Gardening It’s the bees knees for Charlie Well-known for her role in TV’s Groundforce, Charlie Dimmock is turning her hand to beekeeping. She spoke to Charlotte Philcox.

h no it looks as are absolutely amazing. There’s though my cat’s the famous waggle dance. They helped herself to my do this to show other bees in the dinner” says Charlie hive where to go to get a good Dimmock, half way source of nectar. When you see Othrough our recent interview. And it you think ‘Oh my goodness. it’s typical of this friendly and What’s that bee doing?’ They do down to earth celebrity that rather a figure of eight. Then another than stopping to make a fuss, she one, and the more of those they just laughs and carries on with the do, the more nectar there is. Then conversation. the bee waggles its bum, and its One of the nation’s most feet move, and that’s all to tell the popular gardeners and TV other bees there’s a lot of flowers presenters since her first with good nectar just around the appearance on in corner. They navigate from the hesitates, and laughs “Actually, 1997, Charlie’s latest venture is position of objects, and the sun. that’s probably because of the into the world of bees, and she’s It’s absolutely amazing.” name.” just starred in a new DVD with And Charlie has been taking her Charlie may have risked her well-known beekeeper and fellow enthusiasm for bees to new levels. life in the Arctic in 71 Degrees gardener, James Dearsley. Quite literally, as it turns out. “I’ve North, but she admits that making In the film Charlie takes on got a bit of a geeky thing about a film with bees as her co-stars the role of apprentice, exploring solitary bees,” she says. “I’ve been was almost as nerve wracking. everything the first timer to the going out with my camera and “When we started filming, almost world of bees needs to know. crawling around on the ground straight away there we were stood “I was so lucky,” she says, “I’ve to try and get pictures of them. up talking and James says ‘Two always wanted to do beekeeping. I really want to get some of the scout bees have arrived. They It’s one of those things I kept Hairy Footed Blossom Bee”. She know we’re here’. I was a bit saying ‘I’m gonna worried. But I do that, I’m gonna thought James do that!’ And there ‘Bees are funny things. knows what I was, with my he’s doing, he’ll own personal They seem to like going protect me”. lessons.” up your trouser legs, Just to be Her enthusiasm on the safe is obvious. “I because it’s nice and side, there think that bees dark up there’ were times

36 www.letstalk24.co.uk Let’s Talk March, 2012 during filmingwhenCharlieand Let’s Talk things byexperience. Backthen sinker, andhad tolearnalotof that hejumpedinhook, line and beekeeping Jameswasso keen but whenhestartedout in “I shouldn’tbetellingyou this, her typicalsenseofhumour, jeans, withwellies.” careful. Weworesocksoverour there, soyouhavetobereally because it’sniceanddarkup to likegoingupyourtrouserlegs, bees arefunnythings.Theyseem any straybeesgottooclose.And with meshoverhiseyesincase Even thecameramanhadtofilm we werenickingallthehoney. “This wasreallyimportantwhen art protectiveclothing.Shesays: James hadtowearstateofthe She hesitatesandadds,with March,2012 Bee Association, orbuyitsecond lot ofequipment fromyourlocal out inbeekeeping,youcan hirea leaves aswell”. leaf blowerswhichchop upthe to havethelatestgadget too,like in GroundForce.Healwayshad loves gadgets.AbitlikeTommy James lovesalltheequipment.He it’s allabitofboything.And much specialistgear.“Actually beekeeping doesn’tneedtoo says thatanyonestartingoutin protective clothing,Charlie learnt towearjeanswithazip.” everywhere. Soheveryquickly leave oneopen,thebeescanget the front.Andifyouforgetand have buttonstodothemupat he lovedwearing501s,butthese “Foranyonewho’sjuststarting Aside fromtheallimportant www.letstalk24.co.uk and beekeeperJamesDearsley. she isseenwithfellowgardener been learningbeekeeping.Above, get busy: nectar allyearround. choosing varietieswhichwillprovide plants asyouhavespacefor, n particularly sensitivetothese. n some speciesnestintheground. weeds asasourceofnectar,and Bees needlotsoftheplantswecall n helping beestosurviveare: Charlie’s topthreetipsfor Don’tbetootidyinthegarden. Grow aswidearangeofflowering Don’t usechemicals.Beesare CharlieDimmockhas 37

