Senior reporter & presenter
@bbcmtd
Proud Brummie. Grammar nerd. Club tennis player. Love a quiz. 🌈 got a story? James.Bovill
@bbc
.co.uk insta
@james_bovill
Tonight I said ‘I’m a gay man’ on live TV. It took some courage even in an open, tolerant country like ours.
Imagine living in a country where you could be killed for saying that. This is why pride is still so important.
Happy
@BirminghamPride
everyone! 🌈 🎉
Bumped into
@mengonimarco
in Liverpool. Told his media woman I loved his song. ‘Why don’t you sing it to him’, she said.
@Eurovision
really is the most joyful place!
Duke of Cambridge
@KensingtonRoyal
playing a spot of badminton in Brum today at a community sport initiative that’s benefiting from
@birminghamcg22
. Not quite gold medal potential but not a bad swing! My report 1830
@bbcmtd
I’m 41 today. Here’s a picture of me dressed like an idiot at
@mightyhoopla
at the weekend.
Life’s better in technicolour. Happy Pride Month, everyone 🌈 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ 🎉
Lifetime ambition: achieved!
I read the news today on
@bbcmtd
for the first time, reading bulletins into
@BBCBreakfast
Who doesn’t love a face full of make up at 6am!
Bit of work news…
Over the moon to be starting as a senior reporter working across BBC digital, TV & radio in the Midlands.
I am really keen to tell stories that showcase the region’s diversity, in all its forms.
Drop me a DM or email me (in bio) with your stories!
What a view from the BBC broadcast position for
@birminghamcg22
from the Town Hall!
Can’t wait for the world to see our brilliant city. It’s starting to feel very real now!
And here it is. Probably the proudest moment of my career so far, reading the news
@bbcmtd
for the first time.
Proper pinch me moment and something 12 year old me wouldn’t have believed was possible!
I made
@Nigella_Lawson
’s crab mac and cheese for dinner and I honestly implore you to stop what you’re doing and make it immediately.
Bloody unctuous!
Sorry for smug work news post but over the moon to be joining
@bbcmtd
full time after a few weeks freelancing. I’ve loved being back and can’t wait to get stuck in!
If you have a story to tell - email is in my bio or drop me a DM
The 7 year old me who watched, wide eyed as Samantha Janus romp to 10th place in 1991 with ‘A Message To Your Heart’ would be proud that I made it to
@bbceurovision
!
Not sure how I’ll refrain from bursting into glitter on the actual day.
@brigidjones
Thank you Brigid for being brave enough to speak out on this. It's sickening to think how many young gay kids are growing up in these areas hearing their community 'does not accept homosexuality as a valid sexual relationship'. It's hard enough as it is! What can the council do?
Presenting the lunchtime news
@bbcmtd
for the first time today! Join me at 1330:
* calls for Cody’s Law for safer nightclubs, named after the footballer stabbed to death
* huge fire near Bham city centre
* the Shrewsbury swimming club saved from closure
Love presenting when the icon
@BeccyWoodTV
is on weather duty. She’s just dubbed me ‘Bing Bovill’ after predicting a mild, rather than a white Christmas! ❄️ 🎅 🎄
Brum’s biggest brand,
@CadburyUK
turns 200 today. So I finally put my history degree to good use and wrote this look back at 11 milestones in the company’s history.
It’s been an emotional evening unveiling the
@BAHMemorial
live
@bbcmtd
Every single person involved has poured their heart and soul into creating a poignant memorial for those lost, & a beacon of hope that HIV is no longer something to be feared or ashamed of.
If the
@birminghamcg22
opening ceremony is half as inspiring and ‘Brum’ as Wondrous Stories, we are in for a treat (and the odd tear). Hats off
@MotionhouseDT
- catch it before it closes on Sunday!
A mind blowing 2 weeks
@bbceurovision
working with the best media operations team, organising & delivering 6 press conferences. I somehow found myself briefing the 26 acts & 4 presenters!
