Matthew Biggs has died at the age of 65. The broadcaster was best known for appearing on Gardeners’ Question Time on BBC Radio, and continued to appear on air up until his death.
But it has now been announced that the star, who had been living with bowel cancer since 2020, passed away on Thursday, just days after his final episode of agricultural series hit the airwaves.
Mohit Bakaya, the Controller of Radio 4, said: “Everyone at Radio 4 is deeply grateful to Matthew for everything he has given to Gardeners’ Question Time over the years. He has been an extraordinary contributor and a true ambassador for Radio 4 in the horticultural world!”
4View 4 ImagesMatt made his final appearance on the BBC show just last week(Image: Instagram)
4View 4 ImagesThe star told listeners of how his wife had to take on gardening duties as his illness worsened (Image: Instagram)
Matthew is survived by his wife Gill as well as their daughters Chloe and Jessica and son Henry.
Dr Tim Upson, Director of Gardens and Horticulture at RHS, said: “Among his peers there are few others who have engaged the public and gardeners so effectively and so warmly, in understanding the world of plants and horticulture, with such enthusiasm and passion.”
The broadcaster first appeared on Gardeners’ Question Time in 1994 and knowingly made his final appearance in the episode that was broadcast on Friday 15 May.
He appeared alongside Peter Gibbs and Kathy Clugston, with panellists Pippa Greenwood, Christine Walkden and Anne Swithinbank. Tom Stuart-Smith and Sue Stuart-Smith in what proved to be an emotional episode.
View 4 ImagesMatthew also had an accomplished career as a writer (Image: Collect Unknown)
It was all recorded at The Serge Hill Project, a purpose-built area created around the idea that nature can be to the benefit of personal wellbeing, and it was broadcast during Mental Health Awareness Week.
During what was a heartbreaking final appearance on the programme that made him famous, Matt explained that his wife had had to take on gardening duties as his illness took over.
He said: “The most difficult bit was when my mobility disappeared and I just wasted away. I’ve lost so much weight – it’s just muscle and bone, but I wouldn’t recommend this as a weight loss diet! Don’t do it!
“But the garden, I reluctantly let go to my wife Gill, really reluctantly. I still feel a reluctance because that’s letting go of my life but I’ve looked at it now and I’m seeing somebody else doing something with it.
“That’s what happens. Gardens just roll on. I had a great friend who had an exotic garden in Norwich, and it was fantastic. He died of cancer and the garden died with it and I thought that was rather romantic. Everyone was going ‘How do we keep it going?’ He died with the garden, the creator went and the creativity went.
“Gill has it now, I watch from the windows what she’s doing but we must also remember that not everyone is blessed with a garden. Some people are in tower blocks and don’t have a lot of money to spend, so house plants – make an inside garden around yourself.
“We have been doing a lot of that as well. There’s orchids in the bathroom, Gill’s got a collection of Cacti and succulents on the windowsill. They’re not very expensive but you can make a garden inside for yourself and bring it closer.”
His first television appearance came in the form of Garden Club on Channel 4, and he also directed ITV’s long-running regional programme Grass Roots.
Alongside his appearances on the long-running radio show, Matthew was an accomplished author having published titles that included Garden: Exploring the Horticultural World and A Home for Every Plant: Wonders of the Botanical World over the years.
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