Monty Don, the beloved presenter of BBC's Gardeners' World since 2003, has opened up about a humbling moment from earlier in his career. The 71-year-old gardening expert recalled an empty book signing where the only attendee mistook him for Jeremy Clarkson.
Empty Book Signing and Clarkson Confusion
Speaking at a recording of BBC Gardeners' World Live, Don recounted the anecdote. He said: "The long walk is a bit, for those of you who don't watch the programme. Does everyone here watch Gardeners' World? It's like when you give a talk to people who are looking blankly at you. I once had to do a book signing, and nobody came. This was years ago."
He continued: "Nobody came, and suddenly a woman rushed in. We were going to pack up and go, she rushed in and got a pen out of her bag, looked up at me and went: 'Oh, you're supposed to be Jeremy Clarkson.' You go to a talk and people go: 'You're meant to be talking about cooking leeks.'"
Embracing Mistakes in Gardening
Don also addressed a common misconception about his expertise. In an interview with the i newspaper, he said: "This myth that I am somehow the perfect gardener is nonsense. I make mistakes all the time. Literally every day. I've grown sweetcorn all my life. I know how to do it – I've done it hundreds of times with success. Last year, they were fantastic. This year, they've not germinated. I don't know why, because they were perfectly good seeds. But something has gone wrong."
He reflected on lessons learned from interviewing head gardeners for a book he wrote 45 years ago: "I interviewed around 20 of them around the country, all in their eighties, and they all said the same thing: they didn't really begin to get good at gardening until they'd had some serious failures. Because if you succeed at something, you stop working out how you do it. Whereas if you fail, you really have to think: what am I doing wrong?"
Career Highlights and Hiatus
Don replaced the legendary Alan Titchmarsh as lead presenter of Gardeners' World in 2003, at Titchmarsh's suggestion. He took a hiatus in 2008 due to illness and returned three years later. In addition to Gardeners' World, he presents the BBC's coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show and programmes such as Monty Don's Spanish Gardens.