An unforgettable experience full of joy and laughter. Can’t wait for Sweden 2024 already!
🚨Work News 🚨
Today is my last day
@birminghamcg22
; I’ve decided to explore other opps, mainly back in broadcast journalism.
It’s been a privilege to be part of this team and can’t wait to see it all come together.
My DMs are open for stories or freelance opps!
Happy 100th birthday to the BBC!
Here’s me in 2011, live on radio
@bbcwm
, interviewing a hot tub salesman in a hot tub, but without him in the hot tub with me.
I’m sure it was a good idea at the time!
The BBC is bonkers & brilliant & I love coming to work every day.
#BBC100
Finally made my debut on the
@BBCNews
channel!
I’ve been looking at a ‘game-changer’ treatment for heroin addiction called Buvidal.
Thanks to
@changegrowlive
I spoke to Phil who’s turned his life around.
Read more:
I have covid for the second time in two months. I feel rough but more like a heavy cold.
Posting this because it seems clear that prior infection & vaccination aren’t enough to stave off this wave.
Sadly, can’t help but think the freedoms we’ve enjoyed since July can’t last
I did it! 2’12 for my first half marathon
@Great_Run
, legs felt very heavy but the support was amazing!
Thanks SO much for all the sponsorship, it’s surpassed all my expectations. Still time to donate to
@BrainTumourOrg
here:
Chuffed to be standing in for the queen
@nicolabeckford
for most of the next 2 weeks while she’s on holiday.
I’ll have the
@bbcmtd
headlines during
@BBCBreakfast
and the news at 1.30pm big 😀
Most of victims of the Bham pub bombings were young people on a night out.
I made this doc for the 40th anniversary with
@ginnermark
&
@GoldbergRadio
As
@Justice4the21
fight on, it’s worth remembering who they’re fighting for...
Well this was as bonkers and brilliant as you’d imagine. They even rewrote Sturgeon’s resignation into the show!
A big, ambitious, totally mad show, brilliant for
@BirminghamRep
to have the world premiere.
#spittingimagelive
Popped up on
@BBCBreakfast
this morning talking about
@CadburyUK
200th birthday.
Skip to the end to hear the incredible story of former worker Gary, who invented the Roses caramel barrel in the 70s!
My Dad died from an aggressive brain tumour 13 years ago when he was just 50.
Sadly survival rates are still shockingly low. That's why I'm supporting
@LessSurvivable
#28by29
campaign &
@BrainTumourOrg
to double survival rates by 2029.
Please watch and share
We’re live in Stoke-on-Trent for
@bbcmtd
at 6.30pm, so I’m keeping the sofa warm in case anything goes wrong technically.
So hopefully you won’t see me - but I will have the late headlines at 10.30!
My first
@Eurovision
as a proper fan was unforgettable. It was a strange & controversial contest at times, but the stellar company & joyous winner Nemo made it worth it. Malmö put on a great show (not as good as Liverpool!) & sunny Copenhagen can’t be beaten.
Til next year! 🇨🇭
Really proud of this one, my first byline article for BBC News online.
The team behind this project are inspirational. Please read their stories!
"We want this to be a beacon of hope for people to stop the fear, stop the stigma, stop the prejudice."
My joy of this year was working on
@bbceurovision
and meeting a group of legends, some of whom have become lifelong friends.
Today we got jury final tickets for
@Eurovision
2024 in Malmo!
Excited doesn’t even cut it!
Over the last 2yrs, it’s been a total privilege to get to know the community trying to break down HIV stigma & ensure people know their status.
Your regular reminder: if caught early, HIV is treated with one pill a day, you’ll have a normal life expectancy & can’t pass it on.
Words can’t describe how
@BRB
’s Black Sabbath: The Musical
@brumhippodrome
made me feel.
A love letter to the city that invented heavy metal, by the band who started it all:
@BlackSabbath
Topped off by a guitar solo by
@tonyiommi
- a perfect Birmingham night! I loved it.
