You may remember him from your childhood as the jolly guy who took cavalry to people’s nightmare gardens in the 1990s and turned them into relaxing utopias with his Ground Force crew.
But while Alan Titchmarsh still enjoys success on television and has a regular Sunday morning slot on ITV with Love Your Weekend, he is no longer the king of gardening television in the UK, and he certainly isn’t resonating with younger viewers from Generation Z.
In fact, when it comes to gardening content on television, there’s a new sheriff in town: Alan’s Gardener’s World successor Monty Don.
When Alan hung up his spade in 2002 and passed the gardening gloves to Monty, it marked the beginning of a career in which the nation would welcome him and his adorable dogs into their homes as they tuned into the BBC gardening show weekly.
With over a million followers on social media, sold-out tours across the UK and one of the main presenters at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show at 68, things have never looked so good for Monty.
Monty Don has won the hearts of nature lovers and the nation with over a million Instagram followers and sold-out tours.
Alan Titchmarsh (pictured from September last year) used to present Gardeners’ World on the BBC, but hung up his hoe in 2002.
Some will remember Alan (centre) as the cheerful brunette from Ground Force who renovated the common gardens in the 1990s and early 2000s. Above: Alan with Charlie Dimmock (left) and Tommy Walsh (right)
Alan became the BBC’s go-to gardener in the 1990s as presenter of Gardener’s World and Ground Force.
Ground Force, which aired on Friday nights on BBC1, saw Alan Titchmarsh, Tommy Walsh and Charlie Dimmock visit people’s gardens and give them a much-needed makeover.
Titchmarsh and Dimmock would appear on the popular show as gardeners, while Tommy used his construction experience to lay patios and lay decks.
At its peak, the show had an audience of 12 million viewers. Titchmarsh announced his departure from the show in 2002 and three years later, the BBC canceled it.
The station’s managing director, Mark Thompson, stated that the series was “reaching the end of its natural life”.
A year after leaving Ground Force, Alan also hung up his gloves as presenter of Gardeners’ World and recommended his friend Monty as his replacement.
Speaking in a clip on BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine YouTube channel, Monty discovered that Alan recommended him for the role.
Alan became the BBC’s go-to gardener in the 1990s as presenter of Gardener’s World and Ground Force.
Monty Don is shown kissing one of his adorable dogs on his Instagram page.
“When I left they asked me who I would recommend,” Alan said. Seemingly stunned by the admission, Monty replied: ‘Did you? That’s the first time…
Alan interrupted and said, “And I said, “You need a presenter and I think your best option is Monty Don.”
Since Monty, owner of Longmeadow garden in Herefordshire, took over Gardeners’ World, its popularity has grown to record numbers.
In 2020, it reached its highest viewing figures in five years, with a lockdown episode managing to attract a huge audience of 2.7 million.
The following year, Monty invited perhaps the country’s most sought-after guest star onto the show: gardening enthusiast Queen Camilla herself. She spoke of her love for colorful gardening during her appearance.
As Monty’s star continued to rise, he captured the attention of a worldwide audience; the New York Times even dedicated a column to his calm demeanor that “helped people get through the pandemic” and described him as a “balm for frayed nerves.” .
On the other hand, Nick Hilton for The i newspaper he described it as “a vision of humanity in concert with Mother Earth.”
Titchmarsh decided to leave Gardener’s World and in fact recommended Monty as a gardener to replace him.
Monty Don’s popularity has only grown and he is now considered one of the country’s “sex symbols.” Above: with his wife Sarah Don
Alan Titchmarsh announced his departure from Ground Force in 2002 and three years later was sacked by the BBC.
Monty Don, an avid dog lover, is pictured dancing with his dog in his garden.
He wrote: ‘While Titchmarsh was an almost mole-like presence in the garden, Don was pure Toad of Toad Hall.
“Often found wearing a French workman’s jacket or his trademark suspenders, Don brought a more classic masculinity to the garden.”
In an interview with guardian Last year, Monty was told he had been dubbed one of the UK’s sex symbols, something that made him blush.
‘I feel a little embarrassed, kind of like a satisfied smile. My wife was like, ‘Look at you, smirking at that question,’ she said.
‘I’ve been living with someone for 43 years, who I love more and more, so on some level, it’s so irrelevant it’s silly. On another level, I am human; I’d rather have that said about me than not say anything at all.
But I can’t express how insular my life outside of work is. I’m going to the garden. I see some people every day, usually the same people. I like them a lot and none of them think I’m even remotely sexy.
But when he ventures outside his garden, Monty is an absolute success, with a series of sell-out live shows across the UK.
His 2022 tour was sold out, with many people of all ages looking to catch a glimpse of the A-list star of the horticultural world. Although he has yet to achieve David Attenborough status, it seems the father of three is on his way to achieving it.
Monty has many sold-out tours across the country and millions of followers on Instagram. Above: the gardener with a guide dog puppy in training
In 2021, a year after Gardners’ World hit its highest numbers in five years, they had Queen Camilla on the show.
Monty, who is just seven years younger than Titchmarsh, also appeared to beat his predecessor at the social media game.
With a whopping 1.3 million followers, a verified blue tick on Instagram, and his own website, Monty regularly updates his followers on the progress of his garden and adorable dogs.
In contrast, Alan posts updates to his 144,000 followers every few weeks, indicating less engagement with them.
But Monty’s fans are not just faceless accounts. This year he has been invited again to be one of the main hosts of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, giving him the opportunity to meet many of his green-fingered friends.
He told the BBC: “I feel honored to have been invited to return to this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.”
“I look forward to chatting to the public about their green spaces and giving them tips for transforming their outdoor areas.”
But the RHS Chelsea Flower show used to be Alan’s territory, until the BBC “ousted” him in 2013 after three decades of presenting it.
Talking with him Telegraph At the time, Alan said: “My decision to stop presenting next year’s BBC Chelsea Flower Show programs was made for one reason only: I was not offered the opportunity to present the breadth of coverage I had previously done.”
The RHS show Chelsea Flower used to be Titchmarsh’s territory, until the BBC “banned” it in 2013 after three decades of presenting it. Above: Alan at Chatsworth House last year
Alan admitted he felt “hurt” after the BBC booted him from presenting the RHS show Chelsea Flower. Above: Titchmarsh laughing with the late Queen Elizabeth in 2017 at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
“The feeling that I couldn’t cope with presenting the show to the best of my ability led me to step aside.”
He added that while he used to cover the event on both BBC One and BBC Two, he was informed he would have a limited role.
“I was told these shows had already been offered to another host,” he said.
At the time, Alan didn’t know who the other person was, but was later told it was none other than Monty Don.
Upon hearing of his replacement, the experienced outfielder told the Radio Times in 2014: ‘Yes, I guess it hurt, because I know people enjoy it as much as I loved doing it.
‘Did they leave me for Monty Don? You could say that; he couldn’t make any comment.
“They made me an offer that I had to reject. It’s up to them, I’m not resentful.”
