10 October 2023 , 09:30
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Builder Tommy Walsh has helped transform hundreds of gardens and properties for lucky homeowners over his two-decade long career, and while he's now the face of Homes Under The Hammer, it was another iconic makeover show that made his name.
Ground Force, which first aired in 1997, saw television presenter Tommy, alongside fellow hosts, celebrity builder Alan Titchmarsh and green-fingered maestro Charlie Dimmock, create dream landscapes. Although the trio became best friends filming the family-friendly gardening show, there were times behind-the-scenes when they didn't exactly see eye to eye. Once Alan infamously lost his rag with Tommy over sawdust - but they literally kissed and made up after the 'hairy' encounter.
Alan reportedly lost his rag with Tommy while filming Ground Force back in the day (Alamy Stock Photo)"When we first started filming we were polite to each other for the first two series but by the third series we were like family," explained Charlie to Hello! magazine in June 2021. "My main memory of Ground Force was laughing lots. It was the same team week in, week out, as well as the same production and crew. You know what it's like when you work with a team of people and you get on."
During one blazing row in 2000, the usually polite Alan reportedly lost his rag at Tommy while planting beds in a garden in Pitsea, Essex, after the DIY expert accidentally covered the soil with sawdust while sawing timber. In an interview with the Radio Times, Tommy revealed: "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."
Although the two men did manage to put the incident aside, Tommy admits it did create some tension. Recalling the aftermath of their fight, Tommy continued: "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."
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According to Alan, the one good thing to come out of the heated exchange was that it silenced their fellow host Charlie for a few moment. "She just kept her head down and fiddled with her water feature," he added. But they quickly put the incident to one side and remain friends to this day despite going off in their own separate directions.