Mike Bushell
Encyclopedia
Mike Bushell is a sports presenter for the BBC
. He presents the sport on BBC Breakfast
on Fridays and at the weekends, and also presents sports bulletins throughout the week on BBC News and BBC World News. On Saturdays, during his Breakfast shift, Bushell also has a regular report on an unusual sport, which he has tried out during the week. He has tried out over 250 sports ranging from the bizarre, shin kicking and swamp soccer to learning from the stars, like Serena Williams
, Colin Montgomerie
and Ben Ainslie
. He now has his own web page: Bushell's Best, on the pages of the BBC News website. He also sometimes presents the sports section of Breakfast during the week if Chris Hollins
is away. He has been with the BBC News channel since its launch in 1997.
, attending Ashwell School
where his father John was headmaster. When he was 8 he started his own newspaper, called the Daily Owl and sold it and delivered it to friends in the village for 1p. He once got into trouble for giving away his new Christmas
present as a prize for a competition. He played chess
for Hertfordshire and ran in the county cross country
team. Bushell wrote an opera
at the age of 11 and kept alive his musical ambitions later in two bands.
In 1977 his family moved to Harrogate
and he went to secondary school
at Granby High School
. He sometimes took a tape recorder
to school to record the days events. It was here during a production of Hobson's Choice
that he first got the drama bug and played the part of Willie Mossop. He went onto join the National Youth Theatre
.
Once won Spectacle Wearer of the Year award, 2009
. Once he left he appeared as a Roman Centurion and King Arthur
on the streets of Winchester, for the tourist board, and in the National Youth Theatre production of Good Lads at Heart, working alongside Lisa Tarbuck. In order to pay his college debts he got a job on the Hampshire Chronicle
newspaper in Winchester and was posted to the Eastleigh
office, and he was hooked by the journalism bug.
However while training on the reporter's job, he formed a band with other journalists and sang in many gigs in the East End of London
, around Stratford
.
He later toured Europe
as vocalist for "Don't Push the River" forming a musical partnership with Nigel Smith, writer of hit comedy Teenage Kicks. He then sang for the band Arthur the Stoat, alongside Tim Rafferty and Peter Haynes, aka Pete Babes Wilson, his friend from when he was 5. Arthur the Stoat was initially formed in rural Suffolk
in 1992, and the music is atypically English psychedelic folk pop.
In 1990, after stints on the Derby Evening Telegraph
and the Windsor
and Slough
Observer, he got his first broadcasting job at BBC Radio Solent
as a trainee reporter. He then moved to television, as a news, sport and entertainment reporter–presenter for BBC South Today before joining the BBC News channel, and later Breakfast.
s in as many days when aged 15, in 1981. It was a 175 mile trip along with friend Simon Wild and they raised thousands of pounds for the International Year of Disabled People. He still plays football and is a runner with the Hash House Harriers, and weekly tries out different sports for his Saturday role. He has now experienced over 250 different sports. He is a fan of Leeds United.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. He presents the sport on BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
on Fridays and at the weekends, and also presents sports bulletins throughout the week on BBC News and BBC World News. On Saturdays, during his Breakfast shift, Bushell also has a regular report on an unusual sport, which he has tried out during the week. He has tried out over 250 sports ranging from the bizarre, shin kicking and swamp soccer to learning from the stars, like Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on...
, Colin Montgomerie
Colin Montgomerie
Colin Stuart Montgomerie, OBE is a Scottish professional golfer, often referred to by one of his nicknames 'Monty'. He has had one of the finest careers in European Tour history, having won a record eight Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutively from 1993 to 1999, and 31...
and Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie
Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE is an English sailor and three-times Olympic gold medalist. He started sailing at the age of 8 and first competed at the age of 10...
. He now has his own web page: Bushell's Best, on the pages of the BBC News website. He also sometimes presents the sports section of Breakfast during the week if Chris Hollins
Chris Hollins
Chris Hollins is an English journalist, presenter and sportsman, currently employed by the BBC and best known for being the sports correspondent for BBC Breakfast, and for winning Strictly Come Dancing 2009.-Early life:...
is away. He has been with the BBC News channel since its launch in 1997.
