David Bull

David Richard Bull (born 9 May 1969) is an English doctor, author, and host and commentator on a variety of 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 is a regular panelist on "The Wright Stuff" with Mathew Wright Channel 5. He has also made repeated 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]

Early life

David Bull was born in Farnborough, to Richard and Pauline Bull, moving 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 in 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 began his medical career at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington as a Pre-registration house officer (UK) before working 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]

Career

Despite having wanted to be a doctor since childhood, Bull described working for the NHS as tough. He felt that no one was concentrating on proactive health, stopping people from getting ill in the first place, so he pursued his interest in broadcasting - specifically television. 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.^[7]

Television

Within months of appearing on The Sky Travel Guide,^[8] Bull joined the long-running Newsround as a presenter and producer of segments regarding children's health, becoming the first person in the UK to broadcast medical issues specifically to children. Bull's reports on Newsround were also featured on BBC News, one documentary discussing bullying winning the Royal Television Society Award for Best Children’s Factual programme.^[9] Presenting on Newsround over the course of three years, Bull became extremely popular with viewers, receiving 3,000 fan letters in the first three months.^[10]

Whilst on Newsround, Bull became a regular on popular kids shows Saturday Mornings for CBBC,The Weather Show,Saturday Aardvark,K Club andBitesize Debate specials. He also hosted as a doctor on Why Me? and Call the Doctor . Bull then became the sole presenter of Tell Me About It! for C4. Aimed at young people, the five-installment program, chaired by Bull, tackled issues including eating disorders, parental divorces and teen drug use and alcoholism. He then went on to prime-time television and joined the BBC's Watchdog.

While on Watchdog Bull hosted Holiday,Lets Get Healthy, The Really Useful Show,Daily Live and This Morning. He then went on to host Watchdog Healthcheck, a weekly, half-hour health programme running from 2001 to 2002 which he wrote and hosted.^[11]

In addition to appearing on Healthcheck, Bull hosted the science and technology-centered Tomorrow's World, before launching Most Haunted on Living TV.^[12] Bull appeared on Live TV's highest rated series, Most Haunted Live! from October 2002 to October 2005, hosting three-hour installments 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.^[13]

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.^[14] On 23 July 2010, Bull returned to The Rachel Ray Show to discuss "Mystery Diseases".^[15]

In 2012/2013 David started hosting for Food Network's 2012/2013 series SugarDome which is broadcast in the US, Canada, Asia and the UK.^[16]

Business

In 2000 Bull founded the creative branding company, Incredibull.^[17] Offering a different strategic and creative approach to activating sales, engaging customers and motivating employees using skills in PR, Event Management, Design, Film and Digital.

Politics

On 16 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 rumors 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.^[18]

Author

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 has revised and updated Cool and Celibate to be published in 2013. Bull followed his first book with What Every Girl Should Know: An A to Z of Health-From Allergies to Zits! in 1999.^[19]

Charitable work

Bull is a celebrity ambassador for the British Red Cross and a Patron of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, with whom he has been associated for more than a decade, as well as a spokesperson and proponent for cancer research and sexual health. He is also a supporter of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and frequently works with young people in schools on behalf of the organisation.^[20]

Personal life

In 2007 Bull 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", stating it was acceptable to be gay and a Conservative. Bull has been described as openly gay.^[21]

References

External links

• davidbull.com
• incredibull.com