Tommy Walsh, Ground Force builder and DIY favourite, dies aged 69

Tommy Walsh, the builder and DIY expert who became a familiar face on British TV, has died at the age of 69.

His agent said he died "peacefully after a long illness surrounded by his family". The family has asked for privacy.

What happened?

Walsh's death was confirmed by his agent on Monday. He was best known for Ground Force, the BBC garden makeover show, and went on to present many other home and DIY programmes.

He was previously reported to have had surgery for throat cancer in 2022 and for lung cancer in 2023.

How did he become a TV name?

Walsh started out as a professional builder. His big break came after he restored the house of a BBC producer who was developing ideas for a new show.

She asked him to look at a couple of pilots. One was a forerunner of Ground Force called Over the Garden Wall. "It was like watching paint dry - it was terrible," he told the BBC in 2004.

He turned down the chance to appear in the show three times. Then his eight-year-old daughter told him she had made a £10 bet with a boy at school that her dad would be on TV. He said yes.

From 1997 to 2005, he worked alongside Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock on Ground Force. The team gave makeovers to gardens belonging to members of the public.

A long career on screen

After Ground Force, Walsh fronted shows including Clean It, Fix It, Cowboys and Angels, Challenge Tommy Walsh, Tommy Walsh's Eco House and Tommy's DIY Survival. He also appeared in Trading Places, Space Invaders and Fix Your House For Free, and published a number of DIY books.

In 2021, he joined Homes Under the Hammer, the BBC's daytime property show, as a presenter.

For many viewers, he was the practical, no-nonsense builder who made home improvement look doable. His family has asked for privacy at this time.