BELOVED Gardeners’ World host Monty Don has admitted to having a secret tactic for evading overly eager fans at crowded events.
Monty, who has been the face of the popular BBC gardening show since 2003, revealed that while he’s grateful for his devoted fan base their enthusiasm can sometimes make public appearances a little overwhelming.
During an appearance on the Gardeners’ World podcast, TV presenter Nikki Chapman commented on how Monty’s popularity often causes him to be swarmed by fans wherever he goes.
She said: “When I’m walking around a few people say hello, but I just see a tide of people moving out the way to let Monty through then swarming him whenever they can.
“So it probably takes you half an hour to do what I can do in five minutes.”
Monty responded with a candid revelation about a secret code he uses to manage these situations.
He shared: “I’ll let you into a secret. I have a guy who is always with me. And we always have a code word which basically means ‘get me out of here now’. And that code word is: ‘What time do we have to be there?'”
This subtle phrase allows Monty to make a quick exit without causing a scene.
He added: “So if you’re ever in Chelsea (the Chelsea Flower Show) and I suddenly turn away from you and say ‘what time do I have to be there’. I will suddenly be whisked away.”
Alongside his duties on Gardeners’ World, Monty is currently juggling other projects.
One of these is BBC show Monty Don’s Spanish Gardens, which began filming in 2024.
When asked how he manages his workload, the horticulture expert admitted: “With huge difficulty.”
He went on to explain his filming schedule, saying: “Gardeners’ World we film on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I now do two weeks on one week off. I started that last year to accommodate Spanish Gardens.
“Once every three weeks I get nearly two weeks free so I can whizz off to Spain and film something. It has to be fitted in around Gardeners’ World.
“A typical visit was I flew to Seville on a Thursday night having filmed on the Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Then I’d get a train to Madrid on the Friday evening then a train to Barcelona on the Sunday morning. Then flew back to England on the Monday then filmed on the Tuesday.
“So it’s quite hectic, it involves two things – when I’m at home I just concentrate on Gardeners’ World.”
