Ground Force

Infobox Television
show_name = Ground Force


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genre = Lifestyle
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presenter = Alan Titchmarsh
Charlie Dimmock
Tommy Walsh
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country = UK
language = English
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producer = Endemol
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network = BBC
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first_aired = 19 September 1997
last_aired =
1 July 2005
preceded_by =
followed_by = Top Ground Gear Force
related = Ground Force America
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imdb_id = 0213345
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"Ground Force" was a BBC "lifestyle" or "makeover" television programme in which a team of gardeners descend on an individual's garden and remake it for the cameras within two days, against the clock, while that individual is lured away on some pretext. "Ground Force" premièred on September 19, 1997 and ended on July 1, 2005.

Repeats of Ground Force are currently shown on UKTV Gardens.

Alan Titchmarsh hosted the programme between 1998 and 2002 with his colleagues Charlie Dimmock (who gained much press attention for often working with a shirt, but no bra), Tommy Walsh and Will Shanahan.

Making its debut on July 29 2003 "Ground Force America" was the U.S. version of "Ground Force" with the same presenters.

The team also worked on a number of other special projects, including:
* a garden in memory of TV presenter Jill Dando in her home town of Weston-super-Mare [cite web | url= http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/flatfiles/jilldando/JillsGarden/GardenIndex.aspx | title= A memorial to Jill Dando | work= The Weston Mercury | accessdate= 2007-06-23 ]
* the New York Restoration Project garden near Ground Zero in New York [cite web | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2195473.stm | title= Ground Force creates NY tribute | work= BBC | date= 15 August 2002] | accessdate= 2007-11-07]
* an Old Servicemen's Home garden in Jamaica
* a Children's Home garden in New Delhi, India
* the home of ex-President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela [cite web | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/565013.stm | title= Mandela's green-fingered makeover | work= BBC | date= 14 December 1999] | accessdate= 2007-11-07]

After Titchmarsh's departure the other three continued as presenters with Kirsty King joining the team as well. They also filmed new, five-minute segments to be appended onto repeats of earlier episodes, revisiting the gardens concerned to surprise the owners and see how the gardens had developed.

The Ground Force team's grand finale was aired in July 2005. The final episode 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, [cite web | url= http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/africa/an_africa_garden/africa_garden_the_sculptures.aspx | title= An Africa Garden | work= British Museum | accessdate= 2007-11-07] the biggest celebration of African culture ever organised in the UK. The design of the garden features temperate, tropical and desert zones.

An Australian version of "Ground Force" was aired in the early 2000s on the Seven Network. An American version was inspired and produced for BBC America as "Ground Force America"

Top Ground Gear Force

On March 14, 2008 "Top Gear" "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. [ [http://www.topgear.com/content/news/stories/2665/ Top Gear: Top Garden Ground Gear Force] ] A similar special was aired in 2007 humouring cancelled music show Top of the Pops called Top Gear of the Pops.

See also

*"Backyard Blitz"
*"Mucking In"

References

External links

* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A503902%20|%20Number%3A532681%20|%20Number%3A532682;querytype=;resCount=10 "Ground Force"] at the National Film and Sound Archive
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/gforce_africagarden.shtml Ground Force Africa Garden]