Monty Don to leave Gardeners’ World after more than 20 years

Monty Don to leave Gardeners' World after more than 20 years. BySteven McIntoshEntertainment reporter Published5 hours agoMonty Don is to step down as the host of Gardeners' World after more than 20 years, the BBC has announced.

What happened

"Monty's decision to leave Gardeners' World is one I respect, but I'm still very sad he's leaving," she added. He replaced Alan Titchmarsh on Gardeners' World in 2003, but took a break from the programme in 2008 as he recovered from a stroke. He has also presented other programmes including Around the World in 80 Gardens, My Dream Farm, Mastercrafts, Monty Don's Rhineland Gardens, and coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show. "We are a nation full of budding gardeners, and his tips and advice have been invaluable to viewers for more than 20 years and have certainly helped me increase my knowledge as well as my plant survival rate!

"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. Photograph: Daniella LucasThieves target mail order sales as Pokémon card prices soarAs one card recently sold for £12m, opportunistic thefts have surged – envelopes are being opened en route, costing small businesses thousandsPokémon’s success over the last 30 years has seen it grow from a much-loved Game Boy classic, to a world-dominating brand with TV shows, spin-off games, toys and even a theme park.

The 71-year-old, who is the programme's longest-serving head gardener, will leave at the end of the current series.

The wider picture

"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. "Don added he had "always relished the craft of programme making" and paid tribute to the "superlative BBC team" he worked with over the years. "'A nation of budding gardeners'The presenter, whose full name is George Montague Don, made his TV debut in 1989 with a gardening segment on ITV's This Morning.

"Don has been open about his struggle with depression over the years. Related topicsTelevisionMore on this storyMonty Don receives reminder from BBC over clothing promotion rulesPublished29 MayBattersea dogs enjoy ex-Chelsea Flower Show gardenPublished23 May'Flooding trapped me in my house' – Monty DonPublished9 January 2025Monty Don on why we should put our phones downPublished7 October 2020 The presenter said it had been "deeply rewarding" but added that "now is the right time for a change". "The BBC said Don had "inspired and guided millions of viewers with his warmth, wisdom and passion for gardening" since joining the programme in 2003.

Don began presenting the programme at Berryfields, a rented garden in Stratford-upon-Avon, before it moved in 2011 to his own garden, Longmeadow in Herefordshire.

What has been reported

"Throughout that time – and around 700 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," he said. "I look forward to continuing to work with and for the BBC on other projects, as well as following new avenues," he concluded. "And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by side, here at Longmeadow. That led to further work on the BBC and Channel 4, a newspaper column, and the publication of more than 20 books about gardening authored by Don.

The BBC's chief content officer Kate Phillips described Don as "unique", adding he was "a wonderfully engaging broadcaster with a soothing, calm presence who has inspired so many". Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Single Pokémon cards for sale, locked in a cabinet. Photograph: Daniella LucasView image in fullscreenSingle Pokémon cards for sale, locked in a cabinet. The trading card game is a huge part of that, with more than 85bn cards printed over its lifetime, and the appetite for them shows no signs of slowing down.

What happens next

Packs get snapped up after release so quickly it’s now almost impossible to find them in shops, and a booming resale market is driving the hobby into murky waters. One card recently sold for an eye-watering £12m, and an increasing number of people have gotten into the collecting business on the hunt for huge profits, leading to a rise in thefts targeting card shops. More recently though, some small businesses have reported that their sales have been hit by thieves targeting envelopes within Royal Mail, leading to thousands in lost revenue.

Ben Thyer, owner of Bath TCG – a card specialist store in the Bath area, is one of those affected. “We always get the odd parcel going missing, but because it was sporadic, we put that down to unfortunate incidents,” Thyer tells the Guardian. “Then [in late July], we had a message [from a customer] with pictures of a cut-open envelope, and the cards were missing. Then there was a second, and then a third, and then there were seven – all of them from the same batch shipped on the same day.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.