Monty Don has been fronting popular BBC Two gardening show Gardeners' World since 2003 and so has spent nearly two decades helping gardening novices and hobbyists alike get the most out of their garden, whatever its size or type.
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But now, the much-loved TV personality has addressed what he calls the "gardening mafia" who watch the programme to simply prove they know more and criticise anything the presenters do that they don't think is right. In fact, Monty has said he dislikes this aspect of the show so much that he refuses to pander to these audiences anymore.
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Writing his regular column in Gardeners' World Magazine, the 67-year-old gardening guru claimed there is a "small but vociferous" part of his BBC audience which watches to "tick the boxes of their own horticultural knowledge". At the same time, this group "loudly disapproves if anything is shown or done in a way that differs from their own".
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He said that while until recently, the show pandered to this portion of the audience, wanting to "placate" them, this is going to change as the show is to cater for a new, younger audience.
Monty has addressed what he calls the "gardening mafia" who watch the show
"We used to be self-conscious about placating this 'gardening mafia', but not any more. They are welcome, but Gardeners' World is not aimed exclusively at or for them," he explained, adding that the programme now attracts a younger generation of people who "may never get their own home" but still love "growing things . . . every bit as much as the owner of a proudly maintained garden".
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He said that his children's generation, "born between 1985 and 1990", would never watch the show "of their own volition" until recently and if they did, they would be "slightly embarrassed to admit it".
"I think the answer is that Gardeners' World obviously has to be entertaining and informative," he went on to say. "I see it as my own mission to inspire and encourage those starting out on the rich experience of making a garden or growing things. If Gardeners' World can help shape, inspire and inform your future — rather than shoring up your past — then we are hitting the right mark."
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