Monty Don steps down from BBC’s Gardeners’ World after 23 years

Monty Don, the longest serving head gardener on the BBC’s Gardeners’ World programme, will step down at the end of the current series.

After 23 years leading the show, which he has hosted from his own garden in Herefordshire since 2011, Don said it was “the right time for a change”. He will continue working with the BBC on other programmes, as well as pursuing his own projects, such as writing books.

“Throughout that time – and around seven hundred programmes – I have had the privilege of sharing my own abiding passion for gardens and gardening with an equally passionate, and often equally knowledgeable audience,” Don said.

“That connection with millions, not just in Britain but across the world, who share a love of gardens, plants and the natural world is something I have always treasured and which I increasingly believe to be at the heart of a life well lived.”

The final series hosted by Don, with his beloved golden retrievers, will continue to be broadcast from Longmeadow until later this year.

Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, said Don was “utterly unique, a wonderfully engaging broadcaster with a soothing, calm presence who has inspired so many with his passion for gardening”.

In reference to Don’s frankness around his experience with depression, she added: “I would like to thank Monty personally for his honesty and kindness, which has seen him open up about his own personal struggles and the power of the natural world to improve mental health. We will miss him on the show hugely.”

Sharon Fisher, BBC Studios series editor for Gardeners’ World, who has worked with Don for the last 20 years, described his contribution as extraordinary.

“All of us on the Gardeners’ World team, will miss him enormously, but we celebrate everything he has given to the programme, the gardening community and the audience who have welcomed him into their homes every week for over two decades.”