BBC names Chelsea Flower Show presenters

The BBC has confirmed the presenters for its 2026 coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, setting out a lineup led by Monty Don, Sophie Raworth, Nicki Chapman and Adam Frost for programming across BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer. The broadcaster’s schedule for the week was published in a BBC release distributed on May 12, ahead of the show’s return in London. The BBC said coverage will begin on Sunday, May 17, with Raworth and Frost presenting an 8 p.m. launch show on BBC Two. The pair will be joined by Rachel de Thame and JJ Chalmers for a first look at the Show Gardens and Great Pavilion exhibits, including the reveal of The RHS and The King’s Foundation Curious Garden, according to the release. (publicnow.com) Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell will front the daytime strand from Monday, May 18, at 2 p.m. on BBC One, the BBC said. The broadcaster said the weekday programs will focus on practical gardening themes and will feature contributors including Carol Klein, Frances Tophill, Sue Kent, Toby Buckland, Rachel de Thame, Flo Headlam and Chris Bavin. (publicnow.com) Monty Don will lead the evening BBC Two coverage, with Rachel de Thame joining him at the start of the week and Arit Anderson appearing later in the run, according to the BBC’s schedule. The broadcaster said those programs will include celebrity interviews, coverage of the royal family’s annual visit, the announcement of the RHS Chelsea Garden of the Year on medals day and later coverage of the RHS Plant of the Year. (publicnow.com) House Beautiful, in a report published May 13, said Joe Swift was not included in the 2026 presenter roster. The magazine said Swift, a Gardeners’ World presenter who joined the Chelsea presenting team in 2010, was also absent from last year’s broadcast, making this the second consecutive year he has not appeared in the BBC’s Chelsea lineup. (publicnow.com) Sophie Raworth said in the BBC material that she had spent the previous three weeks filming designers and growers as they built their gardens for the show. She said 2026 would be her 12th year covering Chelsea and added that she could not wait to see the event open to the public the following week. The Royal Horticultural Society lists the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show as running from May 19 to May 23 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. (uk.style.yahoo.com) The RHS site says members’ days are scheduled for May 19 and May 20, with public days from May 21 to May 23, and a plant sell-off beginning at 4 p.m. on the final day. The next dates in the broadcast schedule are May 17 for the BBC Two launch program and May 18 for the start of the BBC One daytime coverage. (publicnow.com) The show itself opens at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 19, with BBC coverage continuing throughout the week on BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer. (rhs.org.uk)