Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an English television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs. Her passion is the outdoors. More recently, following her cancer diagnosis and surgery, Bradbury is dedicating her time supporting the benefits of healthy living and the virtues of nature therapy.
She is best known for presenting a series of outdoor walking programmes across multiple TV channels in addition to co-presenting the BBC One programme Countryfile with Matt Baker from 2004 until 2014. She also presented Watchdog (2005–2009) and Planet Earth Live (2012) for the BBC and Take on the Twisters (2013), The Wonder of Britain (2015) and Britain's Best Walks (2017) for ITV.
She has a website called The Outdoor Guide, which is run by her sister Gina. In 2021, they launched The Outdoor Guide Foundation, raising money to donate outdoor kit to state primary schools and make the outdoors more accessible to all.
Early life
Bradbury's father Michael Bradbury, a Derbyshire-born, steel and engineering industry marketing director and Greek mother were in the Republic of Ireland when Bradbury was born. The family returned to Britain, where she grew up in an old rectory and attended primary school in Edith Weston, Rutland, followed by King Edward VII School in Sheffield, where her father worked for British Steel Corporation and her mother ran a fashion business. Bradbury attended acting classes, and took part as a child in the Crucible Theatre's stage production of Peter Pan, starring Joanne Whalley and Paula Wilcox.
Career
Early career
Bradbury started as a television presenter with Chrysalis TV, followed by L!VE TV, before making the transition in 1996 from cable TV to terrestrial with GMTV as its Los Angeles correspondent. Bradbury also worked as a co-host on Top Gear during the 1990s.
Alongside Tim Vine, Bradbury was the first presenter on Channel 5 when the network launched on 30 March 1997 with a countdown from the Spice Girls.
BBC
Bradbury and co-host Arkin Salih hosted the BBC's Are We Being Served?, which examined customer service in the UK and ran for six programmes in the summer of 2006. The show later received strong criticism from comedian Lee Mack when he named it as "the most evil programme ever made" during his appearance on TV Heaven, Telly Hell.
From 2008 to 2011, Bradbury presented four series of Kill It, Cook It, Eat It on BBC Three. The first series concentrated on commercially farmed animals such as chickens, pigs, sheep and cattle. The second series featured hunted wild game such as ducks, rabbits, deer and grouse. The third series focused on fast food; a group of six people went through the process of killing, cooking and eating animals. The fourth series focused on how animal products from the first series are used outside of the meat trade. Bradbury was joined by young consumers to uncover the animal origins of many of western society's favourite things as body parts were transformed from abattoir to shop display.
From 2 March 2009, Bradbury temporarily stepped down from BBC One's Watchdog following allegations in the press concerning irregularities in her Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer account. Anita Rani stepped in to co-present the show with Nicky Campbell. On 15 April 2009, Bradbury was cleared of any wrongdoing in the investigation, and it was confirmed that she would return to present Watchdog, which she did on 20 April 2009. It was incorrectly reported in several newspapers at the time that Bradbury had to repay £20,000 worth of Air Miles – in fact her account (and several others) had been tampered with by an employee who was later arrested and charged. In April 2009 it was announced that Bradbury would present the relaunched primetime Countryfile with Matt Baker. Anne Robinson returned to Watchdog after an eight-year absence.
In August 2007, Bradbury presented Ultimate Britain – Climbing on BBC One, with rock climber Tim Emmett. Bradbury's lifetime ambition to be a "real" rock climber was achieved when the pair successfully ascended Cornwall's Commando Ridge, Crackstone Rib in the Llanberis Pass, and the Old Man of Stoer.
That year, Bradbury also presented Wainwright Walks on BBC Four, in which she followed the mountain routes of the renowned fell walker and guidebook author Alfred Wainwright. The series was later repeated on BBC Two and ran for two series. Her appearance in this and the Railway Walks series earned her the title of "Walking Man's Totty". On 20 July 2009 her series Coast to Coast started on BBC Two.