One last lunchtime news from me at 1330 BBC One…
🌧️ latest on flooding - we’re live in Ironbridge with
@BeccyWoodTV
😴 The new gadget to help diagnose sleep apnea
‘Pride, at its core, is a protest. But that doesn’t mean the protest has to be boring.’
Ahead of the 25th
@BirminghamPride
, I spoke to
@cyckibrokat
,
@char_bailey_
& Steve Ball about why Pride is as important now as it was then:
Labour leader
@Keir_Starmer
tells me there’ll be a gigafactory in West Mids if he wins power, but falls short of committing to Coventry site where
@TataCompanies
decided not to build theirs last year. More
@bbcmtd
@BBCCWR
@bbcwm
later
I loved UB40 growing up. Still do. They often don’t get the recognition they deserve for their contribution to British music.
It was a privilege to talk about Astro’s legacy on
@bbcmtd
today.
RIP Astro
#UB40
Bit of hi vis action with the
@worcscc
gritting teams ahead of potential disruption due to snow and ice across the Midlands. 5,000 tonnes of salt here ready to deploy after a mild winter.
More
@bbcmtd
6.30pm
The
@BirminghamPride
festival is back this weekend - but what does the future hold?
Director
@LawrenceBarton1
tells me about the fight to find a permanent home…
Steve Rider says seeing
@nickowentv
talking about prostate cancer on
@BBCBreakfast
spurred him on to get checked - where his own diagnosis was caught early. The power of awareness
'I consider myself to be extremely lucky'
Former BBC Sport presenter Steve Rider has told
#BBCBreakfast
he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer and it's thanks to another TV presenter that he went for a check up
Saw the Norwegian pop queen
@DagnyMusic
at my local
@hareandhounds
tonight. She’s playing huge venues supporting Sting, but it felt like this little gig with diehard fans meant so much to her.
Genuinely so joyful & reminded me why live music is so special. She should be huge!
I’ve just run 13.1 miles for the first time in my life. Almost killed me. I’m doing it again on Sunday for the
@Great_Run
. The video explains why. Any pennies you can spare would be amazing…
Every queer kid now in their 30s (or nearly 40s 😬) is screaming at the thought of
@samanthamumba1
&
@Sugababes
on the same bill! With a little Eurovision amuse bouche from the fabulous
@maemuller_
Iconique!
8 years after winning it with
@GoldbergRadio
&
@ginnermark
, I forked out for the
@NYFestivals
award we won for our radio doc about the Birmingham Pub Bombings for
@bbcwm
We never got to go to NYC or get our own award at the time, so I bought one for my 40th! Isn’t it pretty?!
Back to work and I’ve got your
@bbcmtd
news on BBC One at 1.30, with a new birthday tie!
We’ll have more on the D-Day anniversary, with the amazing story of Lieutenant Den Brotheridge from Smethwick, the first to die in Normandy in 1944
Sadly I can’t attend tonight as I’m isolating with covid, but it’s so important that our community & its allies stand together to reject hatred.
Our gay village must be a safe space, but we shouldn’t feel ashamed or fearful of being who we are anywhere in this great city either
Following the recent homophobic incidents in Birmingham's Gay village members of the LGBTQ+ community are coming together to organise a solidarity protest
A week ago, I was in a world of pain. But it was worth it. I’ve raised an amazing £1,627 for
@BrainTumourOrg
Before I send off all your wonderful donations, one last chance to donate to this incredible cause:
I did it! 2’12 for my first half marathon
@Great_Run
, legs felt very heavy but the support was amazing!
Thanks SO much for all the sponsorship, it’s surpassed all my expectations. Still time to donate to
@BrainTumourOrg
here:
Our journey to create the
#B2022
mascot began back in July – and now it’s almost time for the big reveal.
Check out this video to see the story so far.
Make sure you’re among the first to see the mascot – sign up to our mailing list now: