BBC viewers were left fuming on Friday evening as a popular series was pulled off air to make way for live athletics coverage.
On Friday night (August 21), between 7pm and 9pm, BBC Two aired coverage of the 12th Diamond League meeting, held at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Gardeners' World pushed aside
The hit gardening programme, hosted by Monty Don, usually airs every Friday at 8pm on BBC Two, but fans will have to wait until next week to watch another episode.
"There is no Gardeners' World this week due to the Athletics on BBC TWO," one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter), with another adding: "Ruined my day, my weekend, my will to live. B****** sport."
Others shared similar sentiments on the Gardeners' World Facebook page. One person commented: "No Gardeners' World tomorrow. The BBC would rather you watch Athletics. So much for what has the BBC done for me. At least I can watch Beechgrove on BBC Scotland."
Viewers divided over athletics return
Another added: "Agree it's been sport for months and the garden programmes pushed off. Not catering for everyone."
A third said: "Really disappointed that BBC Gardeners World isn't on AGAIN tonight in favour of sport. Please sort this going forward BBC."
Someone else echoed the sentiment, saying: "No Gardeners World tonight sad looking forward to watching it." A fifth viewer wrote: "It's been pushed to the side again in favour of sport. So annoying!"
Meanwhile, others were delighted to see the return of the Diamond League on the BBC, with one person writing: "Diamond League athletics is back! [heart emoji]." Another added: "This entire weekend is just diamond league the universe heard me and said watch this space."
What to expect next week
Gardeners' World will be back next week, as Monty Don reflects on how the record-breaking heat has tested gardeners across the country. From parched borders to sun-scorched lawns, he will look at the impact of low or no rainfall and offer some solutions for the plants that have been worst hit.
Coverage of the Diamond League is streaming on BBC iPlayer, where you can also watch past episodes of Gardeners' World.