Early life
Bushell is half northener half southerner, spending his teenage years in Yorkshire after growing up in HertfordshireHertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, attending Ashwell School
Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Ashwell is a village and civil parish situated about four miles north of Baldock in Hertfordshire.It has a wealth of architecture spanning several centuries. The dates almost entirely from the 14th century and is renowned for its ornate church tower which stands at , and is crowned by an...
where his father John was headmaster. When he was 8 he started his own newspaper, called the Daily Owl and sold it and delivered it to friends in the village for 1p. He once got into trouble for giving away his new Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
present as a prize for a competition. He played chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
for Hertfordshire and ran in the county cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
team. Bushell wrote an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
at the age of 11 and kept alive his musical ambitions later in two bands.
In 1977 his family moved to Harrogate
Harrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
and he went to secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
at Granby High School
Harrogate High School
Harrogate High School is a secondary school in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It has about 1,000 students on roll and approximately 85 full-time teaching staff. The school has been awarded specialist Sports College status...
. He sometimes took a tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
to school to record the days events. It was here during a production of Hobson's Choice
Hobson's Choice
Hobson's Choice is a play by Harold Brighouse, the title coming from the popular expression, Hobson's choice — meaning no choice at all.The first production was at the Princess Theatre in New York. It then transferred to London on June 24, 1916 at the Apollo Theatre, before moving to the Prince of...
that he first got the drama bug and played the part of Willie Mossop. He went onto join the National Youth Theatre
National Youth Theatre
The National Youth Theatre is a registered charity in London, Great Britain, committed to creative, personal and social development of young people through the medium of creative arts....
.
Once won Spectacle Wearer of the Year award, 2009
Education
Bushell got a 2/1 in a drama and television degree at King Alfred's College in WinchesterWinchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Once he left he appeared as a Roman Centurion and King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
on the streets of Winchester, for the tourist board, and in the National Youth Theatre production of Good Lads at Heart, working alongside Lisa Tarbuck. In order to pay his college debts he got a job on the Hampshire Chronicle
Hampshire Chronicle
The Hampshire Chronicle is a local, broadsheet newspaper, based in Winchester, Hampshire, England. The first edition was published on August 24, 1772, making it one of the oldest publications in England....
newspaper in Winchester and was posted to the Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
office, and he was hooked by the journalism bug.
However while training on the reporter's job, he formed a band with other journalists and sang in many gigs in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, around Stratford
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
.
He later toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as vocalist for "Don't Push the River" forming a musical partnership with Nigel Smith, writer of hit comedy Teenage Kicks. He then sang for the band Arthur the Stoat, alongside Tim Rafferty and Peter Haynes, aka Pete Babes Wilson, his friend from when he was 5. Arthur the Stoat was initially formed in rural Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in 1992, and the music is atypically English psychedelic folk pop.
In 1990, after stints on the Derby Evening Telegraph
Derby Evening Telegraph
The Derby Telegraph, formerly the Derby Evening Telegraph, is a daily tabloid newspaper printed and distributed in Derby, England.-History:In 1857, Richard Keene was publishing the Derby Telegraph every Saturday. His business was in Irongate...
and the Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
and Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
Observer, he got his first broadcasting job at BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent
BBC Radio Solent is the BBC Local Radio service for the Isle of Wight and the English counties of Hampshire and Dorset. Its studios are located in Southampton, in the same purpose-built office block in Havelock Road as the BBC South Today news studios, and there are district offices in Portsmouth,...
as a trainee reporter. He then moved to television, as a news, sport and entertainment reporter–presenter for BBC South Today before joining the BBC News channel, and later Breakfast.
Personal life
Bushell has three daughters, Lucy, Isabel and Sophie, from his marriage to Kim, whom he met at college.Sport
He is a keen runner, having run six marathonMarathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s in as many days when aged 15, in 1981. It was a 175 mile trip along with friend Simon Wild and they raised thousands of pounds for the International Year of Disabled People. He still plays football and is a runner with the Hash House Harriers, and weekly tries out different sports for his Saturday role. He has now experienced over 250 different sports. He is a fan of Leeds United.