Monty Don has confirmed that his recent series Rhineland Gardens is not his final show, as he opened up about the demanding reality of making his travel programmes. The 71-year-old is leaving Gardeners' World after 23 years, but he is not retiring from television.
Speaking on the Good Food Podcast, Don said: "That was never the intention (for it to be the final show). It's getting harder and harder to get these programmes commissioned." He added: "They are a lot of preparation, they are an awful lot of filming. They are a labour of love."
A New Commissioned Series on Island Gardens
Don's travel work began with Around the World in 80 Gardens, and he has since focused on gardens in Italy, France, America and Spain. His latest series, Rhineland Gardens, aired earlier this year. A new show on island gardens, covering Sicily, the Canary Islands and the Greek islands, has also been commissioned.
Now that he is leaving Gardeners' World, Don will have more time to commit to these travel shows. He takes the same team on every shoot, calling it "the oldest TV team in the world". He is also keen to do a series in Scandinavia and to return to South America for another shoot.
Behind the Scenes of Travel Filming
When asked whether these are just places he goes on holiday, Don said: "the irony is I don't really go on holiday" - and the travel shows are far harder work than they look. He explained: "It's harder work doing that than Gardeners' World, for example. Very often leave the hotel early, at six or something like that. Film all day. Travel, as well. Get to our next location if we're lucky about half past six, seven, if we're unlucky, nine."
He described the long days: "Then all the kit has to be unloaded, the batteries charged, I have to do my research for the next day, we have to eat, you get to bed about midnight, up at half past five the next morning, and that's what we do."
No Rest Days and Long Drives
Don noted: "There are no rest days. A lot of travelling which is tiring in itself. When we filmed British Gardens, which was shot over two years, there were five trips. Each trip, I personally drove 1,000 miles. Huge amounts of travelling around. When we did the Rhineland, one day we filmed in four separate countries on the same day."
Monty can be seen on Gardeners' World tonight (Friday, September 25) from 8pm to 9pm on BBC Two.
