Monty Don delighted his followers as he shared a huge announcement away from Gardeners’ World. The presenter and horticulturist, 69, has found time in his busy schedule to hold a one-off talk with his fans. The broadcaster will take to the stage in London later this year to discuss everything from his travels to his life at Longmeadow. Monty and his wife Sarah reside in a home in the tranquil and picturesque Herefordshire, which features his famous garden, known as Longmeadow.
Their garden is well known to enthusiasts around the UK as it is the setting of BBC’s Gardener’s World. The writer announced the news from his garden, telling his Instagram followers: “I’m delighted to announce that I’m going to do a one-off talk, the only one this year, on October 19 at the Dominion Theatre in London. I’m going to be telling stories about how we made this garden here at Longmeadow and about my travels around the world.”
The announcement left fans brimming with excitement as they flocked to the comments, with several showing their support by posting clapping emojis.
Another penned: “Thoroughly recommended after my daughter and I were lucky enough to have tickets for Monty’s talk in Exeter earlier this year. An excellent evening.”
“Lucky London,” added a third as another asked: “Will Monty’s talk be filmed so those of us who cannot get to London could sign up & watch remotely?”
Meanwhile, others begged Monty to travel to their native countries, hoping he might one day make the journey to Australia, Canada and the United States.
It comes after Monty was forced to address complaints about Gardeners’ World. One of the show’s most consistent targets is the abundance of birdsong at Monty Don’s Longmeadow garden, however, sceptical fans have accused BBC of layering in fake sound effects.
But according to Monty, the chorus of chirping is 100% real.
Speaking on the Gardeners’ World podcast, Monty said: “We’ve had a number of letters along the lines of: ‘I watch Gardeners’ World and I really enjoy it, but it’s spoiled for me by the fact that you impose this bird song which is so unrealistic and so over the top… why don’t you just record the natural sounds?’ And the answer is… I hate to disappoint you, but that is the natural sound.”