Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Everything you need to know about TV presenter Adrian Chiles

The former One Show presenter is back on our screens

adrian chiles pilgrimage
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
Share this:

Adrian Chiles is set to appear in Pilgrimage, The Road to Istanbul on Friday night on BBC Two, and we can't wait to watch. The show follows seven celebrities as they take on a modern-day, 2,200 km pilgrimage across Eastern Europe to the historic city of Istanbul, all the while promoting tolerance of all faiths and cultures. Also taking part in the new series is, Edwina Currie, TV presenter Amar Latif, Dom Joly and Olympian Fatima Whitbread. Want to know a bit more about Adrian before the show starts? Here's all you need to know…

WATCH: BBC new drama The Nest - official trailer

Adrian Chiles bio

Adrian was born in Birmingham in 1967 to an English father and Croatian mother, and the presenter, 53, can even speak Croatian. Adrian went on to study English at the University of London and was even a keen amateur actor before moving into broadcasting. As well as trying his hand at acting, Adrian also applied to be in the Civil Service, but was unsuccessful. He then studied for a postgraduate degree journalism at Cardiff and began working at the News of the World as a sports correspondent.

MORE: 13 upcoming TV shows to get excited about

adrian chiles all you need to know

Adrian Chiles TV career

After working as a sports journalist, Adrian began working at the BBC and fronted Working Lunch, a role which gained him early recognition. He then went on front other finance-based shows such as Asian Millionaires, Royal Millions, and many reports for Panorama. In 2007, Adrian then began presenting BBC early evening programme The One Show, which he did for three years alongside a number of different fellow hosts such as Christine Bleakley, Nadia Sawalha and Myleene Klass before he left in 2010, when current host Alex Jones took over.

MORE: Line of Duty star gives uplifting update on season six after filming postponed

pilgrimage the road to istanbul© Photo: BBC

Prior to working on The One Show, Adrian continued with his sports journalism and was a host on BBC's major sports programme Match of the Day 2. He also presented the BBC coverage for Euro 2008 and the Beijing Olympics that same year. In addition to sport and The One Show, the TV presenter has appeared on much-loved shows such as Have I Got News For You, Daybreak and The Apprentice You're Fired! He's also a radio presenter, and has had his own show on BBC Radio 5 Live since 2013.

Adrian Chiles family

In 1998, Adrian married fellow broadcaster Jane Garvey in Swansea. The couple share two daughters and were married for ten years before separating in 2008. The year after, their divorce was finalised. Adrian Chiles Pilgrimage journey Pilgrimage, The Road to Istanbul, focuses on seven different celebrities who are all part of different faiths and religions. Adrian himself is a converted Roman Catholic. In 2015, the presenter attended Mass for Lent each day in different churches, totalling 46 different churches in 46 days.

Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

More TV and Film

See more