On Tuesday, the beloved gardener, 71, shared a video to Instagram sharing that this current series would be his last.

“Throughout that time – and around seven hundred programmes – I have had the privilege of sharing my own abiding passion for gardens and gardening with an equally passionate, and often equally knowledgeable audience,” he said.

“I have always relished the craft of programme making and to do so, week in week out, as part of a superlative BBC team has been a deeply rewarding experience. But now is the right time for a change.”

Don has hosted the series at his own garden, Longmeadow in Herefordshire, since 2011, and explained that he would continue to work with the BBC going forward. The BBC said that his last show will air later this year.

The news was met with shock and an outpouring of support from others in the gardening and broadcast worlds, as well as Don’s many fans, who admitted that they were “not emotionally prepared for this news”.

“Oh no, well that just ruined my day!” one fan wrote. “Thank you Monty for all your knowledge and hard work, I for one will miss you and Nigel so much. Wishing you all great happiness.”

“I’ve been dreading this moment! Wishing you all the best but you will be missed!” read another comment.

“We knew this day would come but it does not lessen its impact. Millions send our very deepest gratitude for all of it,” another commenter wrote.

One fan added: “This is so sad. Good luck with whatever exciting adventures lie ahead though. Where will we be without you?!!”

A former jewellery maker and self-taught horticulturist, Don took over as Gardeners’ World’s head gardener in 2003, when he replaced Alan Titchmarsh.

Initially filming in Berryfields, a rented garden in Stratford-upon-Avon, the show relocated in 2011 to Longmeadow, the home where Don has lived with his wife Sarah since 1991.

Don built the garden on the site, allowing Gardeners’ World viewers to become as attached to the residency as they are to the presenter and his dogs, golden retriever Ned and his late Yorkshire terrier Patti, who died in August.

As one commenter put it, while reacting to news of Don’s departure: ”Thank you for your enormous generosity in sharing it all with us.”