Alan Titchmarsh has criticised the ITV drama Grantchester for its use of artificial wisteria, calling it 'awful, false and artificial' during an interview on his show Love Your Weekend. The 75-year-old gardening expert made the comments while speaking to actors Tessa Peake-Jones and Rishi Nair, who have starred in the series.
Titchmarsh said the wisteria outside the vicarage 'drives him nuts' and insisted viewers would be able to tell it was not real. He compared it unfavourably to the flora in Bridgerton, which he also described as 'awful'. Peake-Jones, who played Mrs Chapman for a decade, suggested the public might not notice, but Titchmarsh was unconvinced.
Rishi Nair, who currently plays vicar Alphy Kotteram, acknowledged that the criticism was not new. Titchmarsh pointed out that wisteria does not flower all year round, typically blooming only in May or June, and noted that the fake plant would appear in the upcoming tenth series.
Grantchester is set in the 1950s and follows a clergyman who investigates crimes alongside detective inspector Geordie Keating. The role of the detective vicar has previously been played by Tom Brittney and James Norton.
