Monty Don signs off from Gardeners’ World after 23 years

Monty Don has presented his final episode of *Gardeners’ World*, signing off from the Longmeadow garden after 23 years on the BBC programme. He will still appear in two winter specials and next year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

“From myself, Ned, and Longmeadow it’s the final goodbye,” Don said at the end of Friday’s episode. He thanked viewers for joining him on the gardening journey and wished them luck with their own gardens.

Don began presenting the programme in 2003, taking over from Alan Titchmarsh. The show moved to Longmeadow 16 years ago. In September, Don announced that the current series would be his last, saying the work had been deeply rewarding but that “now is the right time for a change”.

The BBC has not named a successor, and says details of the next series will be announced later. Don, 71, confirmed during the farewell episode that he would remain part of the presenting line-up for the 2027 Chelsea Flower Show. Two winter specials are expected before Christmas, including one in which he looks back on his years with the programme.

Don took a three-year break from *Gardeners’ World* after suffering a minor stroke in 2008. He was awarded an OBE in 2018 for services to horticulture, broadcasting and charity, and received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour.