BBC star Monty Don's bizarre five-word reason why he always wears scarf on air

Monty Don, the much-admired host of Gardener's World, has shared the secret behind his iconic scarf that's always featured as he presents from his stunning Longmeadow estate. On the show's latest podcast, when quizzed by host Nicki Chapman about the ever-present neckwear, he disclosed it is because "We film out of sequence. That's the reason I always wear a scarf when filming. Because if you see me in a crowd, even if I get the other things a bit wrong, if I've got the scarf the same, you overlook the face, the shirt might have a collar or not have a collar, or might be a different shade of blue."

The BBC star further revealed an industry tip handed down to him two decades ago: "It was a trick that someone told me about 20 odd years ago, that if you have a hat, a bag or a scarf that's what people notice."

The esteemed presenter emphasized the importance of maintaining screen continuity to such lengths that he'd been doused by production crew just for the sake of it.

He recounted: "We were filming and the rain was pouring down. The camera got wet so we had to stop, luckily the electronics were OK. The producers said 'we've started this shot, we've got to finish it'. So we set the camera back up, got a hose out and someone stood there and hosed me down because of the continuity. Otherwise I would have gone in wet and come out dry."

This follows Monty's recent admission that sometimes shop-bought vegetables can match the taste of homegrown produce - a surprising turn from his long-held belief that homegrown is superior, reports the Mirror.

In an article for Gardeners' World, he noted that his own asparagus had "declined" over the years. He revealed: "We found the locally grown asparagus to be just as good as our own. I stress that this goes against all my opinions that I have steadfastly adhered to for all my life. I have blindly held to the belief that homegrown is always better than bought."

Eager to clarify, he added: "I am not abandoning that but modifying it a little."

Offering advice to budding vegetable growers, he suggests that one should "grow what you like."

Yet, Monty admits he doesn't always practice what he preaches, saying: "Yet, if I am honest, I grow a wide range of vegetables that include quite a few I don't like much and would never buy or eat in a restaurant. Why do I do this? Because that is what I have always done."