Telly talk: Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh exclusive
Gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh has been giving us tips on how to transform our gardens for over 30 years. But now he’s decided to tackle homes, too, in his brand-new show Love Your
Home And Garden. Here the star, 68, tells us more…
So this is Love Your Garden with a twist. What can you tell us about it?
Again lots of fascinating folk and some fairly dramatic house makeovers. It’s not just wallpaper and paint, it’s walls, backs of houses and conservatories, too.
Is there one story from this series that is particularly inspiring?
We’ve done the first British triple amputee from Afghanistan and his young family. We find out exactly what they’d need doing to change their lives, but it still doesn’t make the reveal any less traumatic for me.
So you still get nervous about the big reveal at the end of the show? Yeah my heart’s going because it’s dramatic. You tamper with people’s territory at your peril. You want to get it right. I’m a perfectionist and it’s a rod for your own back if it doesn’t look quite right and isn’t good enough.
Do you still enjoy your own garden? Yes it’s a lovely country garden and whenever I’m at home I’m out there. For me it’s not a job, gardening is a life or a vocation. It’s the best thing, it’s my therapy, it relieves stress and tension.
You’ve met the Queen many times, has she ever asked you for gardening tips? No, she’s more knowledgeable than people give her credit for. She knows a fair few old Latin names! She’s great company, with a dry sense of humour and astonishing stamina. I like her a lot.