Jeremy Clarkson says ‘I bet my name comes up’ as he issues warning to BBC over Monty Don
Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has weighed in on who should replace Monty Don after the gardening legend made the decision to leave the BBC show.
Jeremy Clarkson has issued a warning to the BBC
Former BBC presenter Jeremy Clarkson has issued a warning to the broadcaster following Monty Don’s departure from Gardeners’ World. Monty, 71, announced his departure from the programme after 23 years, leading to a wave of speculation about who will replace him, with Jeremy sharing his belief that he may be considered by the BBC too.
Following Monty’s announcement, the ex-Top Gear host has issued a warning to the BBC, urging them to avoid giving his job to “a clueless Neet”, while admitting he was “saddened” by the gardening expert’s departure. The Grand Tour presenter made the comments over 10 years after he left the BBC alongside Richard Hammond and James May to launch their own show on Amazon Prime.
Monty recently announced his departure from Gardeners’ World
Writing in The Times, Jeremy, 66, said: “Don’t you dare replace Monty Don with a clueless Neet. Lots of TV gigs are going to zany young people with no expertise, but Gardeners’ World is no place for a novice.”
Neet, or NEET, is a term usually used to describe someone, typically between the ages of 16 and 24, who is not Not in Education, Employment, or Training.
In his column, Jeremy emphasised his belief that whoever replaces Monty should be someone who knows what they’re talking about rather than someone who is a “character” with no knowledge of gardening.
He went so far as to suggest that even he would be considered for the role, despite not having expertise in the field. He added: “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s been a trend in recent years for television shows to be presented by ‘characters’…There’s also a trend to hire people who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about.
“As I write, the BBC bigwigs are almost certainly having a Zoom call to decide who they want as the new Monty…. I bet my name comes up too, ‘because he’s doing that farm thing now and farming’s just big gardening isn’t it?'”
Jeremy isn’t the only individual to have commented on Monty’s potential successor, with Betway telling the Express that it could be one of the existing Gardeners’ World contributors who eventually takes over.
There has been much speculation over who will replace Monty
Their data suggested the likes of Adam Frost, Frances Tophill, Arit Anderston, Joe Swift and Carol Klein were in the frame. Furthermore, so too was Monty’s fellow gardening veteran Alan Titchmarsh.
Outside of hard stats, Monty’s exit has been met by a wave of sadness and support for the presenter who made the news public on Instagram alongside his dog Ned. Monty, who originally made his TV debut on ITV’s This Morning in 1989, began working on Gardeners’ World in 2003.
He said: “I have a big piece of news to share with you because I’ve decided that this is to be my last series of Gardeners’ World. I began hosting Gardeners’ World 23 years ago, and for the last 16 years we’ve been here at Longmeadow, and it’s been fantastic.
“I’ve loved every minute, I’ve worked with some amazing people, and it’s been a joy to share my gardening life and my dogs with you. But it’s time for a change, and no doubt some new adventures in the future, but for the moment, this is the end of a chapter.”
