ITV has commissioned a 12-part gardening series developed from Middlechild Productions’ digital-first YouTube channel Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh.
My Year In A Cottage Garden With Alan Titchmarsh will follow the presenter as he draws on his experience to revive a long-established cottage garden, introducing new features and revitalising its beds and borders over 12 months.
The 12 x 30-minute series will combine material created for the YouTube channel with original footage, new presenter links and voiceover. It is due to air on ITV in 2027, with Passion Distribution representing the programme internationally.
The commission provides a notable example of a producer using YouTube to establish an original format and demonstrate audience demand before securing a television order and international distribution.
Launched in 2025, Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh has attracted more than 500,000 followers across its social media accounts, including 185,000 YouTube subscribers. Its content has generated more than 100 million views worldwide.
Titchmarsh said: “I’ve been delighted and astonished by the success of my YouTube channel and am even more chuffed that it will be spreading its wings on ITV. Gardening has been my lifetime’s passion and sharing that love and the skills I’ve learned is the greatest privilege of all.”
Leanne Clarke, assistant commissioner, daytime and entertainment at ITV, described the project as a new approach to developing programming.
“This is an innovative way of commissioning and developing content, taking our much-loved Alan Titchmarsh and a format that has already found an audience on YouTube and giving it a new life on television. It’s such a treat of a show and I am really looking forward to seeing it reach an even wider audience!”
Executive producer Matt Young added: “We’re absolutely delighted that this series has been commissioned by ITV. It has been a real privilege to spend a year filming Alan as he completely immersed himself in the project. Audiences will see a master gardener at work, shaping and crafting the land against the stunning backdrop of a quintessential cottage garden.”
Middlechild founder David Sumnall said the commission vindicated the company’s decision to finance and develop an original idea outside the conventional commissioning system. “From taking the leap and investing in an original idea for YouTube to getting a commission from ITV and being able to sell that series worldwide feels like a really important step for us. We’re hugely grateful to Alan, Leanne and ITV for buying into this exciting way of working. The industry is in flux at the moment but that doesn’t have to be a negative. There are huge amounts of opportunities that weren’t available two or three years ago if you think outside of the traditional model.”
Watch our interview with Middlechild’s Andrew Eastel discussing the strategy behind Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh
