Eastbourne dad and son speak about starring in Netflix show

Ralph and Jim Kernott – the ‘dad and lad’ partnership from Hampden Park – featured in Netflix’s The Big Flower Fight, where they performed consistently well throughout and made ‘friends for life’.

The show has been described as a gardening equivalent to The Great British Bake Off. Ralph and Jim were among the pairs of passionate amateur gardeners creating spectacular, large-scale flower installations for a chance to design their own sculpture at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.

The pair have now been able to talk after the eight episode show aired on Monday, May 18 – which was filmed in Kent over the course of three days.

Ralph said, “It was absolutely epic. We thought we would only be in for a couple of weeks. We really didn’t think we would be involved for that amount of time.

“The reaction has been of love and laughter. We were quite genuine to watch on television, that is who we are. It’s very embarrassing to see yourself!

“The support the contestants have given each other afterwards has been second to none. It’s a great union of people and a breath of fresh air. They are just incredible characters.

“The friendships we have made have been unbelievable and long may they last. We can’t wait for a reunion.”

Ralph said he tried to represent Eastbourne as best as he could and included ‘challenges within challenges’, where he paid homage to areas of the town and Sussex but were unfortunately cut out by producers.

He said the tributes included one to the Longman of Wilmington in his giant basket throne of edible treats task and another to Eastbourne’s famous Carpet Gardens.

Ralph said co-presenter and comedian Vic Reeves showed a liking to their ‘folky feel’ and enjoyed their work the most.

In a more serious side of the show, Jim expressed his battle with anxiety and Ralph said they were both trying to ‘open up a conversation’, and if they can help somebody struggling with their mental health ‘then that’s brilliant’.

Jim’s Instagram following has now gone from 300 followers to 6,000 in the space of about a week, but Ralph said he’s been banned from the social media site by his son as he ‘would wreck it’.

The pair gave a message to any budding gardeners or designers. They said, “Just have a go and let your imagination run riot. Just do it. Don’t think about it, do it!”

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.