Monty Don announced his departure from Gardeners’ World after 23 years, with Jeremy Clarkson sharing his concerns about who could replace the beloved presenter.
Jeremy Clarkson (Image: Getty Images)
Former BBC presenter Jeremy Clarkson has issued a warning to the broadcaster following Monty Don’s departure from Gardeners’ World. Monty, 71, announced he will be stepping down from the programme after 23 years, sparking widespread speculation about his successor, with former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, 66, suggesting he believes the BBC might even consider him for the role.
In the wake of Monty’s announcement, the ex-Top Gear host has cautioned the BBC against handing the position to “a clueless Neet”, while acknowledging he felt “saddened” by the gardening expert’s exit.
The Grand Tour presenter, who is a fan of Gardeners’ World, made these remarks more than a decade after he departed the BBC alongside Richard Hammond and James May to launch their own programme on Amazon Prime.
Writing in The Times, Jeremy, said: “Don’t you dare replace Monty Don with a clueless Neet. Lots of TV gigs are going to zany young people with no expertise, but Gardeners’ World is no place for a novice.”
Neet, or NEET, is a term usually used to describe someone, typically between the ages of 16 and 24, who is not Not in Education, Employment, or Training.
In his column, Jeremy stressed his conviction that Monty’s replacement should be somebody with genuine expertise rather than a “character” lacking any understanding of horticulture. He went as far as to suggest that even he himself could be considered for the role, despite having no relevant expertise.
He added: “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s been a trend in recent years for television shows to be presented by ‘characters’…There’s also a trend to hire people who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about.
“As I write, the BBC bigwigs are almost certainly having a Zoom call to decide who they want as the new Monty…. I bet my name comes up too, ‘because he’s doing that farm thing now and farming’s just big gardening isn’t it?'”.
Jeremy is not the only one to have weighed in on who might succeed Monty, with Betway telling the Express that it could well be one of the existing Gardeners’ World contributors who ultimately steps into the role.
Their figures pointed to the likes of Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Arit Anderston, Joe Swift and Carol Klein as potential candidates, with fellow gardening stalwart Alan Titchmarsh also mentioned as a possibility.
Beyond the statistics, Monty’s departure has prompted an outpouring of sadness and support for the presenter, who broke the news publicly on Instagram alongside his dog Ned. Monty, who first appeared on television on ITV’s This Morning in 1989, joined Gardeners’ World in 2003.
He said: “I have a big piece of news to share with you because I’ve decided that this is to be my last series of Gardeners’ World. I began hosting Gardeners’ World 23 years ago, and for the last 16 years we’ve been here at Longmeadow, and it’s been fantastic.
“I’ve loved every minute, I’ve worked with some amazing people, and it’s been a joy to share my gardening life and my dogs with you. But it’s time for a change, and no doubt some new adventures in the future, but for the moment, this is the end of a chapter.”
