Alan Titchmarsh's Biography

Alan Titchmarsh left school with one O'Level in Art and became an apprentice gardener in Ilkley's Parks Department from 1964 to 1968, and a few years later was supervisor of staff training at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Titchmarsh left in 1974 and became an assistant editor of gardening books at Hamlyn, before going on to be Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine.

From 1979 he became a freelance writer and broadcaster with significant contributions to amongst other publications: Woman's Own, The Daily Mail, the Daily and Sunday Express, Radio Times, Homes & Gardens, BBC Gardener's World Magazine and Gardenlife.

Alan Titchmarsh has written more than 40 gardening books, including the best-seller How to be a Gardener. He has also written novels such as Mr MacGregor, The Last Lighthouse Keeper, Only Dad, and Rosie.

In 2002 Titchmarsh published his memoirs, Trowel and Error and in 2006 he released Nobbut a Lad about his Yorkshire childhood.

It is as a broadcaster, however, that Alan Titchmarsh is best known. Programmes that he has fronted include Points of View, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh's Travels, and Ask the Family.

He was the main presenter of Gardeners' World from 1996 to 2002, and together with Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh, Titchmarsh presented Ground Force (1997-2003). The series was hugely popular, but was attacked by Eric Robson of Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time as 'shallow'.

In 2004 Alan Titchmarsh presented 'The Natural History of the British Isles'.

Alan Titchmarsh has won awards for both his writing and his broadcasting. Twice named Gardening Writer of the Year and voted Television Personality Of The Year four years in a row by the Garden Writers Guild (1997-2000), Alan Titchmarsh was awarded the MBE in 2000.

In 2007, Alan Titchmarsh took over from Sheridan Morley as host of Radio 2's Sunday night show, Melodies For You.

As well as Melodies For You, Titchmarsh was continuing various work for the BBC, for example, TV coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show, however in March 2007 it was announced that Alan Titchmarsh was to present his own daytime chat show on ITV1.

Alan Titchmarsh revealed to The Guardian that he wouldn't miss the magazine Country Life for anything and thinks Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue is brilliant.

In 2010 Alan Titchmarsh was the co-presenter with Myleene Klass of ITV1's Popstar to Operastar.

On 15 January 2010, the BBC announced that Alan Titchmarsh was returning to BBC2 to present a four-part series, Alan's Garden Secrets, in which he visits some of Britain's most spectacular showpiece gardens.

On 3 February 2011, ITV announced that they had signed a new deal with Alan Titchmarsh for him not only to present a range of daytime and factual programming for ITV1, but also to work with the broadcaster to develop Alan Titchmarsh brands across a range of consumer products.

In 2011, Alan Titchmarsh left Radio 2 and shortly afterwards, signed up to present a Saturday morning show on Classic FM.

In 2016, he became the host of the ITV antiques gameshow Masterpiece (which he also devised). In the same year, he hosted the ITV series Love Your Garden.

In 2019, he hosted Secrets of the National Trust on Channel Five.