Jump to content

David Bull (television presenter)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Harryfort (talk | contribs) at 17:22, 26 March 2020. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the Tokyo-based Canadian printmaker, see David Bull (artist).

David Bull
Original Photograph of David Bull
In office
2 July 2019 – 31 January 2020
Preceded bySteven Woolfe
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born (1969-05-09) 9 May 1969 (age 55)
Farnborough, London, England
Political partyBrexit (since 2019)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (before 2019)
EducationFramlingham College
Alma materImperial College London
OccupationTelevision presenter, author, politician
Websitedavidbull.com

David Richard Bull (born 9 May 1969) is an English television presenter, author, and former politician, who was a Member of the European Parliament. He has appeared on British and US television programmes such as Sugar Dome, the BBC's Watchdog, Watchdog Healthcheck, Newsround, Living TV's Most Haunted Live!, Channel 4's Richard & Judy, Tomorrow's World, and Sky's The Breathing Life Awards. He has been a panellist on The Wright Stuff on Channel 5, and has also made appearances on The Rachael Ray Show in the US.[1]

In 2006, Bull was nominated as the Conservative Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion in the following general election. He stood down in 2009 to head up a Conservative policy review on sexual health, an area about which he has been outspoken,[2] and was replaced by Charlotte Vere.[3]

Bull was a Brexit Party MEP for North West England, between 2019 European election and the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU on 31 January 2020.

Early life

David Bull was born in Farnborough, London, to Richard and Pauline Bull, and moved to Framlingham, Suffolk, at the age of four with his siblings Anthony and Katie. In Suffolk, Bull attended Fairfield Preparatory School followed by Ipswich Preparatory School before graduating to Framlingham College. At Framlingham, Bull cultivated interests in music and drama, and was made Head of the Day Boys in the Upper Sixth, working to fight bullying.[4]

Bull went to St Mary's Hospital Medical School at Imperial College London, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine degree, a Bachelor of Surgery degree (MBBS) and a first class Bachelor of Science honours degree (BSc) in 1993.[5] He was a pre-registration house officer at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington and worked for the NHS in the fields of Emergency Medicine at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust, and General Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Whittington Hospital in London.[6]

Medical career

Despite having wanted to be a doctor since childhood, and being the beneficiary of free tertiary education, Bull described working for the NHS as tough, and he never completed Specialist training to be a Consultant or General Practitioner.[citation needed] He felt that no one was concentrating on proactive health, stopping people from getting ill in the first place, so he left.[citation needed] He pursued his interest in broadcasting - specifically television, after two years of clinical practice in 1995.[7] As of May 2019, he does not hold a licence to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.[8]

Media career

In 1995, Bull auditioned to be a guest commentator for The Sky Travel Guide on Sky Travel. Of the auditioning process Bull recalled, "I had to read autocue, I had to interview someone, and I had to handle a live show, and I was dreadful!" Bull was awarded the position on Sky Travel, giving advice for the holiday health feature to those traveling abroad, and beginning his career as a television commentator and presenter.[9]

Within months of appearing on The Sky Travel Guide,[10] Bull joined the long-running Newsround as a presenter and producer of segments regarding children's health. Bull's reports on Newsround were also featured on BBC News, including a documentary on bullying that won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Children's Factual programme.[6][non-primary source needed]

Whilst on Newsround, Bull became a regular on popular kids shows on Saturday mornings for CBBC, The Weather Show, Saturday Aardvark, K Club and Bitesize Debate specials. He also hosted as a 'doctor'[clarification needed] on Why Me? and Call the Doctor. Bull then became the sole presenter of Tell Me About It! for C4.[citation needed] Aimed at young people, the five-instalment programme tackled issues including eating disorders, parental divorces and teen drug use and alcoholism. He then joined the BBC's Watchdog.[citation needed]

While on Watchdog, Bull also appeared on Holiday, Let's Get Healthy, The Really Useful Show, Daily Live and This Morning.[citation needed] He then hosted Watchdog Healthcheck, a weekly, half-hour health programme running from 2001 to 2002.[citation needed]

