Monty Don is set to leave BBC Gardeners’ World at the end of the current series, but the 71-year-old presenter has no plans to stop working as he continues his much-loved travel shows
Monty Don opened up on struggles behind the scenes (Image: Brentwood Gazette)
Monty Don may be stepping back from Gardeners’ World, but that certainly does not mark the end of his presence on British television. The 71 year old presenter took over from Alan Titchmarsh in 2003, yet his tenure as the BBC programme’s lead presenter will draw to a close after the current series.
This should free up considerably more time for him to devote to his travel series – a role that sounds like the ultimate dream job, travelling the world discussing his greatest passion. However, according to Monty himself, the reality is far from glamorous.
He has been presenting the travel programmes alongside his Gardeners’ World commitments for nearly two decades, beginning with Around the World in 80 Gardens, before going on to explore Italy, France, Spain, Japan and the USA, amongst other destinations.
Following his most recent series, Rhineland Gardens, which aired earlier in 2026, Monty has now set his sights on Scandinavia and South America.
When asked by the Good Food podcast whether these were simply destinations he fancied visiting on holiday, Monty was candid about just how demanding the production process truly is, describing the programmes as “a labour of love”, reports the Mirror.
Outlining the difficulties encountered on each shoot, Monty explained: “It’s harder work doing that than Gardeners’ World, for example. Very often leave the hotel early, at six or something like that. Film all day. Travel, as well. Get to our next location if we’re lucky about half past six, seven, if we’re unlucky, nine.
“Then all the kit has to be unloaded, the batteries charged, I have to do my research for the next day, we have to eat, you get to bed about midnight, up at half past five the next morning, and that’s what we do.
“There are no rest days. A lot of travelling which is tiring in itself. When we filmed British Gardens, which was shot over two years, there were five trips. Each trip, I personally drove 1,000 miles. Huge amounts of travelling around. When we did the Rhineland, one day we filmed in four separate countries on the same day.”
Monty also dismissed speculation that Rhineland Gardens would mark his final travel programme, explaining that each series, which typically comprises just a handful of episodes, represents an enormous undertaking.
The shows also consistently feature the same production team, which Monty affectionately dubbed the “oldest TV team in the world”, with the majority of its members in their 60s and 70s.
The presenter went on to say: “That was never the intention (for it to be the final show). It’s getting harder and harder to get these programmes commissioned.
“They are a lot of preparation, they are an awful lot of filming. They are a labour of love.”
Gardeners’ World airs tonight (Friday, September 25) from 8pm to 9pm on BBC Two.
