Gardening icon and builder once had a fiery clash while filming Ground Force, and it was all sparked by sawdust.
Titchmarsh, 75, became a household name alongside fellow green-fingered expert Charlie Dimmock and builder Tommy Walsh after they starred on the gardening series together.
The show was a massive hit, with audiences of up to 12million tuning in to watch the team transform neglected gardens in just two days.
It also had a surprising effect on the popularity of decking, with DIY giant B&Q reporting a surge in sales from £5,000 in 1997 to a staggering £16 million by 2001.
Eight years on cemented friendships between the co-stars. Charlie Dimmock has fond memories of their time together, and has said: “When we first started filming we were polite to each other for the first two series but by the third series we were like family.
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Alan Titchmarsh and Tommy Walsh had one memorable clash while filming Ground Force (Image: PA)
“My main memory of Ground Force was laughing lots. It was the same team every week, as well as the same production and crew. You know what it’s like when you work with a team of people and you get on.”
Despite their close bond, tensions occasionally flared between the workers. One of their most memorable disputes took place in 2000 while filming a garden makeover in Pitsea, Essex.
Titchmarsh, who is usually known for his calm demeanour, was left furious when sawdust covered his freshly planted flower beds due to Tommy’s woodworking.
“Call me picky if you like but I like my Ground Force gardens to be pristine when we finish them,” Alan told Radio Times. “I do not get a thrill from seeing them covered in dandruff.”
Tommy was taken aback by Alan’s reaction, and later admitted: “For a while it did get a bit hairy.”
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Alan was not pleased when Tommy ‘ruined’ his flowerbeds (Image: Getty)
He was particularly frustrated since he was working tirelessly on the project, only to be criticized over some stray sawdust.
The row left momentarily speechless. Alan recalled: “She just kept her head down and fiddled with her water feature.” However, the tension didn’t last long. “When we’d both calmed down we actually kissed (yes) and made up,” Tommy laughed.
Despite their occasional spats, Alan, Tommy, and Charlie remained friends long after Ground Force ended. Many fans were disappointed when Alan announced his departure from the show in 2001, after feeling he had worked on enough episodes.
Thankfully he continued his television career – presenting Songs of Praise, hosting his own chat show, and even impressing audiences with his singing on All Star Musicals in 2019.
Recently he has been back on screens leading Love Your Garden, which helps create transformative outdoor spaces for those in need.
In the meantime Tommy has remained a regular on TV. He went on to head up several DIY and home improvement programs, such as Cowboys and Angels, Tommy’s Ultimate Workshop, and Flip That House with Tommy Walsh.
He has also written books, launched his own DIY brand, and even had a minor acting role in the film One. At the moment he co-presents Homes Under The Hammer and hosts the series Clean It, Fix It.
Charlie has also stayed active in the gardening world, hosting shows like The Joy of Gardening and Charlie’s Garden Army, as well as appearing on Celebrity MasterChef in 2006. She even made a surprise cameo in Hollyoaks in 2002.
She currently leads ‘s Garden Rescue and is still in touch with her former Ground Force colleagues.
Charlie told World of Cruising: “I haven’t seen them recently, but we’re still in contact. Occasionally we chat or bump into each other.”
“Tommy teases me that we’re getting old now, which is true, but we have loads of happy memories of filming lots and lots of laughter.”