I write about romance, not sordid sex. I don’t go in for the naming of parts
As his 70th book is published, Alan Titchmarsh talks to HANNAH STEPHENSON about ‘dangerous’ social media and how making a difference starts on your own doorstep
ALAN Titchmarsh is having a rant. The TV presenter, gardening guru, bestselling author of romantic fiction and pal of the Prince of Wales believes social media is affecting society in a similar way to how bindweed invades beds and borders, choking its victims.
The no-nonsense Yorkshireman is here to discuss his latest novel, The Scarlet Nightingale, a tale of wartime derring-do in which a British woman, who finds herself working in intelligence, is sent to occupied France to help destroy an armaments factory making parts for German tanks.
His novels frequently take you back to a time of old-fashioned values and tender romance – a far cry from today’s in-your-face notions of love depicted in popular shows such as Love Island and First Dates – and this latest tale is no different.
So it is unsurprising that Alan, 69, laments that the age in which he grew up has long gone, as gentle communications have been replaced with stark text messaging and the onslaught of social media.
“I go on magazine programmes with people whose names I won’t mention, and they are tweeting in the ad breaks,” he says incredulously. “And I’m sitting there on the sofa like a lemon. That irritates me.”
And despite pleas from his publicists, he won’t be promoting any of his books or TV projects on social media because he refuses to engage with it.
“Social media makes people too introspective. It’s inward-looking, it’s all about ‘me’, it’s all about other people’s perception of you. The self-awareness that it fosters is too dangerous and introspective. It leads to terrible things like depression and people who feel like they’re not fitting in.”
The ex-Gardeners’ World presenter goes on to explain how his fictional characters’ traditional attitudes of courtesy, sensibility and judgment reflect his own.
“A lot of those attitudes are mine,” he admits, before relaying a story of his dismay on a recent visit to King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, when he saw a group of American students wearing baseball caps inside the cathedral.
“That really upset me. Then, I was at an event where the national anthem was played and there were men with hats on during the national anthem.
“I was telling this to somebody of my age – and they laughed at me for worrying about something so inconsequential. But I see it as the thin end of lack of consideration for other people’s feelings.
“The attitude is, it doesn’t really matter, does it? Well it does to me.
“It leads to larger things not mattering.” Checking himself, he smiles and adds: “Now, I’m starting to sound like my grandfather!”
Alan’s old-school attitude of having respect for other people’s sensibilities, coupled with good manners, might not endear him to all generations, but there’s a sincerity there that is evident in his writing.
His novels are nostalgic, gentle, chivalrous. He doesn’t swear, always leaves the nitty-gritty of sex to the reader’s imagination, and wouldn’t contemplate gratuitously violent scenes.
“I write about romance, not sordid sex. I don’t go in for the naming of parts. I find cruelty hard to portray. I’ve written about bereavement and loss of spouses, but couldn’t and wouldn’t do loss or harm to children. I write for pleasure. I don’t want to spend my days writing about sordid relationships.”
He also worries about the effect on society of what he sees as an ever-increasing deluge of online sensational news.
“Every night, that is fed to you – all doom and gloom and misery – and you forget to live, if you’re not careful.”
No wonder he loves the great outdoors so much.
“I think, without being funny, that gardening has kept me grounded. It’s real. The garden is an escape to reality.
“Keeping a sense of perspective and proportion today, what with news and social media, is fiendishly difficult because you can so easily become overwhelmed by tragedy.
“You end up feeling that you’re useless if you can’t make a difference.
“I concentrate on the bit outside your back door, where you can make a difference.”
There are three more Love Your Home And Garden episodes due in winter, and next year he’ll be presenting another series of ITV’s Love Your Garden and more Secrets Of The National Trust on Channel 5. Another novel will follow in 2020.
He’s had the summer off, spending time at his home in Hampshire and his bolthole on the Isle of Wight – but with a wealth of projects on the go, retirement doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
Part of the latest novel features diary entries from the fictional female protagonist. How did Alan approach writing from a woman’s point of view?
“Well, I’ve been married for 43 years (to Alison, a doctor) and I’ve two daughters who are grown up so I’ve lived with women a lot.
“I know we’re from different planets, which I’m frequently told, but I like to think that I’m sympathetic to people and in that respect, there are characteristics that overlap.
“I’m oversensitive about everything. I notice too much, I think too much but it cuts both ways. It makes you vulnerable to criticism.
“You feel things more rawly but it also gives you an ability to create an atmosphere,” Alan continues.
“All my heroes, and now my heroine, have a hell of a lot of me in them.”