Skipton gardener Chris Myers to front Channel 4 programme Wild Things (From Craven Herald)

Skipton gardener Chris Myers to front Channel 4 programme Wild Things

11:00am Friday 18th January 2013 in News By Clive White, Senior Reporter

His Yorkshire accent, zany hat and gold medal pedigree have catapulted Skipton garden designer Chris Myers onto the small screen.

The three-times winner of the BBC Gardeners’ World competition, he is to front a Channel 4 programme called Wild Things.

In six episodes accompanied by a botanist and naturalist, he acts as a plant detective and goes on a hunt to discover what grows where in Britain and why.

His shot at television came as a result of his brief appearance two years ago on BBC 2 to discuss his gold medal win.

“A producer saw me and liked my Yorkshire accent.

“I did a screen test along with a lot of others and it was eventually whittled down to three of us who will present a series of programmes.

“It’s something I’ve never done before – I loved being in front of the camera and enjoyed tearing about the country.

“There are some fascinating things people will learn. For instance, there’s a seaside plant which is now rare at the coast but is growing on the road network because it thrives in the salt used to combat ice,” said Chris who stars alongside his labrador, Lottie.

Chris and the team also visit Kilnsey Park to look at the rare lady slipper orchid as part of a science-based experiment into introducing new species.

He also took to the air in a helicopter to look at how some of the UK’s commercial forestry is being destroyed.

The programme’s executive producer, Neville Hughes, said it was a challenge to create something with three totally new presenters.

They would present some surprising and challenging information about the state of the country’s natural history and would look ahead to reveal what the future may hold for the natural environment, he said.

The first episode is due to be screened on Monday at 8.30pm.