Who is John Craven? All you need to know about the Countryfile presenter

From his favourite place to ramble in Britain to baby pandas and that infamous Tony Curtis haircut, here is all you need to know about BBC Countryfile's well-loved presenter, John Craven.

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Published: September 26, 2017 at 9:11 am

John Craven originally hails from Leeds, where he began his career as a junior reporter at the Harrogate Advertiser. After stints in local radio and television he hosted John Craven’s Newsround from 1972, also presenting shows such as Swap Shop.

John has always considered himself to be a country person at heart and after leaving Newsround in 1989 he joined the Countryfile team, making him the longest serving presenter on the show. Over the years he has covered many of the key issues facing the British countryside, including BSE, foot and mouth and the fox-hunting ban. In 2000 he was awarded an OBE for his services to rural and children's broadcasting and features in the RTS Hall of Fame.

1

John has been presenting BBC Countryfile for over 30 years

The show made him a mini cake version of himself on the anniversary on 20th July 2014 to celebrate!

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After hundreds of recorded episodes of Countryfile, John Craven looks back on the breaking stories, key issues and memorable people that have shaped his quarter century presenting 'welly telly'.


2

John was the first Western journalist allowed by the Chinese authorities to film the panda rescue centre at Wolong in Sichuan Province

He travelled there in 1986 and made a documentary about the pioneering work that a few years later led to the first baby panda being born in captivity.

3

John has visited more than 80 countries

But says that the British countryside is still hard to beat.

4

John once wanted to be an actor and fancied himself as the next Peter O’Toole

5

Ambitious from a young age

When he was younger John used to sit in the kitchen and read out the articles in the Yorkshire Evening Post like a newscaster for his parents.

6

The person in the media that John most admires is David Attenborough

7

John presented over 3,000 episodes of Newsround

He claims to have only missed one edition, when his daughter was born.

8

John's favourite rural place is the Yorkshire Dales

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John Craven's favourite place in Britain is the spectacular Yorkshire Dales/Credit: Getty

9

John has admitted that he is addicted to the television programme Spooks

10

John enjoys sharing his experiences

John likes being a broadcaster because it gives him the “open sesame” effect – getting invited into secret places and sharing the experience with viewers.

11

If John didn’t work in the media he would like to be a pilot.

12

John attended Leeds Modern, the same school as Alan Bennett

13

John used to be known as Johnny Ray in the 50s.

He also wore Italian suits and a Tony Curtis haircut.

14

John's favourite seaside location is Whitby

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Alamy

15

John is vice-president of the Waterways Trust and a Patron of SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad)

16

John is proud of his long career working for the BBC

John says his proudest achievement in his working life is having worked for the BBC for the past 35 years plus.

17

Newsround’s biggest scoops included the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II

Also, the Hungerford massacre and, most famously, the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle.

18

John favourite part about being involved in Newsround was the challenge of writing the stories

19

John has worked in broadcasting for nearly 50 years

20

John was awarded an OBE in 2000 for services to rural and children's broadcasting

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