Ground Force
Encyclopedia
Ground Force was a British garden makeover television series originally broadcast by the BBC
between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh
, Charlie Dimmock
and Tommy Walsh and was produced by Endemol
for the BBC.
and was first broadcast on 19 September 1997 on BBC Two
. In each episode, a team of gardeners make over the garden of an individual who has been nominated by a member of their family or a friend. Whilst that individual is away, the team, assisted by friends and family, make over the garden over two days, and surprise the individual on their return. The team was led by Alan Titchmarsh
, presenter of Pebble Mill at One
and Gardeners' World
, gardener Charlie Dimmock, builder Tommy Walsh and his assistant Will Shanahan. Dimmock met the producer–director of the series five years previously when she built a pond for the Meridian
series Grass Roots, and she became known for not wearing a bra
. Walsh was invited to take part after completing work on the executive producer's garden.
The series moved to BBC One
for the second series. Titchmarsh left in 2002, saying that he felt the series was becoming repetitive and because he wasn't able to work with materials like stainless steel and do intricate brickwork patterns due to time and money constraints. Kirsty King joined the team after Titchmarsh left.
A number of new five-minute segments were filmed for Ground Force Revisited and appended onto repeats of earlier episodes, where Dimmock and Walsh revisited the garden concerned to surprise the owners and see how the gardens had developed.
The series was credited with helping the increase in sales of garden decking
in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to its use during the series. Retailer B&Q
had sales rise from £5,000 in 1997 to £16 million in 2001. In an interview in the Daily Mail
, Titchmarsh said: "I am partly to blame for the decking boom, and I am sorry, I know it's everywhere these days."
The series was cancelled in 2005. Describing its cancellation, BBC Director-General Mark Thompson
said that the series was "reaching the end of its natural life" and that "the public do get very cross when they see the BBC flogging a dead horse".
At its peak, the series attracted 12 million viewers. Repeats of Ground Force are currently shown on Home.
, and included the following pieces:
The team worked on a number of other special projects, including:
The Ground Force team's final episode was aired in July 2005. It took place in the forecourt of the British Museum
in London, where the team designed and created the Africa Garden as part of the Africa 05 celebration, the biggest celebration of African culture organised in the UK. The design of the garden features temperate, tropical and desert zones.
In 2000 the producers sought legal advice after accusing the Nine Network
in Australia of producing a "carbon copy" of Ground Force entitled Backyard Blitz
. A legitimate Australian version of Ground Force was already in production, and aired shortly after on the Seven Network
. While this version of Ground Force was short lived, Backyard Blitz continued on until 2007.
Ground Force America is the American version, presented by Dimmock and Walsh. It began airing in 2003 on BBC America
, and it was the channels first original production. The channel had been airing the UK version since 1999.
"resurrected" Ground Force in a Sport Relief
special called Top Ground Gear Force where the presenters of Top Gear conducted a Ground Force style show on Sir Steve Redgrave's
garden.
Specials
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
between 1997 and 2005. The series was originally hosted by Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
, Charlie Dimmock
Charlie Dimmock
Charlie Dimmock is an English gardening expert and TV presenter. She was one of the team on Ground Force, a BBC gardening makeover programme.-Early years:...
and Tommy Walsh and was produced by Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
for the BBC.
Production
The series was created by Peter BazalgettePeter Bazalgette
Peter "Baz" Bazalgette is a British media expert who helped create the independent TV production sector in the UK and went on to be the leading creative figure in the global TV company Endemol....
and was first broadcast on 19 September 1997 on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. In each episode, a team of gardeners make over the garden of an individual who has been nominated by a member of their family or a friend. Whilst that individual is away, the team, assisted by friends and family, make over the garden over two days, and surprise the individual on their return. The team was led by Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
, presenter of Pebble Mill at One
Pebble Mill at One
Pebble Mill at One was a popular British lunchtime chat show broadcast live originally on BBC2 before transferring to BBC1. It was produced from the Pebble Mill facilities of BBC Birmingham, and uniquely was hosted from the centre's main reception area rather than a traditional studio...
and Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World
Gardeners' World is a long-running BBC television programme about gardening that continues to this day. Its first episode was filmed in 1968, presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. The magazine BBC Gardeners' World is a tie-in to the programme. Most of its episodes have...
, gardener Charlie Dimmock, builder Tommy Walsh and his assistant Will Shanahan. Dimmock met the producer–director of the series five years previously when she built a pond for the Meridian
Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited....
series Grass Roots, and she became known for not wearing a bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
. Walsh was invited to take part after completing work on the executive producer's garden.
The series moved to BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
for the second series. Titchmarsh left in 2002, saying that he felt the series was becoming repetitive and because he wasn't able to work with materials like stainless steel and do intricate brickwork patterns due to time and money constraints. Kirsty King joined the team after Titchmarsh left.
A number of new five-minute segments were filmed for Ground Force Revisited and appended onto repeats of earlier episodes, where Dimmock and Walsh revisited the garden concerned to surprise the owners and see how the gardens had developed.
