Alan Titchmarsh says he was hurt when the ended his 30-year run fronting the Chelsea Flower Show and handed the role to Monty Don. He said he had been offered a limited part in the 2014 coverage and stepped away after what he called an offer he had to refuse.
The change matters because Titchmarsh had been the familiar face of the 's Chelsea coverage from 1983 to 2013, a long stretch that made the handover more than a routine presenting shuffle. He said the audience enjoyed seeing him do it as much as he enjoyed doing it, and that is why the loss landed so hard.
In an interview, Titchmarsh said: “Yes, I suppose I was hurt, because I know people enjoy you doing it as much as I loved doing it.” He added that the probably felt it was time for a change and “may well be right.”
He also addressed the question of whether he had been pushed aside for Don, who took over the Chelsea Flower Show presenting job. “Was I dumped for Monty Don? You might say that. I couldn't possibly comment. I don't feel dumped,” he said, before adding: “I'm not bitter. I was disappointed but I'm not a grudge bearer.”
A spokeswoman said the Chelsea coverage changed for 2014 and that Alan decided to step away from the next year's show. The phrasing leaves the central dispute untouched: Titchmarsh says he was hurt and effectively forced into the decision, while the corporation presents it as a planned change in the programme’s direction.
The handover also fit a familiar pattern in gardening television. Don had already stepped in when Titchmarsh left Gardeners' World after six years in 2003, and Titchmarsh himself had once suggested Don as the right successor, saying: “You need an anchorman and I think your best bet is Monty Don.” For viewers, the new era had already begun; for Titchmarsh, the parting still stung.
