Alan Titchmarsh has said he won’t be reprising his role on Ground Force anytime soon. The 75-year-old broadcaster co-hosted the BBC gardening show with Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh from 1997 until his departure in 2002. 

Speaking to HELLO! in an exclusive chat about his new YouTube Channel, Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh, which launches this April, Alan explained that while he enjoyed his time on the show, the prospect of “lugging paving slabs around” at 75 isn’t tempting. 

“All three of us enjoyed doing it but it’s been 23 years since we did that,” Alan said of the makeover show, which saw a team of experts transform the garden of an individual who had been nominated by a member of their family or friend. 

“It was of its time, and I followed it up with Love Your Garden, which is making gardens for people whose lives were going to be turned around by it. So I’ve done that now I’m getting on,” continued Alan. “I’m still very fit and very spry but the prospect of lugging paving slabs around 75 is probably not a good idea.”

© Tony Sapiano/Shutterstock

“That was of its time but it’s lovely to have an opportunity with YouTube something fresh and new,” he added. 

On his new YouTube Channel, Alan will share a wealth of tips and ideas in weekly episodes filmed from his Hampshire garden that range from how-to videos to specific masterclasses and helpful and accessible advice for both new and experienced gardeners. 

On whether his former Ground Force co-star Charlie will be making an appearance on his channel, Alan said: “I don’t know. It will start off with just me, and then we’ll see what happens. Maybe I’ll get bored of my own company but the plan at the moment is for it just to be me.”

Of his friendship with Charlie, Alan added: “We bump into each other every now and again, we’re very fond of one another.”

© Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock

Alan is hoping to inspire a new generation of gardeners with his videos, which will simultaneously be shared on his Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok accounts. “I’m hopeful of garnering an audience which thinks, ‘Yeah, I can do this’,” Alan explained. 

“I want to show reliable ways of achieving success in growing things, whether it’s house plants or seeds or veg for a few salads,” said the TV star, who hopes his videos will “take away the mystery but keep the magic”. 

© ITV

“If I can get people hooked that way, in the same way I was from being a small boy, then job done,” he added. 

Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh launches on YouTube and other social media platforms this April.