daily Mail did recently) to illustrate the piece. Please let me know if this is okay.

Best wishes

Marc Rosenberg
News Editor
Amateur Gardening

Alas I was greedy and asked if they might pay us for the use of the photographs. No response, no coverage. Life moves on.






I'm still waiting for an approach from Le Monde.

The Laundry