Escape to the Country star Jules Hudson has opened up on his approach to presenting the hit BBC series. The 55-year-old has been one of the show’s main presenters since 2007. It follows home buyers as they consider ditching the hustle and bustle of city life for their dream life in the countryside.
Jules however says he is regularly asked what makes him want to keep returning to the series, after more than 18 years. Speaking on the Cannon Hall Farm podcast with farmers Rob and Dave Nicholson, Jules explained how he likes to keep the show “fresh”.
He said: “People say, ‘How do you keep going on Escape to the Country?’ And the truth is it’s not the same old thing, every show is different, I find, and that’s because I make a point of it.
“I treat every show as if it’s my first, which I still remember, and every show as if it were my last, God forbid. But if you think about the emotions that are involved in both of those scenarios it encumbers you to always bring a fresh and original approach to it, even though it is technically a format show, you’ve got to keep it fresh. You’re blessed with different people, properties, places.”
Jule says he likes to make sure people appearing on Escape to the Country are “comfortable” and are “themselves” while on set. Jules started his career on the Discovery Channel making historical programmes after leaving the military.
He then went on to appear on shows such as Channel 4’s Time Team, and BBC 2’s Horizon. He fronted BBC One’s Britain’s Empty Homes between 2010 and 2012.
Away from TV screens, Jules, who was born and raised in Colchester, Essex, swapped his busy life in London with wife Tania and their son Jack for rural Herefordshire. According to the Mirror, the family bought their £610,000 farmhouse in 2012.
In 2024, Jules branched away from his TV career and opened Jules Store in Hereford. The shop sells bespoke furniture and home accessories. He said: “It’s full of furniture and other items that I have exclusively made.
“Making makes me happy. And it does, and I think it’s good for the soul. You don’t have to be good at it, just get out there and make something.”
When asked if he had considered making shows out of his home workshop, Jules replied: “Not yet, no, but that’s the next step I think. I was suggesting to a TV company recently, Jules’s Weekend Workshop.
“We’ve got all these weekend cooking shows, same sort of thing, we get in interesting guests, we make something together, and we learn about them at the same time.”
Jules however will return to television screens tonight (April 17) as he helps a family looking to relocate to rural North Wales. Fans will watch on as Jules visits the Menai Suspension Bridge, which is being renovated for its 200th anniversary.