Bruce was brought up in Guernsey. He was educated at Elizabeth College, followed by the University of Wales. He has a postgraduate degree from Reading University.
In the mid-1960s, he was responsible for a pilot local radio station in the Channel Islands that led eventually to the setting up of BBC Local Radio stations across the UK.
In 1967, he joined BBC South in Southampton, where he was a popular presenter and reporter for South Today over three decades. For the final ten years of his distinguished career, he was BBC South’s political editor and spent time as a BBC lobby correspondent and member of the House of Commons Press Gallery at Westminster.
He was a respected political interviewer hosting South of Westminster and South on Sunday.
In the 1970s, he began to appear on networked BBC TV programmes, first as a network news reporter and then as a regular contributor to Nationwide during their regional round-ups.
He reported from Southampton on BBC TV’s General Election night coverage in October 1974. He was the first host of Antiques Roadshow (which he helped set up with producer Robin Drake) in 1979. He returned for its 30th anniversary and the 40th anniversary, filmed at Castle Howard.
Other TV programmes he presented included:
- Personal Choice (BBC One, 1977);
- Arts magazine Mainstream (BBC One, 1979);
- Songs of Praise (1974 and 1976). He returned for the 50th anniversary edition at Alexandra Palace in 2010.
In 1982, he was the BBC commentator for the raising of the Mary Rose live from The Solent (Raising the Rose, BBC Two, 10th October 1982).
He appeared with other BBC regional presenters on The Paul Daniels Magic Show (BBC Two, 6th September 1987), narrated A Living Antique (BBC One, 1989) and presented Southern Eye (BBC Two, 1990).
On radio, he contributed to Woman’s Hour (BBC Light Programme/BBC Radio 2, 1967, 1971 – 1972 and 1980) and co-presented Home This Afternoon (BBC Radio 4, 1967 – 1968).
He presented a number of programmes on Radio 4 including:
- The Changing Past (1969);
- The Living World (1971);
- The Week’s Antiques, which he devised;
- Today from the South and West (1980 – 1981).
He also reported on rifle shooting from Bisley for BBC Radio Sport (1968 – 1973).
He is the author of Everybody’s Soapbox (with Nigel Farrell), The History of Elizabeth College and A History of Guernsey Full-Bore Rifle Shooting.
Bruce is chairman of the Friends of Winchester Cathedral and a Cathedral trustee.
He chairs two educational charities in Guernsey: the Elizabeth College Foundation and the Gibson Fleming Trust. He is a former chairman of Harestock School governors in Winchester and was chairman of Appleshaw Parish Council in Hampshire for six years until January 2016.
He was a vice-patron of both the Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance and Smile Support and Care charities and an ambassador for Leukaemia Busters in Southampton.
Bruce won several Royal Television Society awards, including industry achievement award (1998) and BBC Nations and Regions news awards – director general’s special award (2002 – 2003). He was awarded the MBE in the 2017 New Year’s Honours, which he later received from HRH The Duke of Cambridge.
His son Charlie, a BBC cameraman, was found dead at his Winchester flat in April 2019.
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Bruce in June 2019:
How did you become the first presenter of Antiques Roadshow in 1977?
“I was the presenter and commentator of the BBC One series Badger Watch which was a ground-breaking series – live – which looked at badgers in the wild in Somerset. It was the forerunner of all the ‘watch’ series we have now such as Autumnwatch etc.
“It was my appearance on that series which led to Robin Drake, a Bristol producer, calling me up asking to discuss with me a programme idea he had. He came to my home in Winchester and described what he’d seen at ‘roadshows’ put on by the London auction houses in various West of England cities when members of the public had their antiques valued.
“Some were appalled at the low prices – others exalted by the high value. He thought it would make a good programme. Did I think so, too, and if so would I be the presenter of a pilot programme with Arthur Negus as the expert. The rest is history.
Miscellaneous
“I was the first political editor of BBC South (1992 – 2003). Peter Henley took over on my retirement.
“Also, I remained a presenter of South Today until 2003 and started presenting in 1967; a stint of 36 years, which I think is a record for regional presenters.
“Before becoming political editor, I had presented and coordinated all the general election coverage at BBC South from 1970 – 2001. I have interviewed all Prime Ministers from Anthony Eden to Theresa May – most of them in office, but some of them in retirement.”
Personal information
Clips of Bruce on The TV Room
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Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Bruce Parker. SUPPLIED BY: Bruce Parker. COPYRIGHT: Bruce Parker.
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