Pictures: submitted hand. You can wear Marigolds to protect your hands – but I’m not allowed to say that, am I? And some people wear driving gloves, because then they can still feel what they’re doing.” She adds: “Oh, that’s given me an idea. Maybe I can ask for some bee kit for my birthday. I really want some bees too. And some chickens. And some goats too.” She’s travelled all over the world, and I ask Charlie if she’s got any connections with East Anglia. “Oh yes, I’ve been to Norfolk” she says. “The lady and gentleman who first edited ‘Ground Force’, John Thornicroft in the garden: Charlie Dimmock among the flowers and plants at the and his wife came from just Norfolk Garden Show, where she made a guest apperance in 2004. outside Diss. When I was in ‘Calendar Girls’, we played our The Charlie File

last night in Norwich, and the l i b rar y next day John and his wife took An August baby, Charlotte ’s The Games us out in a boat, and we got a Elouise Dimmock was and Celebrity MasterChef. Pictures: taxi back afterwards. Norwich is born in 1966. Her love of More recently, she a lovely place. So many unusual gardening began early, presented River Walks for shops, and such a lot going on. and horticultural college ITV Meridian. Good restaurants too. I’d love to was followed by work If she hadn’t been a go back there.” at Mill Water Gardens gardener, Charlie would Sadly for local audiences, in , where she like to have been a Charlie had to turn down an was spotted by TV forensic scientist. appearance in Norwich’s most producer John Thornicroft. “ It’s probably all those Recognition followed her ON TV: Charlie with crime programmes on recent Christmas panto, because , on she had already accepted a role in first appearance on BBC TV”, she says. 2’s Ground Force in 1997, Ground Force. She shares her home Bridlington. “I was Fairy Organic”, and the rest, as they say, is with Summer, the cat and she says “But I don’t think there’s history. Tara, a Newfoundland dog. There’s also meant to be a fairy in Jack and Charlie has also starred in Charlie’s a horse called Rosie – although where the Beanstalk. It gave them an Garden Army, Charlie’s Wildlife Gardens the latter is concerned, she admits excuse for lots of pyrotechnics. and Charlie’s Gardening Neighbours rather ruefully “I now know what they There was a big explosion every with appearances on shows such as mean by the term ‘stroppy mare’”. time I came onto the stage. And lots of flashes too. It was fun.” started to help her grandfather in Her own garden includes a When I ask if she thinks the family vegetable patch near patio, raised beds, a pond, “quite fame has changed her at all, it’s Romsey in Hampshire – the area a big vegetable patch”, and an obvious that this is something where she still lives today. She area of fruit trees which she she has been asked many still loves “pottering in the garden. describes as “sort of wildy with a times before “Well, I wouldn’t Just wandering about and looking path mown through it”. Whether know! But I’m definitely not at things with a nice thermal mug or not her grandfather would pretentious.” She stops to think of tea”. And there’s nothing she have approved is difficult to tell, “I never thought I’d have got likes better on a warm day than but there’s clearly quite a lot of onto TV, and I’ve got to do some “walking around with bare feet. space for barefoot wandering. Just things I would never even have But I’m not allowed to say that, as long as she looks out for those dreamed of. Like 71 Degrees am I? Health and Safety bees. And, of course, that cat. North, and meeting Nelson and all that. But it’s Mandela when we made him lovely. Especially in n To buy the DVD Beekeeping a garden with Ground Force, the veg patch.” for Beginners, go to www. which was amazing”. beekeeping-for-beginners.co.uk. Taking up beekeeping seems Or write to: Bob & Co Ltd, 40 a natural progression for nelson mandela: Bowling Green Lane, Suite 31, Charlie, who began Charlie helped make 3rd Floor, London EC1R ONE. gardening at an him a garden with Tel Customer Services on 01202 early age when she Ground Force. 896698

Let’s Talk March, 2012 www.letstalk24.co.uk 39