In addition to appearing on Healthcheck, Bull presented the science and technology-centred Tomorrow's World,[citation needed] before presenting Most Haunted on Living TV. Bull appeared on Live TV's highest rated series, Most Haunted Live! from October 2002 to October 2005, hosting three-hour instalments that featured paranormal investigations broadcast live with interactive sections involving the audience. Bull also participated in a ghost hunt at Choughs Hotel where he claimed to have seen an apparition, though he admitted it could have been an optical illusion.[11]

Bull made his American television debut in 2010 as a contributor on the daytime talk show The Rachael Ray Show. First appearing on the 12 April 2010 segment "Why You Crave Food", Bull discussed the effects of high-fat, high-calorie foods on the brain and gave advice on cutting down on cravings.[12] On 23 July 2010, Bull returned to The Rachel Ray Show to discuss "Mystery Diseases".[13]

In 2012/2013 Bull started hosting for Food Network's series SugarDome which is broadcast in the US, Canada, Asia and the UK.[14] He has also co-presented Coast vs Country on Channel 4.[citation needed]

In 1998, Bull published his first book, Cool and Celibate?: Sex and No Sex, arguing the benefits of abstinence in teenagers, translated in multiple languages. Bull followed his first book with What Every Girl Should Know: An A to Z of Health-From Allergies to Zits! in 1999.[15]

Political career

In December 2006, Bull was selected to represent the Parliamentary seat of Brighton Pavilion at the 2010 general election for the Conservative Party, after being placed on the party's A-List earlier that year. He withdrew his candidacy in June 2009 and was replaced by Charlotte Vere. Denying rumours that he quit after falling out with party leadership, Bull cited the increased workload accompanying his recent appointment to head up a Conservative policy review on sexual health with Shadow Health Minister Anne Milton.[16]

In April 2019, Bull was announced as a Brexit Party candidate in the upcoming European Parliament elections.[17] He was duly returned as an MEP for North West England in the elections held on 23 May.[18]

Bull MEP appeared on the conspiracist Richie Allen Show on 30 April 2019, tweeting that the experience was a "pleasure" and linking to his interview via Conspiracy Daily Update, a website which contains numerous links to the show of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and British neo-Nazi Mark Collett. [19]

In August 2019, Bull was adopted as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich then subsequently Sedgefield for the Brexit Party in the 2019 general election.[20]

Business and charitable work

In 2000 Bull founded the creative branding company, Incredibull.[21]

Bull is a supporter of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and has worked with young people in schools on behalf of the organisation.[22]

Personal life

Bull is openly gay. In 2007 he appeared at the Brighton Pride Parade for which he designed and wore a t-shirt with the slogan "I've come out... I'm a Tory", saying it was acceptable to be gay and a Conservative.[16]

References

  1. ^ "David Bull". IMDb.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  2. ^ Jonathan Isaby (26 June 2009). "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: David Bull steps down as candidate for Brighton Pavilion to head up policy review". Conservative Home. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Tory candidate chosen in primary". BBC News. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  4. ^ "pipeline.net". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  5. ^ "ABOUT ME - David Bull". davidbull.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b "davidbull.com". Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
  7. ^ About me DavidBull.com
  8. ^ The Medical Register General Medical Council
  9. ^ "BBC Online". Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Tell Me about It! (1996)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  11. ^ Carlie Cliffe (27 November 2010). "Jon Dibley & David Bull". Retrieved 13 September 2018 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ "Rachael Ray Show". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  13. ^ "Rachael Ray Show". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
  14. ^ "Sugar Dome". Food Network. Scripps Interactive. Retrieved 13 September 2018.[dead link]
  15. ^ "BOOKS - David Bull". DavidBull.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  16. ^ a b Andy Chiles (30 June 2009). "Celebrity doctor denies fall-out with Tories". The Argus. Newsquest Media (Southern). Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  17. ^ Westmonster (25 April 2019). "Brexit Party reveal another diverse group of MEP candidates". Westmonster. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Brexit Party wins three North West seats". BBC News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Exposed: Brexit Party MEPs on antisemitic conspiracy show". HOPE not hate. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  20. ^ "Sedgefield parliamentary constituency". Retrieved 22 December 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Incredibull has moved". Incredibull. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  22. ^ "The Duke of Edinburgh's Award – The DofE in the UK". Duke of Edinburgh Award. Retrieved 13 September 2018.[failed verification]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Bull_(television_presenter)&oldid=947493059"