Monty Don calls Alan Titchmarsh b*****d on Have I got News For You hosting debut

Gardening guru, Monty Don, hosted satirical quiz show Have I got News For You on Friday night and it wasn’t only the headlines that raised eyebrows during the programme. The mild-mannered presenter’s language also surprised fans.

During a segment in the show where Monty relayed a story of King Charles and Sir David Beckham - dubbed ‘Chas and Dave’ - designing a garden together. The 70-year-old began: "David Beckham is designing a garden with King Charles… and providing expertise for the garden is… YES! You’ve guessed it, it’s TV’s top gardener, national treasure, all round good egg…”

Paul Merton then interrupts: “Alan Titchmarsh?” to which Monty replies: “Yes… the bastard” to gales of laughter. However, some viewers were shocked by Monty’s choice of words. One person writing on social media platform, X, said: “Monty Don!!!!! Language!!! I'm surprised at you!!!!!! This is just plain weird…”

However, many were full of complements for the great job Monty did chairing the quiz. One viewer remarked: “As host was an inspired choice. He should host this show again.” Another said: “Absolutely *loved* Monty Don on #HIGNFY - inspired choice and he was just delightful, I laughed so much!”

Alan is also known for presenting the BBC programme Gardeners’ World in 1996, which he fronted until 2002, with Monty taking over the role in 2003. He also presented the garden makeover TV show Ground Force – which propelled him, Charlie Dimmock and Charlie Walsh to fame.

The TV gardener last year described the King as an “extraordinarily hard-working person”. The broadcaster, 76, opened up about his relationship with Charles, adding that he values what he “stands for”.

He said: “I’ve known the King for 40 years now. Actually, first met him 40 years ago this year. We’ve just got to know one another and I very much rate what he does, what he stands for.

“He’s an extraordinarily hard-working person with an enormous conscience about his role and what he wants to achieve, what he hopes we can all achieve. I just enjoy his company and I’ve been very lucky enough to get to know them (members of the royal family). Particularly with the King, we have conversations about gardening, as you do with any gardener.”

Monty is now filming the latest series of Gardeners’ World in his own garden at Longmeadow in Herefordshire, and last month admitted he and the crew work around the weather. He said: “I want people to think that the camera just turns up and follows me pottering around the garden, then we pop off to look at Adam (Frost) or Carol (Klein) doing something else, then after an hour we say bye bye.

“The reality is it’s quite a big production team. It takes weeks to prepare – two days to film, six days to edit. It’s full on. In-between filming, which we do two days a week, we then have to prepare the garden for what we’re filming thereafter. I brace myself. For the crew and I, it’s like going back to school.”