Monty Don has been the lead presenter on the long-running series of BBC Gardeners’ World since 2003, succeeding Alan Titchmarsh on the much loved programme. The gardening show, which has been on air for the past 57 years, has seen several faces grace the small-screen showcasing their expertise and horticultural knowledge.
This has come with several tragedies over the years. From the show’s first female presenter, to a beloved host, Express.co.uk takes an inside look into the famous faces we have lost over the years.
1. Peter Seabrook
Peter Seabrook was a familiar sight on TV screens as a presenter of Gardener’s World and the Chelsea Flower Show. He was known for presenting the BBC programme and was still contributing gardening columns before his death. The Chelsea Flower Show stalwart lived in Chelmsford, Essex. His daughter Alison Seabrook Moore said he was “working at full throttle until the end”. He began his broadcasting career in 1965 and started as a guest host of Gardener’s World in 1976.
Peter died of a suspected heart attack aged 86 in 2022. In a joint statement at the time of his death, his children Alison and Roger said: “He leaves a big gap in our lives. We are grateful that he was able to live a long and active life, pursuing what he loved right up to the end. The messages of appreciation that have come from people who worked with him – some going back many years and some very recent – are overwhelming.”
(Image: Getty)
2. Mary Spiller
Mary Rose Spiller was the first female presenter of BBC TV series Gardeners’ World having joined in 1982. She was horticultural manager at Waterperry Gardens from 1975 until 1990. Miss Spiller spent some time as a self-employed gardener working across the country where she worked in places such as Yorkshire, Cornwall and Wales. Although Miss Spiller was never married, as “the right person never came along”, she had a vision of having 11 children – “enough to make a cricket team”.
She died in 2019 aged 95 after a short illness in an Oxfordshire hospital, but was “really with it right until the end” and was visited by friends and family in her final days. At the time of her death the BBC said in a statement: “We’re so sad to hear that Mary Spiller passed away on Sunday at the age of 95. She devoted her life to horticulture and made history in 1982 by becoming the first female presenter on Gardeners’ World. She was an inspiration to us all and we shall miss her very much.”
(Image: BBC)
3. Geoff Hamilton
One of the most popular of modern television gardeners, his death, eight days before his 60th birthday has continued to leave a void for the millions of viewers who tune into Gardeners’ World. Geoff first started making guest appearances on Gardeners’ World in the 1970s, becoming its regular presenter in 1979. He bought Barnsdale – which was pasture and farmland – in 1983. Geoff, in conjunction with the production team, decided to make Barnsdale the location for his Gardeners’ World broadcasts from 1985.
Two days before he died, Geoff was busy filming segments for Gardeners’ World. He died in 1996, aged just 59, after suffering a heart attack.
(Image: Getty)
4. Beth Chatto
Beth Chatto (pictured on the right) alongside Carol Klein (pictured on the left).
While not a regular presenter on Gardeners’ World Beth Chatto featured as a subject on the BBC programme. In 2005, the show explored her influence on gardening alongside other influential figures, and in 2017, Carol Klein featured her as one of her gardening heroes. She also had a segment with David Hurrion at her own garden in 2018. The pioneering gardener won 10 successive gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show. She won the Royal Horticultural Society’s highest award, the Victoria Medal, in 1987 and was also awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2002. Beth died “peacefully at home with her family by her side” in 2018 aged 94.
(Image: Getty)
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