BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast celebrates one million downloads in first year

BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine is celebrating a huge milestone this week as its podcast has been downloaded more than more than one million times, just over a year after launch.

Produced by the editorial team behind BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and GardenersWorld.com, the weekly podcast – launched in November 2020 – has proved a hit with gardeners around the world, with around 40 per cent of listeners tuning in from overseas.

With 37 episodes over four series, the podcast features lively conversation about all things gardening with a mix of Gardeners’ World Magazine regulars and horticultural experts, including Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh, Adam Frost and Mark Lane. Special guests have also included green-fingered celebrities, including comedian Joe Lycett, who revealed the hitherto little-known links between comedy and gardening, and DJ Trevor Nelson, who’s swapping club-life for a new-found passion for nature. Popular themes have included gardening for mental wellbeing, sustainable gardening tips, houseplant know-how, and ways to grow the best veg in the smallest spaces.

The latest series, Growing Greener, hosted by garden designer and BBC Gardeners’ World programme presenter Arit Anderson, explores sustainable gardening solutions, with experts in planet-friendly gardening, and practical solutions that anyone can try to show how to make a genuine impact when we all act together.

Lucy Hall, BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Editor, says: “The launch of the magazine’s podcast, just as the nation discovered its lockdown love for gardening, has been the perfect way to bring nature into readers’ lives, wherever they are. Feelgood conversations full of tips and inspiration from familiar experts and celebrity gardeners have been our recipe for success – and brought a relaxing new dimension to the Gardeners’ World brand, now
spanning TV to website, magazine and podcast.”

“The highest downloaded episodes tell us much about gardening today, with health and wellbeing, sustainability, wildlife gardening and homegrown food topping the ratings. And as the average listener is 53 years old, with many in their 20s and 30s tuning in, it shows that podcasts are now an effective way to reach the gardening audience of all ages.”

Highlights coming up in 2022 include a dedicated series on gardening for sustainability and revealing conversations with super-chef Marcus Wareing, nature-oriented author Michael Morpurgo and Dragons’ Den presenter Deborah Meaden, plus BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine columnists Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh.