Yahoo News Escape to the Country Jules Hudson's simple reason for leaving London with rarely-seen wife and son
Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson has been presenting the much-loved BBC show for nearly two decades. But from filming the series, the 54-year-old also upped sticks from London for a new life in rural surroundings.
Television presenter and writer Jules started his career in 1996 as part of the production team for BBC2's Horizon, Channel 4's Time Team and numerous military history series. From January 2010 to February 2012, Jules was the initial presenter on BBC One's Britain's Empty Homes and now also regularly appears on Channel 5's This Week on the Farm alongside Helen Skelton, and Countryfile.
He became a presenter on Escape to the Country in 2007 and adores his role on the show. The archaeologist told the Express: "I hope to do Escape to the Country for as long as I'm able and for as long as the show will have me.
"For me, country life is absolutely who I am, and it's who I was before I came to present Escape to the Country. It's a massive step for lots of people, so having the chance to share that, that experience, those tips and tricks, it's very much a way of life for me. I absolutely love it, it's a show I'm incredibly fond of. It's very dear to me."
Family life
Jules was born in Colchester, Essex, in 1970. He was brought up in a bed and breakfast hotel run by his mother. Jules now lives in Herefordshire with wife Tania, who he married in 2016, and their son Jack, but tends to keep them out of the spotlight.
In 2018, Jules revealed to the Express how he likes to spend his spare time: "My perfect day is a nice, warm, sunny Sunday with myself, my wife, my son and our dogs all out gardening having a really lazy day.
"I love it when there is no one to ring, no one to bother with and we are just immersed in the practicalities of being outdoors, getting mucky and transforming the garden."
Although Jules is known to have an affinity for the countryside, he and his wife have their own experience of city living. Before moving to the countryside, the couple lived closer to Central London for Tania's work, but the presenter revealed that he didn't enjoy his time there owing to the lack of greenery and space.
Speaking to The Times in 2020, Jules said: "I found London very claustrophobic. There's an energy about it that I absolutely love, but I need green fields and space."
The couple decided to find somewhere they'd feel more at home, and eventually found their property in Herefordshire. He added: "We knew what we were looking for — something with space, something with outbuildings. And having its own plot was really important to me."
Tragically, Jules' father Clifford died last year. He has admitted that initially when his father passed away, he found it difficult to process the feelings of grief, choosing to focus on the practical tasks at hand instead. A short while later his two black Labradors died of cancer.
Speaking about losing his beloved dad, Jules said: "This man who's been there for me suddenly isn’t anymore. I made the mistake of trying to put it to the back of my mind", reports The Sun.
He added: "With all the stuff that comes with the loss of somebody very close to you, there’s a horrible amount of administration that you have to go through. I probably didn’t spend enough time dealing with it. I find myself now having to catch up a bit, and it’s catching me quite unaware. You can get quite emotional when you least expect it."
Pressure from the pandemic
Although Jules' career continues to go from strength to strength, he has opened up about the difficulties the Covid pandemic had on his career and finances. Jules said that his earnings took a severe hit because of the pandemic, reports The Daily Record.
"It's been financially devastating," the TV presenter told The Scottish Mail in May 2020, "I’ve lost a lot of expected income. My diary is absolutely empty. Normally, I’d now be filming Escape to the Country and I was planning to go on a tour to promote my latest book.
"But, of course, all of that has been cancelled. This quarter I've lost between £50,000 and £60,000 of anticipated income. Normally, I'd now be filming Escape to the Country and I was planning to go on a tour to promote my latest book," he said.
Since the end of the pandemic, Jules had made a strong comeback to television on Escape to the Country, Winter on the Farm and more.
Escape to the Country airs weekdays at 3pm on BBC One
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