Legendary television figure Jeremy Clarkson has queried how certain programmes will survive without presenters like Monty Don as he makes a surprise update about his own future
Jeremy Clarkson has said he is already working on what to do after Clarkson’s Farm(Image: Getty)
Renowned television presenter Jeremy Clarkson has given his verdict on Monty Don’s exit from BBC Gardeners’ World as he prepares for a new venture.
Jeremy, 66, broke the news as he spoke of the importance of presenters like Monty, 71, who announced he would be leaving after 23 years on the show. Former BBC presenter Jeremy fears Gardeners’ World wouldn’t survive “without Monty Don” or presenters like him.
Jeremy made the comments at the Royal Television Society’s convention in London earlier this week. He said: “Look at gardening shows. How are they going to survive, especially without Monty Don?
“You know, because anyone can do a gardening thing on social media, or cookery. It’s very difficult to make a television show work unless you’re cooking on the moon or doing something incredible, and that’s where I think television has to get.”
The award-winning presenter also spoke of how it was essential, now more than ever, that television fought to stand out and tried to get bigger rather than becoming smaller.
He added: “Ever since I started working in television the mantra has always been to make ‘fewer, bigger, better’ shows. But now it’s imperative.”
Jeremy , who has helped developed legendary programmes such as Top Gear, The Grand Tour, and Clarkson’s Farm, revealed he has started thinking of a new TV show.
Jeremy, who recently collected a National Television Award for best reality docuseries, added: “We are currently thinking about what we do after Clarkson’s Farm.
“It’s going to have to be something bigger to stand out and protect us from this onslaught from underneath. It has to be unbelievably ambitious. Where people go, ‘What the f… are you doing? That’s incredible’.”
As well as paying tribute to the impact of Monty Don on programmes such as Gardeners’ World, Jeremy has also given his opinion on who should replace him.
Whilst the likes of current cast members Frances Tophill, Joe Swift, Carol Klein, and Adam Frost have been suggested as potential candidates, Jeremy pitched for social media influencer Chloe Winter in a column for the Sunday Times.
On why Chloe should get the role, Jeremy said: “She’s like Monty Don, if he was 50 years younger, and Irish, and a girl. I could watch her for hours.
“She makes me feel as safe as the cheese counter in a Waitrose, and that’s the main reason for making a show about gardening.”
