Five little-known Ground Force facts

Fact one
Alan takes some responsibility for the UK's unhealthy fixation with decking! In an interview with the Daily Mail he said: "I am partly to blame for the decking boom and I'm sorry. I know it's everywhere these days. It's a new surface that people haven't used before. But after five years, I do feel like I've been repeating myself with the decking. Things have gone too far!"

Fact two
In 1999, Ground Force was the second best-rating BBC show after Eastenders, winning over 12 million viewers.

Fact two
A survey conducted by Safeway in 2002 found that more women would prefer to have a picnic with Alan Titchmarsh than David Beckham! Jonathan Ross came third, Hugh Grant fourth and Gareth Gates fifth. Alan said he was flattered adding: "I'd love to take Dame Judi Dench on my ideal picnic which would be eating smoked salmon and quail's eggs and drinking chilled Sauvignon on a gondola in Venice."

Fact three
Charlie's real name is Charlotte Elouise Dimmock but if you think having her name shortened to Charlie must be terrible for her, you should know - she got off lightly! Charlie's mother wanted to call her Daffodil or Dandelion, or Virgil if she was a boy. Charlie's father preferred the more conservative Elizabeth - dull, but beats Dandelion Dimmock any day!

Fact four
Charlie Dimmock once starred in a show called Cheer For Charlie - a one hour special where she joined the circus to become a trapeze artist. She trained for three months with the Romanian trapeze troupe The Flying Ciobanu.

Fact five
Tommy left school to work with his father, manufacturing garden products and hard landscaping. He met the executive producer of Ground Force while doing building work on her house. She was so impressed by his knowledge that she invited him to join the Ground Force Team!