Monty Don has announced he is stepping down as host of Gardeners' World after joining the programme in 2003, with the current series set to be his last. The 71-year-old broadcaster said in a BBC statement that although his time on the show had been "deeply rewarding," he felt "now is the right time for a change," bringing to a close one of British television's longest-running presenter tenures.

Don, whose full name is George Montague Don, presented around 700 episodes, starting from a rented garden in Stratford-upon-Avon before the show moved to his own garden, Longmeadow in Herefordshire, in 2011. He took a break in 2008 to recover from a stroke and has been open about his struggles with depression. The BBC's chief content officer, Kate Phillips, paid tribute to his "warmth, wisdom and passion for gardening," while Don said he intends to keep working with the BBC on other projects and continue gardening at Longmeadow.