Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Fred Titchmarsh was born on 2 May 1949 in Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.^[1][2][3] He is the son of Bessie (née Hardisty), a textile mill worker, and Alan Titchmarsh senior, a plumber.^[4] 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.^[5][6] 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.^[5]

In 1977 Titchmarsh began his career in broadcasting as a gardening expert on BBC Radio 4 You and Yours and The Today Programme. 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.^[6]

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.^[7]

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.^[6][8] 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

Titchmarsh voiced the title character in Gordon the Garden Gnome, a cartoon series for the CBeebies channel.^[9]

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.^[10] 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.^[11] 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 Winter. In the same year, he responded to complaints that older women were discriminated against on television by stating he would like to hear less "whingeing". "They don't complain in their early days when they are disporting themselves on sports cars", he stated in an interview with The Observer.^[12] This drew criticism from media figures who had been protesting against the difficulties faced by older women in the media, including from Miriam O'Reilly, winner of an age discrimination case against the BBC.^[13][14] In 2014 he presented The Queen's Garden, a two-part series for ITV, that was filmed over one year.^[15] In 2015 Titchmarsh presented Britain's Best Back Gardens.^[16] 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.^[17]

In March 2024 it was widely reported in the UK press that Titchmarsh's trousers were censored on Korean Central Television (North Korea television).^{[18][19][20][21][22]} 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."

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).

Titchmarsh married Alison in 1975 and they have two children.^[23][24] Polly married David Allen in July 2010, and Camilla married Ross Whelehan in August 2012.^[25] In 2002 he and his wife moved into a grade II listed Georgian Hampshire farmhouse, with a garden of 4 acres (1.6 ha).^[26][27] He also has a coastal home, near Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where he spends about a third of the year.^[28]

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.^[29] In 2011 he participated in an Elm Tree Planting Ceremony to promote urban greening in London.^[30][31] He returned to the Marylebone and Fitzrovia area to plant a project's 1000th new tree in 2022.^[32][33]

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 ^[39] He was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of the County of Hampshire in 2001.^[40] In 2008, Titchmarsh served as High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.^[41]

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.^[42] 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.^[43] 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.^[44][33]