As remarkable as the others, ‘The Wartime Kitchen and Garden’ series was the fourth of the trilogy (as Douglas Adams might have put it) from the team who brought us the ever-enjoyable, ‘The Victorian Kitchen Garden’ (VKG) programmes.
At 8:30 on the evening of Friday, 5th November 1993, the first episode of WTKG aired on BBC Two and I, for one, will be marking the day with a bit of WTKG over-indulgence (and possibly a few fireworks, given the date).
The series, another brain-child of Jennifer Davies, brought together the perfect on-screen double-act of Harry Dodson and Ruth Mott again, backed-up by much of the old production team, including narration by Peter Thoday. New faces, though, included Anya Medlin as ‘Land Girl’ Annie, and ‘evacuees’ Joyce and Paul (Tracey and Paul Godsmark).
I’m always hopeful that there will be some acknowledgement, at least, of these anniversaries by the BBC, or whoever, really. I’d just like to see the programmes and the team behind them publicly applauded for the fantastic legacy they gave us. A re-run would be lovely; a ‘special’ would be absolutely fantastic.
At the interment of Harry Dodson’s remains on 19th June last year Keith Sheather, the VKG & WTKG Producer, paid tribute to Harry and Ruth. He referred to them as ‘living history’ because their early careers had schooled them in the Victorian ways which they, in turn, ably demonstrated to us in VK and VKG. Having lived through the second world-war and then re-living it for WTKG, Harry and Ruth proved they deserved that epithet all over again
And if the 50th Anniversary of ‘Dad’s Army’ can get the coverage it is getting this summer, including commemorative stamps from Royal Mail, surely there’s a bit of room somewhere for WTKG?
Now, who’s up for dropping a line/text/tweet/email to the BBC/Radio Times/UKTV (they have the TV rights)/Acorn DVD (who still make and sell the DVD’s of three of the series), and anyone else for that matter, reminding them it’s high-time for a bit of acknowledgement of the VKG and WTKG programmes? Form an orderly queue and have your Ration Books ready . . .