36 Facts About Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Fred Titchmarsh HonFSE was born on 2 May 1949 and is an English gardener, broadcaster, TV presenter, poet, and novelist.

Alan Titchmarsh has developed a diverse writing and broadcasting career.

Alan Fred Titchmarsh was born on 2 May 1949 in Ilkley, West Riding of Yorkshire, England.

Alan Titchmarsh is the son of Bessie, a textile mill worker, and Alan Fred Titchmarsh senior, a plumber.

In 1964, after leaving school at 15, with one O-level in Art, Titchmarsh went to work as an apprentice gardener with Ilkley Council, before leaving in 1968, at 18, for Shipley Art and Technology Institute in Shipley in the West Riding of Yorkshire to study for a City and Guilds in horticulture.

Alan 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 to study for a Diploma in Horticulture.

Alan Titchmarsh left to pursue a career in gardening journalism in 1974.

Alan Titchmarsh appeared on other BBC shows, such as Breakfast Time and Open Air as either a guest presenter or as a gardening expert.

In 1991, Alan Titchmarsh was brought in to host the long-running BBC television talk show Pebble Mill, which he did until its cancellation in 1996.

In 1996, Alan Titchmarsh took over as host of another long-running BBC series, Gardeners' World, the show being filmed in his own garden.

Away from gardening, Alan Titchmarsh has had spells presenting Songs of Praise and a series of programmes on BBC Radio 2 in which he played a selection of light classical music, as well as a BBC nature documentary series, British Isles - A Natural History.

Alan Titchmarsh has appeared in an advertisement for the Yorkshire Tourist Board as part as of a series which included contributions from other Yorkshire-born celebrities including Brian Blessed, Melanie Brown, Darren Gough and Brian Turner.

In 2007 Alan Titchmarsh hosted The Great British Village Show, in which gardeners and cooks from all over Britain competed to be the best at growing pumpkins, runner beans and tomatoes, and at knitting, baking cakes and making jam.

In 2010 Alan Titchmarsh presented the first series of Popstar to Operastar with Myleene Klass.

In spring 2013 Alan Titchmarsh was a reporter on BBC Two programme The Great British Winter.

In December 2014 Alan Titchmarsh presented a two-part series for ITV called The Queen's Garden that was filmed over a time period of one year.

In February 2016, Alan Titchmarsh began presenting the daytime game show Masterpiece for ITV.

In 1988 Alan Titchmarsh was offered a slot on BBC Radio 2 hosting a gardening show with Gloria Hunniford called House in a Garden.

In January 2006, Alan Titchmarsh was given a permanent slot on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday evenings with the show "Melodies for you" consisting of light classical and popular music, following the traditional style of Sunday-night broadcasting on Radio 2.

Alan Titchmarsh has been married to Alison since 1975 and they have two children.

Away from horticulture, Alan Titchmarsh has been involved with the Cowes inshore lifeboat, where he was patron until 2008, and with the National Maritime Museum, where he was a trustee until December 2008.

In 2004 Alan Titchmarsh became the president of Perennial, officially known as the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society.

In 2010 Alan Titchmarsh became president of the plant conservation charity Plant Heritage.

Alan Titchmarsh returned to the Marylebone and Fitzrovia area to plant a project's 1000th new tree in 2022.

Alan Titchmarsh moved to his home, a grade II listed Georgian farmhouse in Hampshire, in 2002.

Alan Titchmarsh has a coastal home, near Cowes on the Isle of Wight, where he spends about a third of the year.

Alan Titchmarsh was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to horticulture and broadcasting.

Alan Titchmarsh was made a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Hampshire in 2001.

In 2008, Alan Titchmarsh served as High Sheriff of the Isle of Wight.

In 1999, Alan Titchmarsh was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Bradford.

Alan Titchmarsh was made Patron at Writtle College, a university college in Essex, in 2001 and had a building named after him at the college in 2011.

Alan Titchmarsh was honoured by the City of Westminster at a tree planting and plaque ceremony in 2011 and 2022.

Alan Titchmarsh has launched his own range of gardening tools, developed in conjunction with manufacturer Bulldog Tools.

Alan Titchmarsh has worked with Digitalis Media to launch "Gardeners' Heaven", the online retail arm of his website, which supplies his tools as well as other popular gardening products.

Alan Titchmarsh played the Pope in Sister Act: The Musical at the Minack Theatre, Porthcurno, Cornwall in the BROS Theatre Company Production on 29 May 2019.

Alan Titchmarsh appeared in the final act of the show.