Alan Titchmarsh's jeans were censored on North Korean TV

Iconic British TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh had the pair of blue jeans he was wearing blurred out on North Korean television.

North Korea is known for being one of the most heavily censored countries in the world and it appears an item as simple as a pair of jeans is enough to require some obscuring.

It occurred on Monday 25 March when an old episode of Titchmarsh’s BBC TV series Garden Secrets was shown on Korean Central Television (KCTV).

In the clip, Titchmarsh could be seen planting a fruit tree in the gardens of Hatfield House in Hertfordshire. The episode first aired in the UK in 2010 and has since been shown several times on North Korean television since 2022, according to NK News.

He pottered in the garden bed wearing a chequered shirt and a pair of denim jeans, which were blurred out by the national broadcaster, though it is clear he is wearing blue trousers.

BBC/KCTV

The 74-year-old’s familiar voice could be heard in the background, despite music and North Korean narration being added in over the top of the edited footage.

Since the early 1990s, the North Korean regime has banned denim jeans as they are viewed as a sign of US imperialism.

However, experts suggest that it is unusual for the DPRK to censor jeans on Western people, particularly as tourists are permitted to wear them when visiting.

Back in 2022, Titchmarsh first learned that his shows were being broadcast on television in North Korea.

At the time, he said: “I never imagined that my programmes would reach North Korea, but hopefully the calming nature of British gardening will be well received there.”

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