The BBC’s Chelsea Flower Show coverage in 2014 will not feature Alan Titchmarsh – for the first time in 30 years. Producers are revamping their coverage of the event and the gardening guru has decided to step back, with newsreader Sophie Raworth and Gardeners’ World host Monty Don joining the action on BBC1 and BBC2.
They join regulars like Joe Swift, Carol Klein and Rachel de Thame for more than 12 hours of broadcasts, including live coverage from the show ground of the prestigious flower event. Titchmarsh said he has enjoyed his three decades presenting the BBC’s Chelsea Flower Show coverage and offered his best wishes to those joining the team.
The move effectively signals the end of a long association with the BBC for the 64-year-old Yorkshireman, as Chelsea was his last big commitment with the broadcaster. Titchmarsh, who left BBC2′s Gardeners’ World in 2002, now fronts an afternoon chat show on ITV and also hosts a series on Classic FM following his departure from Radio 2.
Raworth, who also joins Andy Sturgeon, Chris Beardshaw and Toby Buckland for the 101st instalment of the horticultural spectacle, said: “I am delighted and honoured to be a part of the Chelsea 2014 team.
“I grew up in a family of very keen gardeners so know something about the joys and sheer hard work that go in to creating such beautiful places.”
