Gardeners’ World presenter Frances Tophill has spoken out about Monty Don’s future on the BBC show.
Frances Tophill (Image: PA)
One of the familiar faces of BBC Gardeners’ World has spoken out about whether she would be keen to step into Monty Don‘s shoes when he eventually decides to bow out of the show. Monty remains very much a cornerstone of the beloved BBC programme, having been a central figure for decades. Yet, following his landmark 70th birthday, speculation has begun to mount over who might take the helm should he decide to hang up his televisual trowel.
One name frequently touted as a potential successor is Frances Tophill, who is currently designing a garden for the Chelsea Flower Show alongside Alan Titchmarsh, Sir David Beckham, and King Charles III. Frances, 36, has graced Gardeners’ World for over a decade, but has now made it abundantly clear she has no desire to fill Monty’s boots. She told The Sunday Times: “I have a huge respect for Monty – it is such a generous thing to give your garden space to the nation and he does it so well. I hope he never leaves….Broadcasting is not my day job, my day job is being a gardener.”
The presenting line-up of Gardeners’ World (Image: BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine/Ja)
This is not the first occasion that Frances has batted away suggestions she could succeed Monty. In an earlier interview with the Telegraph, she revealed that after standing in for Monty during a 2023 episode of the programme, she gained a brief insight into what life in the spotlight might be like for him.
After appearing in his place, she went to assist a friend selling plants, only to be taken aback when crowds surged towards them — not out of interest in the plants, but because they recognised her from the programme. She said: “That’s when I got a glimpse of what being Monty must be like… I don’t want that.”
Frances’ remarks about the future of Gardeners’ World come as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show gets under way.
Frances has been kept busy collaborating with the King, Sir David Beckham, and Alan Titchmarsh. Given the distinguished nature of her royal clientele, Frances was asked, also by the Telegraph, whether she had been briefed about the monarch prior to commencing work.
Alan Titchmarsh, King Charles, Sir David Beckham and Frances Tophill in Highgrove Gardens (Image: PA)
She said: “Everyone keeps saying that he’s so detail focused that he’ll notice all the tiny things.” Frances added that she had been scouring the internet for the perfect gnome, incorporating it as a nod to the King’s Highgrove garden. She said: “He hides it in the stumpery for the gardeners to find.”
Meanwhile, in an official statement on the King’s Foundation website regarding the garden, Frances elaborated further on what the experience had meant to her.
She said: “I’m so excited to share my first garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show. With input from His Majesty The King, Alan Titchmarsh and Sir David Beckham, I’ve had a lot of fun incorporating elements both celebrating their involvement and ideas they have contributed.
“With sustainability front and central for His Majesty, there are no man-made materials being used in the garden, and it will be a concrete free construction.”
