3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Alan Titchmarsh's expletive one-word response to 'terrifying' Royal experience
Alan Titchmarsh has shared his terrifying experience of training with the Royal military, saying it was the 'biggest rush' of his life - but left him unable to speak
Veteran broadcaster and beloved gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh has shared the pulse-racing moment he was invited to join a high-speed Royal military training exercise - an event that left him gasping for air, lost for words, and on the verge of swearing.
In a frank discussion on the Talk Horse podcast, Alan reminisced about being asked to present two Royal-themed TV shows, All the Queen's Horses and All the Queen's Men. During the filming, he had the opportunity to ride alongside the Household Cavalry and the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery - experiences he found both thrilling and daunting.
Alan first mounted a horse called Waterford, which the Queen's groom Terry Pendry warned was particularly challenging. "Waterford? He's got five legs," Pendry quipped, hinting at the horse's unpredictable nature.
Adding to the challenge, Alan had to ride in boots sans spurs, unlike his soldier counterparts, which he admits felt somewhat embarrassing.
However, it was his stint with the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery that really put his mettle to the test, reports Gloucestershire Live.
During a practice session near Wormwood Scrubs, Alan was unexpectedly asked to join one of the gun carriage teams. Despite initial hesitation, he accepted the challenge.
Perched atop a horse named Mango - which he humorously suggested might reduce him to "chutney" - he assumed his role in the central pair, tasked with guiding a hefty gun carriage through intricate manoeuvres known as "the scissors," involving high-speed crisscrossing of horses and wheels.
"It started off all right," he reminisced. "We were trotting, then into a canter, and then a gallop. I'm thinking - and I'm sorry about this - but you know that word we use that begins with 'sh' and ends with 't'."
In a particularly tense moment, Titchmarsh lost his stirrups but, against the odds, remained mounted, flawlessly completing the routine. "We did the whole kit and caboodle, and I didn't come off," he remarked. "My heart must have been coming out here somewhere."
The military veterans present were taken aback by his performance. "The outriding sergeant turned to Bombardier Floyd - I'll never forget her name - and they looked at each other and said, 'We don't normally go that fast.'"
Alan's memorable day continued as he rode from Wormwood Scrubs to St John's Wood at a rising trot, forming part of an impressive six-horse procession that brought traffic to a standstill with its clinking harnesses and rumbling wheels.
"It was the biggest thrill... certainly the biggest rush of my life," he confessed. "I got to the end, and I couldn't speak. It was just the most wonderful experience."
However, the experience wasn't without its physical repercussions. "Then I had three months at the osteopath," he quipped, chuckling at the memory.
Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh is set to make a comeback on Sunday, July 20, featuring guests Selina Scott, Pixie Lott, and Tom Parker-Bowles.
