Monty Don baulks as his Gardeners’ World sidelined by snooker

IT IS essential Friday night viewing for millions who tune in to the BBC to get the latest gardening tips.

But tomorrow’s episode of Gardeners’ World has been shelved for snooker coverage – and, adding insult to injury, it comes during National Gardening Week.

The move has infuriated presenter Monty Don, 62, who called the decision to bump his show for the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship a ‘load of balls’.

In a post to his 70,000 followers on Twitter, he wrote: ‘Not sure what it tells us but interesting that the BBC elected to replace Gardener’s World with snooker during National Gardening Week. #loadofballs.’ Outraged fans also spoke up for the presenter, who writes a column for the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine.

One wrote on social media: ‘BBC Two, I really wish you would value and listen to gardening viewers. Watching Monty Don and crew is a treat at the end of a long week.’ Another said: ‘It does seem rather stupid, especially as this weekend being a Bank Holiday and apparently with good weather. Snooker loopy... nuts!’

A third added: ‘How is it that it’s only in the last few years that Gardeners’ World has been “replaceable” with every sport under the sun? We have been complaining about this and they just do not take any notice of how they spend OUR fee payers’ money.’

Gardening writer Matthew Appleby, of Horticulture Week magazine, accused the BBC of ‘failing’ gardening viewers.

He said: ‘May is the most important month of the whole year for gardeners. Every year, the BBC’s schedulers ignore the complaints from Monty and viewers.’

Last month an episode Gardeners’ World, which attracts up to 2.5million viewers, was replaced by coverage of the England women’s football World Cup qualifier against Wales.

The BBC said Don’s show is a key part of the schedule but its ‘commitment to live sport… does sometimes mean that programming is subject to change’.