North Korea censors British gardening show host Alan Titchmarsh's trousers. Here's why

"It's given me a bit of street cred": Alan Titchmarsh on North Korean state TV censoring his trousers while airing his gardening show.

North Korea's state television channel censored the trousers of the host while airing a British gardening show. Presenter Alan Titchmarsh's legwear was blurred to ensure that the viewers cannot see that he is wearing jeans. As per reports, jeans, seen as a symbol of Western imperialism, are banned in North Korea.

The trousers worn by British show host Alan Titchmarsh were blurred during the airing of his gardening show in North Korea. (Screengrab)

How did Alan Titchmarsh react to the incident?

"It's taken me to reach the age of 74 to be regarded in the same sort of breath as Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Rod Stewart. You know, wearing trousers that are generally considered by those of us of a sensitive disposition to be rather too tight," he told the BBC.

"I've never seen myself as a dangerous subversive imperialist - I'm generally regarded as rather cosy and pretty harmless, so actually, it's given me a bit of street cred, really, hasn't it?" he added.

When did North Korea ban jeans?

According to Seoul-based NK News, this particular attire has been prohibited in the country since the 1990s. Former leader Kim Jong Il reportedly claimed that jeans are "absolutely verboten and people should not wear them under any circumstances."

In recent years, authorities have been cracking down on jeans, especially skinny jeans and ones with tears, due to their rising popularity in South Korea, reported NK News.

Interestingly, despite the strict crackdown on jeans, back in 2009, North Korea manufactured this clothing item to export to Sweden. However, the department store that was set to sell the jeans reportedly pulled off the items to avoid controversy.

Foreign show in North Korea

As per the outlet, Western shows on North Korea are extremely rare, but state TV airs politically neutral foreign television programs at times. While airing a segment of Alan Titchmarsh's Garden Secrets, Korea Central TV (KCTV) edited the episode to just 15 minutes. Also, the host's commentary was replaced with a Korean narrator.