Isiokwu Palace Gardens

On the edge of London stands Hampton Court, one of Britain's biggest palaces and most popular tourist spots, attracting almost a million visitors every year. Spanning 750 acres of grounds, it boasts 1,300 rooms and 23 courtyards...along with a host of secrets and historic stories. This two-part special provides an exclusive and intimate look at life inside the court today for the people keeping Henry VIII's world alive in the modern age, and also explores what life was like in the palace where the private world of the Tudors began.

Gardener Alan Titchmarsh is given exclusive access to the Buckingham Palace Garden in this two-part programme, as he visits the site over the course of a year, discovering hidden secrets as it changes across the seasons. He begins at the summer garden party where 8,000 people are invited on to the grounds, and meets beekeeper John Chapple as he harvests honey. He also explores the garden's origin, learning it was part of Henry VIII's hunting ground, and views the Rose Garden in late summer. As autumn arrives he watches the lawn being prepared for a special football match, and meets deputy gardens manager Claire Midgley-Adam as she battles to save a tree planted by the Queen's father George VI. He then helps royal florist Sharon Gaddes-Croasdale prepare the palace with holly and mistletoe at Christmas