Alan Titchmarsh

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Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, author and broadcaster. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist.

Early career

Alan Fred Titchmarsh was born on 2 May 1949 in Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He is the son of Bessie (née Hardisty), a textile mill worker, and Alan Titchmarsh senior, a plumber.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1964, after leaving school at 15, with one O-level in Art, Titchmarsh went to work as an apprentice gardener with Ilkley Council, attending day release classes at Shipley Art and Technology Institute in Shipley in the West Riding of Yorkshire studying for a City and Guilds qualification in horticulture.

In 1968, Titchmarsh went on to study at Hertfordshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture for the National Certificate in Horticulture, before finally moving to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1969 to study for a Diploma in Horticulture.<ref name="BBCDID">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="BBCGW">Template:Cite web</ref> After graduating, he stayed on at Kew for two years, employed as gardens supervisor in charge of staff training. He left to pursue a career in gardening journalism in 1974. Interested in English literature and writing, he applied for a post with the Hamlyn publishing Group, as assistant editor of gardening books. He then started to write his own gardening books, with the first, Starting With Houseplants, being published in 1976.<ref name="BBCDID"/>

Television and radio

In 1977 Titchmarsh began his career in broadcasting as a gardening expert on BBC Radio 4 You and Yours and The Today Programme . In 1988 he hosted the gardening show A House in a Garden with Gloria Hunniford on BBC Radio 2.Template:Cn Titchmarsh's first television appearances were on the BBC television shows Nationwide and Breakfast Time as a horticulture expert. This led to his presenting of the Chelsea Flower Show for BBC television in 1983. Titchmarsh hosted this every year until 2013.<ref name="BBCGW" />

File:Alan Titchmarsh and his Britain in Bloom Garden.jpg
Titchmarsh at the Chelsea Flower Show 2014

In 1986 Titchmarsh hosted Open Air and from 1987 the BBC television talk shows Daytime Live and Pebble Mill, which he did until 1996. In 1991 he presented a six part series Titchmarsh's Travels' in which he followed in the footsteps of the pilgrims, travelling around Britain and Ireland.<ref name="BFI">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1996 Titchmarsh took over as host of Gardeners' World, the show being filmed in his own garden. In 1997 he hosted the BBC One television series, Ground Force, in which he and fellow presenters Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh would perform a makeover on a garden.<ref name="BBCGW" /><ref name="BBCNewsNM">Template:Cite news</ref> After Gardeners' World Titchmarsh presented two series of How To Be A Gardener.

Away from gardening, Titchmarsh had spells presenting Songs of Praise as well as two BBC nature documentary series, British Isles - A Natural History, and The Nature of Britain

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Titchmarsh at the 2008 Gardeners' World Live Exhibition in the NEC

Titchmarsh voiced the title character in Gordon the Garden Gnome, a cartoon series for the CBeebies channel.<ref name="CBBC">Template:Cite web</ref>

He hosted the 20th Century Roadshow, a 2005 spin off series from the Antiques Roadshow; performed in the 2006 Children's Party at the Palace for the Queen's 80th birthday; and guest hosted an episode of The Paul O'Grady Show. In 2007 Titchmarsh hosted The Great British Village Show.<ref name="TVand radio">Template:Cite web</ref> He also presented the afternoon ITV chat show The Alan Titchmarsh Show (2007–2014) and in 2006 was given a permanent slot on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday evenings with the show Melodies for you.

In 2010 Titchmarsh presented the first series of Popstar to Operastar with Myleene Klass. From 2011 – 2023 he presented the gardening show Love Your Garden. In June 2012 he presented Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother on ITV.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2011, Titchmarsh left Radio 2. Since January 2012, he has hosted a Saturday morning and now Saturday afternoon show on Classic FM.

In 2013 Titchmarsh was a reporter on the BBC Two programme The Great British Winterand in 2014 he presented The Queen's Garden, a two-part series for ITV, that was filmed over one year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2015 Titchmarsh presented Britain's Best Back Gardens.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 2016 – 2017 he presented the game show Masterpiece for ITV. In 2017 the Channel Five programme Secrets of the National Trust started airing with Alan Titchmarsh as the main presenter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2024, it was widely reported in the UK press that Titchmarsh's trousers were censored on Korean Central Television (North Korea television).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Titchmarsh was wearing jeans in 'Alan Titchmarsh's Garden Secrets', and jeans are banned in North Korea as they are considered a sign of western imperialism. Speaking to the BBC, Titchmarsh said the news had given him "a bit of street cred." In April this was suspected to be a hoax by Joe Lycett for Late Night Lycett but in the first episode, Lycett confirmed he was not behind the story.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Writing

Titchmarsh has written for newspapers and magazines for more than 50 years and has written over 70 books, including books on the countryside and the Royal Family. His first book was published in 1979. 20 years later, he branched out into fiction. His first novel was Mr MacGregor in 1998. He has written a dozen novels. Trowel & Error (2002) was an autobiographical work, followed by Nobbut A Lad: A Yorkshire Childhood (2006) and then Knave of Spades (2009) and When I Was A Nipper (2010).

Titchmarsh has also published a series of gardening guides, the How to Garden series (2009 onwards).

