Alan Titchmarsh

Alan Titchmarsh is a gardener, writer and broadcaster. After studying and working at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, he went on to pursue a career in gardening journalism and has presented numerous gardening shows on radio and television, including the popular Ground Force with Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Walsh. The Alan Titchmarsh show is on ITV weekdays at 3pm. http://www.alantitchmarsh.com/

What was your biggest career break?

Greenfly invading Margate. I was asked to advise on suitable measures of control on the BBC Today programme on Radio 4. Someone from the early evening current affairs programme Nationwide heard me and asked me to appear on live TV that evening. That was in 1979 and they've not been able to get me off the screen since!

Have you had a notable mentor – and if so what was it about them that was so inspiring?

A junior school teacher called Harry Rhodes encouraged me to grow things when most other folk thought I wouldn't amount to much. I was a classic late developer. I remain enormously grateful for his faith and belief in me. It has made me endeavour to do the same for other children who are not necessarily academically inclined – especially at an early age.

What qualities to do you look for in the people you work with?

Enthusiasm, passion, a willingness to learn and good manners.

What one piece of advice would you give to the 20-year-old you?

You have as much right to be here as anybody else. Stop apologising and always trust your gut instincts. Tenacity and a belief in what you are doing will stand you in good stead. Not everybody will like you, but just make sure you can live happily with yourself and the consequences of your actions. That's what counts.

Who do you admire and why?

Alan Bennett, because he is good humoured, generous and tremendously perceptive. The Prince of Wales because of his dogged determination to make a difference in the face of criticism.

What does the future of your industry look like?

We are desperately short of skilled gardeners and landscapers – a legacy of short-sighted schools careers advisers who have for too long assumed that horticulture is a career suited only to those who are unfitted for anything else. It encompasses everything from plant breeding to art, design and media, tree surgery, green keeping, plant collecting and scientific research. In short, there are branches to suit all aptitudes and skill sets. And it's hugely stimulating as well as helping to ensure the survival of the human race both physically and spiritually.

If you hadn't chosen your current career, what would you have been?

What I am – a gardener and a writer.

What is your biggest extravagance?

Books. I have four or five thousand of them. It's enough!

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party and why? (you can invite three people – they must be alive)

Sir Ronald Harwood, Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judi Dench. I'd just listen.

What do you do to relax away from work?

I garden, I read, I go to the theatre (seldom the cinema) and I potter about on a small river boat.

If you could change one thing about Britain today, what would it be?

I would put into place a long-term plan to safeguard the future of the countryside and green spaces that was independent of political machinations. And I would initiate punitive fines for dropping litter.

What would your last meal be? (please choose a starter, a main course and a pudding)

Smoked salmon, for starters, roast pork with crispy crackling and roast potatoes, followed by sherry trifle or vanilla ice cream. All on round white plates with no dribbly bits on them.