Alan Titchmarsh gets through boring gardening chores listening to old TV songs

Alan Titchmarsh has revealed that his secret for ploughing through boring gardening chores is listening to old TV theme tunes.

The 75-year-old said he usually preferred the sounds of nature while gardening, but confessed to sometimes listening to retro theme tunes on his wireless headphones instead.

The gardener and broadcaster has cultivated a selection of television soundtracks to accompany his chores, with particular homage paid to the work of John Hess.

Mr Titchmarsh said “I do love a bit of nostalgia” as revealed he listened to the soundtrack from All Creatures Great and Small and the theme tunes to classic BBC TV shows.

Writing in BBC Gardeners World magazine, he said: “What do I listen to when the pleasing sounds of the earth have been replaced by those of manmade machines and I need a little solace?

“At the moment, in the garden through my AirPods – apart from Classic FM and BBC Radio 3?

“The Poor Clares’ latest supremely calming offering, My Peace I Give You, Alexandra Harwood’s music to the TV series All Creatures Great and Small and, well, an album of TV themes by Nigel Hess. I do love a bit of nostalgia.”

Titchmarsh said his headphones help him through tasks such as pot washing and weeding through paving slabs.

He said: “In a garden, when a boring task is under way these little bits of in-ear plastic do help to make the going easier, but they also preclude the enjoyment of the natural sounds of the earth – birdsong and the rustle of the breeze through the trees, the distant traffic, and the sound of a leaf blower, strimmer or rotary mower.

“Yes, they have their place those AirPods. Most of the time, I confess, I settle for empty ears and the sounds of the earth around me.”

The gardener also said people should not feel guilty for not adopting the “slugs are my friend” motto as he hit back at those who claim gardening is bad for the environment.

He said: “There are times when I and my fellow gardeners – the folk who love to grow plants and to beautify the landscape – are made to feel like cold-hearted brutes who care little for the planet.

“It’s all very well espousing the causes of No Mow May, rewilding and ‘slugs are our friends’, but that is to overlook the greater good that results from those of us who regard ourselves as sons and daughters of the soil.

“The trouble is that gardeners, by their very nature, are interventionists, but good gardeners ensure that their interventions are considered and thoughtful.

“I feel saddened when it’s suggested that the human race is unworthy of a place on the planet and that leaving the Earth to the devices and desires of plants and animals alone is the better course of action.

“An army of thoughtful gardeners is making a difference at local level and it’s time that was recognised.

“Garden ponds have helped frogs, toads and newts to survive when their natural habitats are destroyed.”