Monty Don has revealed that his final episode of Gardeners’ World is set to air this week.
The TV presenter announced in September that he was leaving the hit BBC show after 23 years as head gardener.
“This Friday will be my very last Gardeners World,” the 71-year-old said in a video from his garden while stroking his golden retriever Ned.
“It began 23 years ago, 16 years we’ve been filming in this garden with my various dogs and that’s come to an end.
“But it’s a brilliant programme as ever and it’s been a complete privilege to be part of it. So join me on Friday for the last time.”
Don was then seen walking away from the camera, before calling to his canine: “OK, Ned. Shall we go?”
Alongside the video, the BBC show’s account wrote in the caption: “It’s the end of an era as Monty presents his final programme of this series from Longmeadow this Friday.
“Tune in at 8pm on BBC Two for an emotional farewell to a much-loved chapter of Gardeners’ World.”
It will mark the show’s final episode that’s set in Don’s Herefordshire garden Longmeadow, which has been the setting for Gardeners’ World since 2011.
Fans took to the comments to celebrate Don’s time on the show, with one writing: “Thank you, Monty, for teaching a generation of us that gardening isn’t about perfection but patience, paying attention and enjoying the small moments.
“Wishing you a slower pace, long mornings with the dogs, and a garden that’s finally just yours again.”
Another wrote: “I’m going to miss you Monty! Thank you for everything.”
In September, Don announced that the current series of the BBC show would be his last, adding: “Throughout that time – and around 700 programmes – I have had the privilege of sharing my own abiding passion for gardens and gardening with an equally passionate, and often equally knowledgeable audience.
“That connection with millions, not just in Britain but across the world, who share a love of gardens, plants and the natural world is something I have always treasured and which I increasingly believe to be at the heart of a life well lived.”
He added that making the programme with the “superlative” BBC team had been deeply rewarding, but “now is the right time for change” and that he would be “following new avenues”.
Last month, he told Gardeners World Magazine that he “woke up and knew” one day that it was time to quit. “The commute [to his garden at Longmeadow, where the show has been filmed since 2011] is delightfully short, but when I go home I take the job with me, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said.
“Then, one day this summer, I woke up and knew it was time to stop. Simple as that. They say of sportspeople wondering when to retire, ‘You just know.’ Well, I just knew.”
Don took over from Alan Titchmarsh on the show in 2002 and has been the face of it ever since, except for a three-year break in 2008 after he suffered a minor stroke. His co-stars on Gardeners’ World have included his various dogs over the years, including golden retriever Nigel, who died in 2020, Brittany spaniel Peggy, who died in January 2026, Yorkshire terrier Patti, who died last month, and his current dog Ned.
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