Alan Titchmarsh is to front a rival to BBC’s Countryfile on ITV – aimed at viewers who do not like Sunday morning politics or cookery shows.
Love Your Weekend, which goes head-to-head with The Andrew Marr Show is being billed as a celebration of “all that is great about the British countryside, art, crafts, manufacturing and produce”.
Gardener Titchmarsh said: “It seemed to me it’s such an obvious gap on a weekend morning, where it’s either politics or cooking and you might not want either at the weekend, good as they are.”
One feature of the series is a Tree of the Week slot – the first of which sees Birds of a Feather actress Lesley Joseph hailing the beech as “Britain’s sexiest tree”.
Titchmarsh said: “It’s a rather nifty way of inspiring people to get to know about trees.
“It’s rather fun, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”
It will also include a bit of “slow TV” – set to classical music chosen by Titchmarsh himself.
He explained: “One of them is just a thatcher thatching a roof.
“I think if it gives people an understanding and an appreciation in a palatable way, that’s a really good thing. We need so much positivity at the moment because each day seems to bring its own woes.”
The show will also include gardening tips, and Titchmarsh said lockdown had introduced people to the delights of growing plants and vegetables.
“Being able to tend something is a basic instinct that we all have - it’s just covered up rather more deeply in some than others.”
- Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh will first air on September 6 on ITV at 9.25am.
