Herring Shoes Journal

A face that nearly every sports fan will recognise from Sky Sports News and live football presenting ranging from the Premier League to the World Cup, Jules knows the importance of making sure you look the part, especially when you’re a lead anchor on the worlds largest sports channel!

Jules lives with his wife and two wonderful children in Oxfordshire, mixing his family time with a hectic sports schedule is a feat in itself and we are thankful that he has found time to chat with us about life at Sky and the path he has walked (if you like what you see and want to follow more then the link to Jules’ Instagram is here).

Thank you again for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us. We want to take you back to 2008, when you first started working at Sky. How did it all come about? How did you deal with your nerves when you knew you were making your first live appearance?

I’d worked for many years in sports radio, but presenting on Sky Sports was my dream job – and luckily I managed to make it happen. After some work experience and a bit of badgering, I got a screen test and within a few weeks I was live on Sky Sports News! As it was my first taste of TV, I’ve never been so nervous in my life, but luckily I was on air alongside a broadcasting legend – the late, great David Bobin – who held my sweaty hand (metaphorically!) and got me through. I still get nervous, but the palms are less clammy!

Was there ever a ‘wow’ moment when it hit home that you are working for Sky Sports? Maybe meeting a personal sporting hero?

I’ve been lucky to interview many big names from the sporting world over the 15 years I’ve been at Sky, and work alongside some great former players – many of whom I grew up watching as a lad! As a lifelong Everton fan, presenting a show with Graeme Sharp and Tony Cottee was real “pinch me” stuff. Sharpy was banging in the goals when I first started supporting the club (when we used to win things!) and as a 10 year old I was at Goodison Park with my Dad to see TC score a hat-trick on his Everton debut. Little did I know 20 years or so later we’d be colleagues!

You’re an avid Everton fan ( I feel your pain this season, as a Forest fan) do you have to avoid seeing the live scores when you are on air, for fear it may affect how you present?

Sadly I have to cover all the scores when I’m on air on “Soccer Special” so there’s no way of escaping the goals going in the Everton net (sadly in the last year or so there’ve been quite a few so I’ve not had too many successes to report on!) I don’t keep my allegiance secret on air but I do try and be professional and objective when I cover them (that said, if we score and the camera isn’t on me, I’m celebrating and jumping up and down in my seat. I’ve not been caught out…yet!)

Let’s move on to more sartorial talk. You are always wearing a well tailored suit on air, but what’s your general style when off air? Are you more of a ‘jeans and trainers’ kind of man, or a ‘Chinos and Chelsea’s’ dude?

Firstly thanks for the compliment, I’ll pass it on to the Sky Sports stylists who guide us on what to wear! Off air, I’m definitely a jeans, trainers and hoody man, very relaxed – in contrast to the formality of my “on air” look. If I’m going out out, it’s shirt & jacket, smart trousers and a pair of Herring shoes, of course!

We know that you first saw our shoes through your fellow Sky colleagues wearing them (Prutts, Daws, Teddy, Hef etc) but what drew you to the single monk style and the semi brogues? What differences have you noticed from your Herring shoes when compared with other brands?

I was first drawn to the look of the shoes, they’re beauties! I love the detail on the Chamberlains & the quality of the leather and I’m a big fan of the the monk strap look which contrasts nicely with the semi-brogues. I can honestly say both pairs are the most comfortable “smart” shoes I’ve ever worn. I’ve got wide feet (as I was told from a young age by the fitters at Clarks!) so in the past I’ve found new shoes can feel tight at first and take some time to soften, but these seemed to fit perfectly from the word go. When you’re on air for up to six hours at a time, you want to look the part and feel comfortable too – and my Herrings tick both boxes!