Monty Don, 68, compared to Poldark in topless throwback photo

Monty Don drew comparisons with Aidan Turner's Poldark, after posting an epic throwback photo in 2018. Taking a trip down memory lane, Monty, 68, caused a stir with a shirtless snap shared on Instagram. 

Captured in the 80s, Monty could be seen working up a sweat in the walled garden of his previous London residence. Surrounded by his dogs, Baffin & Beaufort, the Gardeners' World star looked perfectly content. Setting the scene, Monty captioned it: "30 yrs ago in our London garden with my two lovely Black dogs, Baffin & Beaufort. Shirtless but not stooping to shorts!"

Sparking a major reaction from fans, several were quick to compare Monty to Captain Ross Poldark – and more specifically to the iconic BBC scene where Aidan Turner works topless in the fields. "Poldark eat your heart out," replied one. "Your Poldark moment," added another. 

While the unearthed photo was taken in London, today Monty and his wife Sarah reside at their Tudor property, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire. Speaking to The English Home in 2020, Monty opened up about their move to the countryside. 

"We moved here 30 years ago because it was sufficiently far from London to be outside any commuter belt, and therefore affordable," he said. "And because my wife Sarah's parents and her extended family lived in this part of the country." 

© Instagram

As for whether he'd move back to the city, the TV star replied: "No. Under no circumstances. I am a countryman through and through. I hate crowds, traffic, bustling streets, pubs and restaurants and crave silence, solitude and the natural world. I quite often don't leave the house and garden for a week or more and scarcely notice. By and large, my family and a handful of friends and colleagues provide all the society I need."

TV star Monty has been known to share the odd throwback photo on social media, and back in 2018, he posted another from his pre-Gardeners' World days. "Can't remember why I was pulling a face - but then it was 30 years ago," he captioned it. 

This time round, Monty was compared to another period drama hero, with a fan writing: "Oohh Colin Firth eat your heart out." 

"Mr Darcy would be proud," agreed a second. 

MORE: Gardeners' World star Monty Don's rarely-seen son Adam he's incredibly close to

READ: Inside Monty Don's 40-year marriage with rarely-seen wife Sarah

During a 2023 interview with The Guardian, Monty was asked about his newfound status as a sex symbol, and he had the sweetest response. "Well, I feel slightly embarrassed, sort of smirky. My wife would say: 'Look at you smirking at that question.' I've been living with somebody for 43 years, who I love more and more, so on one level, it's so irrelevant as to be silly. On another level, I'm human – I'd rather that be said about me than not.

© Nick Harvey/Shutterstock

 "But I can't tell you how insular my life is outside work. I go in the garden. I see a few people every day, usually the same people. I like them very much and not one of them thinks I'm remotely sexy."