Julian Pettifer at the Manua Loa Observatory on Hawaii

Julian Pettifer started work in television during the early days of ITV but soon moved to the BBC as a globe-trotting reporter for programmes such as Tonight, 24 hours and Panorama.

During this time he covered many international news stories and was made Bafta Reporter of the Year for his coverage of the war in Vietnam in 1968.

He then moved to documentaries and wrote and presented a number of acclaimed programmes for both the BBC and ITV including Diamonds in the Sky, a look at the social impact of international air travel; Automania, an extensive history of the motor car, and Missionaries, which traced the remarkable story of missionaries around the world.

An interest in the environment saw a change in direction of Julian's journalistic career and in recent years he has written and presented many programmes concerned with the environment and wildlife including Naturewatch for Central Television, Nature, and The Living Isles for the BBC.

He is President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and and Vice President of the Wildlife Trust.

Recently, Julian has returned to the world of current affairs, contributing reports for BBC Two's Assignment and Correspondent programmes, and a highly praised film for Channel 4 that re-examined the reporting of the Vietnam war.

He presented BBC Radio 4's Asiafile and now presents BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents.