Josephine was born in London in 1955. She presented various programmes for the BBC, including: Take Two (BBC One, 1984 – 1985); Pebble Mill at One (BBC One, 1984 – 1986); Rock Around the Clock (BBC Two, 25th August 1984); A Song for Christmas (BBC One, 1985). She was a reporter for Did You See…? (BBC Two, 1985) and Off the Record (BBC Two, 1985), and guest-supported on Best of Brass (BBC Two, 1986). She also appeared on Canned Carrot (BBC One, 1990).
She worked for Thames TV (1987 – 1992) as a presenter on The Treatment and The Full Treatment. Josephine appeared in Dragons’ Den (BBC Two, 29th July 2009) seeking investment in her new musical.
In 2010, Josephine took up the post of artistic director for Kent’s Biennial Cultural Celebration and in 2012 she became director of Josephine Buchan Productions. In 2016, she produced and directed the 2016 Kent Cultural Celebration featuring the talent of the under 21s in the county. She also produced the 21st anniversary gala for the groundbreaking charity Mousetrap Theatre Projects at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London’s West End. Josephine is also theatre ambassador to legendary London theatre restaurant Joe Allen.
She was awarded the BEM (Order of the British Empire Medal) in the 2016 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to young people through the arts in London. She was made an ambassador for Kent in recognition of her work for the young people of that county.
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Josephine in June 2019 about her career.
How did you get your TV break – and how did you get the job on Take Two?
“I was accompanying the actor Elliott Gould, who was appearing on Breakfast Time with Frank Bough and Selina Scott. I worked in the PR department of Canon Films – the film Elliott was promoting was called Over the Brooklyn Bridge. I got talking to someone who said he thought I’d make a good presenter and introduced me to two producers. One of them was Phil Chilvers, who gave me my first job on Take Two, which we filmed at TV Centre.”
Pebble Mill must’ve been a great programme to work on – being live and so varied – any particular memories of colleagues/guests?
“I had absolutely the best time working on that show. Everyone was a joy to work with and I met so many amazing people. My ‘big star’ moment was meeting Twiggy, who I’ve been a lifelong fan of! Funniest moment was when Owen Paul and his band weren’t cued and the track started wile they stood there chatting.”
What made you leave TV in 1992?
“I left TV because I moved to Kent to raise my family. I started producing theatre in 2005.”
Personal Information
Online Presence
Video Clips on the Internet
Here we present a selection of video clips featuring Josephine which we found on social media sites or have made available from our own archive. The clips are presented here for additional reference. Inclusion of a video does not constitute an endorsement of the hosting site/channel/user. If you find any broken links below or are aware of an additional clip(s) which you believe may be a useful addition to this profile, please get in touch with us via our Contact page.
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Josephine Buchan. SUPPLIED BY: Josephine Buchan. COPYRIGHT: Josephine Buchan.
- 19th April 2020 at 11.06pm
- Approved, Complete
- BBC, BBC One Network, BBC Two Network, ITV Network, ITV Network Limited/ITV plc
- Presenter, Reporter
- Children's, Factual, Non-Programme: Continuity
- Children's Presenters: BBC Network (UK), Presenters: BBC Network (UK), Presenters: ITV Network