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myealife My ‘Escape to the Country’ dream Escape to the Country presenter Jules Hudson tells Pat Parker how his home town of Colchester inspired much of his future career ules Hudson is best known as the “Empathising with our buyers on cheery, rosy-cheeked presenter Escape is a key part of the job, and of BBC1’s Escape to the Country, it has to be genuine and honest. I’m although he’s also a familiar face lucky to have had a life which from Countryfile and numerous allows me to use the character I’ve Jhistory shows for a variety of been given.” channels. Now 45, he’s spent most of He was educated privately, his life in rural Wales, having fallen attending Colchester High School in love with the Cambrian and then boarding from the age of 11 mountains as an archaeology at Ipswich School. Its history, of student at Lampeter University. It is, course, appealed to him. “It was he tells me, his “spiritual home”. He founded by Thomas Wolsey in the holds an honorary fellowship from 1500s, and it was a terrific school,” the University of Wales and is the he enthuses. “Mum and dad new president of the Council for the scrimped and saved to send me, Protection of Rural Wales. So it may and it was there I come as a surprise to learn that he first studied is in fact an Essex boy, born and Roman and Greek bred in Colchester. history. And, over “It was a lovely place to grow up time, I developed in,” Jules says, taking a break from a fascination for restoring the 16th Century home on archaeology, and the Welsh borders he shares with the business of partner Tania, baby son Jack and knowing how we black labradors iolo and Teddy. “In know what we those days, Colchester had a lovely know about the provincial feel to it, with a carnival past.” every year and the military tattoo. In the summer But it was the history of the town holidays he worked which really inspired me.” for Colchester So much so that for his seventh Archaeological birthday he asked to join a guided Trust, having been tour of the Roman vaults beneath inspired as a Colchester Castle – all that remains 10-year-old by the I Jules Hudson in his element at Royal Naval Air Service of the original Temple of Claudius, Culver Square Yeovilton for the TV series Defenders of the Sky, with one of razed to the ground by Boudica. excavations of The experience fired his Roman barracks in the last airworthy Swordfishes imagination. “I remember looking the town centre. He up at these great concrete vaults joined the trust and being amazed there was still full-time after leaving school. “I had than 20 years. Jules’ love of Obscure. Jules was transfixed. “I TV today!” His archaeological sand on the ceiling, put there by the no ambitions to go to university. I’d archaeology vied with his passion thought, ‘Wow! Look at that!’ It background helped him land his Romans,” he recalls. “And, suddenly, had enough of education. I just for military history, also inspired by really brought the past alive in an first TV jobs, including work for the some fell at my feet, and I picked it wanted to get on with something.” his home town. “I loved Colchester’s interesting way. And suddenly I Discovery Channel and several up and took it home. It was like He took part in numerous digs, military traditions such as the realised that television could be a stints on C4’s Time Team, including touching history, touching time − including excavations at Gosbecks, tattoo, and by the time I graduated I fascinating outlet for my love of acting as assistant producer for a and it inspired a love of history the site of the pre-Roman settlement was quite an expert in military history and my creativity. It made week of live excavations called The which has stayed with me ever of Camulodunum. “It was an history. And as I got older, I became me realise that at heart I’m a Big Dig. He also worked on Horizon, since.” interesting time for archaeology, fascinated with effective man- creative person, whether it’s making plus three military history series Jules grew up in a bed because a lot of excavations management and team work, and it things, designing, fixing, restoring, with the late Richard Holmes, who and breakfast in were being undertaken by occurred to me there was no better or writing and crafting films.” inspired him to present. He finally Lexden, which mum voluntary groups, and place to learn it than in the Army.” It took him a while, he thinks, to moved in front of the cameras on Pam ran for 40 We’d the trust was one of And so he enrolled at Sandhurst. escape the influence of school on The Making of England for years. His dad, the first to be set up. “I did enjoy it, but I realised towards choosing a career. “At school, you’re Meridian, followed by Revival – an Cliff, was a regularly sail up There were huge the end of my training that Army groomed to go to university. Nobody ITV show about history mechanical discoveries going life just wasn’t right for me. I made talked about a career in archaeology, re-enactment. This was his idea, and engineer and and down the on, and it was the difficult decision not to stay on. let alone TV. But I’ve always been was nominated for a TV award. technical wonderful But although I never made a career slightly maverick. I guess I knew Jules’ enthusiasm made him a director at the Blackwater. I still get working in an out of it, there are things I learnt at from a young age that I’d have what natural presenter. “It was terrifying old Heybridge historic town like Sandhurst that I use every day we now call a portfolio career. I’ve at first, but I realised it was a firm Bentalls, dreamy-eyed about Colchester, finding − how to delegate, manage difficult always ploughed my own furrow.” fascinating way of combining my spending much the Essex marshes out what lay situations, plan and get tasks done. Creativity, he says, is in his genes. production experience with the new of his time beneath the streets It was there I first heard General “Both my parents are creative. My challenge of being able to tell the abroad, building and the we walked every day.” Patton’s great phrase ‘Lead, follow, mother is a phenomenal quilter − story myself.” grain storage It was his Lexden or get out of the way’. That’s been a she’s a member of the local quilting While presenting The People’s systems for the UN coast neighbours who mantra to me throughout my life.” set in Wivenhoe. And my dad is a Museum for the BBC, word got in Africa and the convinced Jules to go to He returned to archaeology, taking great amateur portrait artist.” around that he was restoring a Middle East. It was life in a university. Studying a Masters at Durham and later So Jules quit his job in Durham, derelict Welsh cottage in his spare B&B, says Jules, which gave him the archaeology at Lampeter marked the working as a geophysicist for the moved to London and attempted to time. The then head of BBC Daytime relaxed, chatty style which is his start of a lifelong love affair with university. Then one day he break into television. “I worked for decided this would make him an hallmark as a presenter. “I think the Welsh countryside. He lived in wandered into Durham city centre absolutely nothing, making tea and ideal presenter for the property growing up in a home where there the picturesque village of Llanddewi and saw something that changed his sweeping floors. I started from the show Escape To The Country. Jules were lots of different faces from Brefi (coincidentally the fictional life for good. A city street had been bottom up as a runner, then junior joined in 2007 and continues to be around the world gave me the home of Little Britain’s “only gay in transformed back to the 1800s, researcher, researcher and one of the main presenters. “It just confidence to engage with people, to the village”). Little did he know it serving as a location for a film eventually producer. And somehow, became a joy − the right hand in the talk and listen to them,” he says. would become his home for more version of Hardy’s Jude The 20 years later, I’m still working in right glove − and it set my career in 10 ealife Saturday, August 22, 2015 started here I Jules Hudson, presenter of the BBC show Escape to the Country. ‘It’s a nice, aspirational show. It’s called Escape to the Country, but it’s an escape from the world for 45 minutes.’ Photo: ADAM FRADGLEY cottage came on the market in the village where he’d lived as a student. “There was an outside tap, outside loo, three light switches, no bathroom and no kitchen. It was a real labour of love to transform it, and it taught me a huge amount about conservation and renovation.” Later, he felt rather bereft. “There was a black hole in my life. I thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’ And then I looked out of the window at about an acre of garden and field, which was a complete blank canvas.

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