The series was credited with helping the increase in sales of garden decking
Deck (building)
In architecture, a deck is a flat surface capable of supporting weight, similar to a floor, but typically constructed outdoors, often elevated from the ground, and usually connected to a building...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to its use during the series. Retailer B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
had sales rise from £5,000 in 1997 to £16 million in 2001. In an interview in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, Titchmarsh said: "I am partly to blame for the decking boom, and I am sorry, I know it's everywhere these days."
The series was cancelled in 2005. Describing its cancellation, BBC Director-General Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
said that the series was "reaching the end of its natural life" and that "the public do get very cross when they see the BBC flogging a dead horse".
At its peak, the series attracted 12 million viewers. Repeats of Ground Force are currently shown on Home.
Music
The theme music for the series was performed by the Black Dyke BandBlack Dyke Band
The Black Dyke Band, formerly the Black Dyke Mills Band, is one of the oldest and best-known brass bands in the world. The band has won many prizes and competitions over the years...
, and included the following pieces:
- Ground Force Theme—played during the show's opening and closing.
- The Titchmarsh Warbler—a fast tempo piece usually played during the rush to complete the garden.
- Lament of the Dandelion—played near the end of the show as Titchmarsh surveyed the completed garden.
Specials
- a garden in memory of TV presenter Jill DandoJill DandoJill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
in her home town of Weston-super-MareWeston-super-MareWeston-super-Mare is a seaside resort, town and civil parish in the unitary authority of North Somerset, which is within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury... - the New York Restoration Project garden near Ground ZeroGround zeroThe term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
in New York - an Old Servicemen's Home garden in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
- a Children's Home garden in New Delhi, India
- the home of former President of South Africa, Nelson MandelaNelson MandelaNelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in London, where the team designed and created the Africa Garden as part of the Africa 05 celebration, the biggest celebration of African culture organised in the UK. The design of the garden features temperate, tropical and desert zones.
International versions
A New Zealand version of Ground Force aired on TV One from 1998-2003. It was titled Firth Ground Force, named after a local concrete and masonry company.In 2000 the producers sought legal advice after accusing the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
in Australia of producing a "carbon copy" of Ground Force entitled Backyard Blitz
Backyard Blitz
Backyard Blitz was an Logie Award winning Australian lifestyle and DIY television program that aired on the Nine Network between 2000 through to 2007 before its cancellation...
. A legitimate Australian version of Ground Force was already in production, and aired shortly after on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. While this version of Ground Force was short lived, Backyard Blitz continued on until 2007.
Ground Force America is the American version, presented by Dimmock and Walsh. It began airing in 2003 on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
, and it was the channels first original production. The channel had been airing the UK version since 1999.
Top Ground Gear Force
On 14 March 2008, Top GearTop Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
"resurrected" Ground Force in a Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
special called Top Ground Gear Force where the presenters of Top Gear conducted a Ground Force style show on Sir Steve Redgrave's
Steve Redgrave
Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave CBE is an English rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold medals...
garden.
Episodes
Nearly 100 episodes were produced and shown:- Series 1: 8 editions from 19 September 1997 - 7 November 1997
- Series 2: 12 editions from 30 June 1998 - 1 October 1998
- Series 3: 4 editions from 12 February 1999 - 5 March 1999
- Series 4: 6 editions from 15 October 1999 - 19 November 1999
- Series 5: 6 editions from 10 March 2000 - 14 April 2000
- Series 6: 5 editions from 6 October 2000 - 26 November 2000
- Series 7: 5 editions from 22 April 2001 - 27 May 2001
- Series 8: 6 editions from 7 January 2002 - 18 February 2002
- Series 9: 4 editions from 2 September 2002 - 23 September 2002
- Series 10: 6 editions from 27 January 2003 - 13 March 2003
- Series 11a: 7 editions from 1 March 2004 - 23 June 2004
- Series 11b: 5 editions from 6 December 2004 - 17 January 2005
- Series 12: 8 editions from 24 January 2005 - 21 March 2005
Specials
- Mandela Special: 2 January 2000
- When Changing Rooms Met Ground Force: 12 February 2000
- When Changing Rooms Met Ground Force 2: 24 October 2000
- RAF Special: 11 December 2000
- India Special: 18 April 2001
- A Garden for Jill Dando: 24 August 2001
- Goes West Indies: 3 March 2002
- Goes South Atlantic: Falklands: 16 June 2002
- New York: 25 August 2002
- The Italian Job: 5 December 2002
- Goes Festive: 25 December 2002
- Does Mardi Gras: 21 April 2003
- Ground Force America: 7 editions from 21 July 2003 - 8 September 2003
- Goes to Ethiopia: 29 December 2003
- Ground Force America 2: 5 editions from 5 July 2004 - 2 August 2004
- On the Road to Marrakech: 29 December 2004
- A Garden for Africa '05 : 24 July 2005
External links
- Ground Force at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Ground Force Africa Garden
- Ground Force broadcast information