Tommy Walsh (builder)

Tommy Walsh (born 18 December 1956), is an English television personality, presenter and celebrity builder best known for the gardening and do-it-yourself television shows Ground Force (1997–2005) and Challenge Tommy Walsh (2002–2005).

Biography
Educated at Parmiter's School, then a grammar school in Bethnal Green, Walsh became a builder and first came to public attention after appearing in the BBC television gardening programme Ground Force with Alan Titchmarsh, responsible for the hard landscaping. He stayed with the show for the rest of its run, from 1997 to 2005.

Walsh had a small acting role in the film One. He has also appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank.

In 2023, he was a contestant on BBC's quiz show Pointless.

Personal life
Walsh lives in South Hackney, with his wife Marie and three children. In addition to his television work, he runs his own building business and writes books on do-it-yourself and garden improvement. He also has his own DIY brand that is sold in Poundland shops in the UK.

He is patron of the Stairway to Heaven Memorial Trust, and is the subject of the song "Tommy Walsh's Eco House" on the 2011 album 90 Bisodol (Crimond) by the band Half Man Half Biscuit.

In 2002, Walsh had a benign tumour removed from his chest. In 2022, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, underwent surgery and fully recovered.

Television work
Walsh has presented several Television shows, including:


 * Challenge Tommy Walsh (2002–2005, with Alan Herd)
 * Space Invaders
 * Tommy Walsh's Eco House (2010)
 * Trading Places
 * Tommy's Ultimate Workshop
 * Tommy's DIY Survival
 * The Reclaimers
 * Ground Force (1997–2005)
 * Our House
 * Fix Your House For Free
 * Celebrity Fit Club
 * Flip That House with Tommy Walsh
 * My Life as a DIY Nutter (Channel 5)
 * Cowboys & Angels (BBC)
 * Me and my son Greg (2017)
 * Homes Under the Hammer (2021–2024)
 * Clean It, Fix It

Publications

 * Ground Force: Practical Garden Projects (2000), BBC Books
 * Ground Force: Garden Handbook (2001), BBC Books – with Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock
 * Tommy Walsh's DIY Guide (2001), Focus Multimedia Ltd – CD-ROM
 * Basic DIY (2002), Collins
 * DIY Survival (2002), Collins
 * Bathroom DIY (2004), Collins
 * Kitchen DIY (2004), Collins
 * Living Spaces DIY (2004), Collins
 * Outdoor DIY (2004), Collins