Tommy Walsh, the garden builder who rose to fame on the BBC show Ground Force alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock, has revealed he once fell out with his co-star over a tiny infraction on set. The 66-year-old London-born father of three described the moment tensions flared and how the pair eventually made up with a literal kiss.
Sawdust row on set
The disagreement happened while Tommy was sawing timber, accidentally covering the flowerbeds in sawdust, which visibly angered Alan. Tommy recalled the incident, saying: "Call me picky if you like but I like my Ground Force gardens to be pristine when we finish them. I do not get a thrill from seeing them covered in dandruff."
Tommy added: "For a while, it did get a bit hairy. But when we'd both calmed down we actually kissed (yes) and made up. What made me cross was that I was working flat out to get everything ready and here was Alan moaning about a bit of stray sawdust."
Chemistry and success
The pair quickly put the incident aside and remain friends to this day, despite going in separate directions. Alan credited the show's success to the chemistry he had with both co-stars, telling Country Life Magazine: "I think the first programme was the best and the fact that it really took off. When they repeated the first episode, it got 12 million viewers - the highest figures were on repeat! All three of us just really gelled - me, Charlie and Tommy - from the very beginning. It really worked - a bit of telly chemistry if you will."
