Alan Titchmarsh
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MINI-BIOG
You'll be back on our screens in June presenting Saving Planet Earth, a BBC series on green issues and endangered species. Obviously it's a subject close to your heart, but what kind of personal efforts do you make to be environmentally friendly?
"I plant a lot of trees and I'm an organic gardener. Because I don't spray chemicals in my garden it's teeming with wildlife. And that doesn't just mean birds and hedgehogs: wildlife is bugs, bacteria, fungi - all of which are an important part of the living planet."
And have you seen any signs of global warming
in your garden?
"Any gardener is noticing a shift in the seasons and the fact that we have winters which are milder. I have had olive trees in tubs in my garden in Hampshire for five years now."
Your new series seems to be following something of a trend, with other famous faces, such as Selena Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio, also getting involved in broadcasting about how our world is changing. Do you think we will see more of this kind of programming?

"I hope we'll see a lot more programming that can make a difference. It's time the guilt trip ended and the positive reaction set in. We need to make sure that our concern for the environment is demonstrated in positive action now. People taking care of things, rather just sounding off and feeling guilty about driving a four-by-four."
So can celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz make a difference by getting involved in eco concerns?
"They have a capacity to raise awareness and make people take notice who wouldn't necessarily have done so. It raises the profile of causes when celebrities get involved."
Saving Planet Earth consciously uses high-profile names rather than experts in the field. Were the celebrities assigned tasks according to their own personal interests?

"They were asked if they would do something that was thought to be appropriate to them. Graham Norton has never expressed an interest in Ethiopian wolves but he has a dog he's very fond of! Some of them were rather amusing connections, nevertheless the celebrities really had their eyes open and the phrase you kept hearing from them when they got back was "life-changing".
The programme follows celebrities to some far-flung places. Were you able to see any of this conservation work first hand?
"I'm the anchor man at this end, but over the years I've been to different places and am fairly well-travelled I've been to the Costa Rican rain forest and so on, but not for these particular films."
Your latest book Love And Dr Devon is about three men with woman trouble. Do you borrow from real life or is it all imagination?
"That's for me to know and you to wonder! All novelists use a lot of their personal experiences and a lot of vicarious experiences as well. You put yourself in your character's shoes obviously, but I don't think anyone ever accused PD James of being a murderess even though she writes murder mysteries."
You've been on such a wide range of programmes how do you balance this by staying true to your first love, gardening?

"I don't set out to make sure that I'm still seen as a gardening expert. Being a presenter I get asked to do a lot of different things. I'm lucky in that a lot of my hobbies have become part of my career as well. I don't say I'm brilliant at it, but goodness me I love doing it."

You've been broadcasting for 30 years. How do you manage to come up with fresh ideas?

"I've always been very alive to my senses - whether its things that grow, landscape, music art. I've always been thrilled by stimulation and that for me is the secret of enjoying your job. As Noel Coward said: 'Work is more fun than fun'."
With an MBE and a Madame Tussauds waxwork to your name, what challenges do you see ahead?

"Waking up every morning is a new challenge, another 24 hours. To keep being stimulated and to keep being interested."

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