BBC star lashes out over ‘bewildering’ decision to axe show – as he threatens to jump ship to rival channel --[Reported by Umva mag]

BBC star Simon Armitage has branded the BBC’s decision to ditch his hit potting shed series “bewildering”.

Simon, the Poet Laureate, lashed out after the Beeb recently dumped his popular Radio 4 programme The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed.

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The series heard Simon talk poetry with celebrities and royals – all while sipping sherry in his shed.

Simon, 61, lives in West Yorks and has chatted to everyone from King Charles to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and Sir Ian McKellen in his timber cabin.

But the BBC has suddenly decided to pull the plug after three successful series’.

Speaking at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival, Simon said: “For reasons that are utterly bewildering to me, given the popularity of the programme, the BBC has decided not to recommission it.”

Hinting that he might jump ship to a rival broadcaster, he added: “It is possible that I might do it with another broadcaster. I hope so.

“I think, when we started the programme, guests thought it was going to be a conceit and that it would be an outside broadcast.

“But it was just a shed with lawnmowers and spiders and led to some very intimate and engaging conversations in that informality.”

A highlight from Simon’s The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed saw him travel to the then-Prince Charles’ Llwynywermod estate in Carmarthenshire.

He interviewed the future King in his “old barn” about his favourite birds, climate change and the vegetable patch at Buckingham Palace.

Since becoming King, Charles has given up the lease on the estate – but Simon’s memories of that day are still engraved in his brain.

They even drank sherry together taken from Simon’s stipend (a fixed amount of money paid to cover expenses or for services).

In years gone by, the Monarch would give The Poet Laureate a small stipend and a butt or barrel of sherry.

As of  1984 the Laureate’s sherry has been a gifted from the Sherry Producers of Spain as a goodwill gesture to celebrate the cultural and trading links between Britain and Spain.

In response to The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed being axed, the BBC told The Times it ‘sometimes has to make difficult decisions’ about its schedule.

A spokesman added: “Radio 4 is committed to poetry and we’re delighted to commission a new major ten-part series with Simon Armitage for audiences in time for Christmas and, later this month, we’ll be airing The Poetry Detective with Vanessa Kisuule.

“Poets regularly appear as guests and contributors across our programming on BBC Radio 4.”

Michael Schofield

PA

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