Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE, DLis an English gardener, presenter, and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a gardening journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes. He has developed a diverse writing and broadcasting career...
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth2 May 1949
years worry people
I don't like people being rude. Bad manners and arrogance make me cross. People making others feel uncomfortable. And I really don't like it in restaurants when people are rude or patronising to waiters. I feel like saying, 'They're not your slave'. But my knees only shake around once every five years. You're safe, don't worry.
ancient ancient-history
I love Paris for its wide boulevards and cafes, and Rome for the ancient history, as seen at the Forum.
thinking car racing
I think I was always realistic - well, not the Percy thing, that was ridiculous - but I never dreamed of being a racing car driver or anything.
beautiful clothes interesting
Georgian England, to see those wonderful houses being built. And the clothes were interesting too, although I wouldn't want to wear a wig. It's also the most beautiful period of English landscape gardening. They had famous gardeners like Capability Brown.
dark winter owl
I had the heaviest paper round in Ilkley, West Yorks, and if you look at my shoulders one is still lower than the other. I also did a milk round for a day. It was awful. I was a very surly milkman, because it was very cold, very dark and very early. I am a lark, not an owl, but not in winter when it's chilly. Apart from that I went straight into gardening at 15.
appreciate people pity
I've covered a lot of the British countryside and the UK from top to bottom and side to side. It's such a pity more people don't appreciate what's on their doorstep.
growing-up carbon-emissions wish
I wish we could grow up about it, I'm sure we are contributing to global warming, and we must do all we can to reduce that, but our climate has always changed. The Romans had vineyards in Yorkshire. We're all on this bandwagon of 'Ban the 4x4 in Fulham'. Why didn't we have global warming during the Industrial Revolution? In those days you couldn't have seen across the street for all the carbon emissions and the crap coming out of the chimneys.
thinking people different
People think cruises are for old folk, but they are amazing, as you get to see so many places, and you're never stuck as you're docked in a different port every day.
garden be-kind kind
Be kind to your garden and be gentle on your back!
mean flying drink
Don't overdo the booze especially while flying - just because it's there doesn't mean you need to drink it. Everything in moderation.
wife bored lovely
I never get bored of my wife. It's lovely.
children things-in-life gardening
Gardening is, apart from having children, the most rewarding thing in life
dip people
I like to think of it as something that people can dip in and out of.
fun lovely forget
Airports - they're not my idea of fun at all. Some of the staff are lovely, but you do always get one or two that seem to forget that it's actually costing you a lot of money to be there and be insulted by their surliness. Times have obviously changed and we need to get used to being more strictly vetted, but they could be more pleasant about it. A smile wouldn't go amiss.