Personal life

Titchmarsh married Alison in 1975 and they have two children.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2002 he and his wife moved into a grade II listed Georgian Hampshire farmhouse, with a garden of Template:Cvt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also has a coastal home, near Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where he spends about a third of the year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Titchmarsh is a bell ringer. In 2011 he rang a quarter peal in Holybourne, Hampshire, to celebrate the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011 he participated in an Elm Tree Planting Ceremony to promote urban greening in London.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He returned to the Marylebone and Fitzrovia area to plant a project's 1000th new tree in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014 Titchmarsh was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Performing arts

Since the 1980s, Titchmarsh has been involved in the performing arts. As a presenter and interviewer he has worked with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet in both concerts and theatrical performances. He presented the Royal Windsor Horse Show Pageants in front of Queen Elizabeth II, as well as many concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall for a number of national orchestras.

Titchmarsh played the part of Kenneth Grahame for the Royal Ballet production of The Wind in the Willows at the Vaudeville Theatre in 2014, written by Andrew Motion and choreographed by Will Tuckett. Titchmarsh presented the BBC Proms for three years in the early 2000s, which included presentation of The Last Night of the Proms on BBC One.Template:Cn

In 2000, he featured in Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings on BBC One. Titchmarsh worked with composer Debbie Wiseman on The Glorious Garden (2018), writing poems for which Wiseman composed separate musical movements. He wrote the words and lyrics for Jack Frost – A Winter Story, which he himself narrated in 2024. Both albums went to No.1 in the Classical Music Charts.Template:Cn

Environmental campaigning and support

Titchmarsh is a passionate advocate of responsible and sustainable stewardship of the landscape and the wider countryside. He is a staunch supporter of sustainable and organic farming and the purchasing of local produce. He has been a vocal opponent of the trend for turning over land which is valuable in terms of agriculture and horticulture to solar panels, believing that while energy saving is vital it should not automatically take precedence over food production.Template:Cn

Titchmarsh is devoted to the encouragement of gardening and nature study in schools and for ten years between 2001 and 2011 he and his wife ran 'Alan Titchmarsh's Gardens for Schools', making grants to primary schools in the United Kingdom to create gardens and nature reserves. The charity eventually became part of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening of which Titchmarsh is an active supporter. He is a contributor to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.Template:Cn

Organisations and charities

Titchmarsh is a Patron or president of more than 40 charities including The Royal Horticultural Society (Vice President and Ambassador), National Garden Scheme (President), Treloar Trust (Patron), The London Children's Flower Society (President), Horticap (Patron), The Castle of Mey (Patron of Friends), Plant Heritage (President), The Garden Museum (President), Morriston Orpheus Choir (Vice President), and The King's Foundation (Ambassador).Template:Cn

Honours and awards

Titchmarsh was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to horticulture and broadcasting and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2025 New Year Honours for services to horticulture and to charity <ref name="MBE">Template:London Gazette</ref> He was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the County of Hampshire in 2001.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In 2008, Titchmarsh served as High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1999 Titchmarsh was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (Hon. DSc) degree by the University of Bradford Hon D Univ. Essex 1999 Leeds Metropolitan 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was made Patron of Writtle College, a university college in Essex, in 2001 and had a building named after him at the college in 2011 (the 'Titchmarsh Centre for Animal Studies'). In 2004, he was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour, the highest award the RHS can bestow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Winchester, and in 2015 was designated as the Chancellor of the university, a post he held until 2022. He was honoured by the City of Westminster at a tree planting and plaque ceremony in 2011 and 2022. Among numerous other awards he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Garden Media Guild in 2004 and made an Honorary Fellow of the Society for the Environment in 2014. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

Bibliography

Non-fiction

Memoirs

Fiction

Poetry

  • Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles: A Gardener's Bedside Book, Hodder & Stoughton 2020 (Template:ISBN)

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1979–1984 Nationwide Gardening Expert
1984–1986 Breakfast Time Gardening Expert
1986 Open Air Co-Presenter
1987–1991 Daytime Live Presenter
1989–1994 Songs of Praise Presenter
2002 How To Be A Gardener Presenter
1983–2013 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Co-presenter
1991 Titchmarsh's Travels Presenter
1991–1996 Pebble Mill Presenter
1996–2002 Gardeners' World Presenter
1997–2002 Ground Force Presenter
2004 British Isles – A Natural History Presenter
2005 20th Century Roadshow Presenter
Gordon the Garden Gnome Voice of Gordon
2006 The Paul O'Grady Show Guest presenter 1 episode
2007 The Nature of Britain Presenter Documentary series
The Great British Village Show Presenter
2007–2014 The Alan Titchmarsh Show Presenter 15 series
2010 Popstar to Operastar Co-presenter Series 1; with Myleene Klass
2011—2023 Love Your Garden Co-presenter 8 series
2012 Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother Presenter One-off programme
2013 The Great British Winter Presenter
2014 The Queen's Garden Presenter Two-part series
2015 Britain's Best Back Gardens Presenter 1 series
Titchmarsh on Capability Brown Presenter Three Part documentary
2016–2017 Masterpiece with Alan Titchmarsh Co-presenter 2 series; with Rachel Houston-Holland
2016 Winnie-the-Pooh: The Most Famous Bear in the World Presenter One-off documentary
2017—2019 Secrets of the National Trust Presenter 2 series
2017 Royal Windsor Horse Show Live Presenter One-off special
Prince Philip: 70 Years of Service Presenter One-off special
2017—present Love Your Home and Garden Presenter 1 series
2020—present Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh Presenter 6 series
2021—2022 Alan Titchmarsh: Spring Into Summer Presenter 1 series<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021 Love Your Cottage Garden Special Presenter One-off special<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024 – present Alan Titchmarsh’s Gardening Club Presenter Two series<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

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