Look on the state of it! Anger of Blue Peter backyard creator as he returns to search out an overgrown mess
For decades it has been the pride and joy of the iconic children’s programme Blue Peter.
But in the latest illustration of the TV institution’s demise, its famous garden is today unkempt and overgrown.
It is described as being in a sad state by Lee Connelly, the gardener who created it, who was left devastated after returning to the site at Blue Peter’s HQ in Salford, Greater Manchester.
He made the garden there 14 years ago after the show moved from London‘s White City studios.
In a video on Instagram, Mr Connelly, who calls himself The Skinny Jean Gardener, was clearly upset.
Showing overgrown plants and weeds, he said: ‘It’s sad to see what it has become. Look at the state of it. I feel like I need to come back and redo it. ‘
The vegetable patch, where he said he had once planted squashes, was bare. He said: ‘I don’t think they’ve used this for a while.’
Mr Connelly, who became Blue Peter Gardener in 2014, was so upset that he immediately drew up plans to revamp the garden. He is aiming to return there next month.
Pictured: The Blue Peter garden this month. It was described as being in a sad state by Lee Connelly, the gardener who created it
Pictured: The Blue Peter garden in 2022. For decades it has been the pride and joy of the iconic children’s programme
Lee Connelly, the gardener who created it, was left devastated after returning to the site at Blue Peter’s HQ in Salford, Greater Manchester
Blue Peter staff are furious that the garden, opened by Princess Anne in 2012, is in such a state
The original garden in London, designed by horticulturist Percy Thrower and opened in 1974, had been a mainstay of the show
Mr Connelly made the garden in Salford 14 years ago after the show moved from London ‘s White City studios
Blue Peter staff, many of whom were axed when it was revealed in March that it would no longer be transmitted live, are furious that the garden, opened by Princess Anne in 2012, is in such a state.
One said: ‘It is disgusting. The Blue Peter garden is a national institution. It is a sign of how the show is going overall, which is really, really sad.’
The original garden in London, designed by horticulturist Percy Thrower and opened in 1974, had been a mainstay of the show. In it were buried several time capsules and the bodies of the show’s pets.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘We’re already working with the Skinny Jean Gardener on plans to renovate the garden. We regularly maintain and film in the garden, including this week’s episode.’
