Julia Wheeler is a writer, journalist and interviewer who worked for the BBC for more than fifteen years, including as the BBC’s Gulf Correspondent based in the UAE and covering the Arabian Peninsula. Julia chairs discussions at literature and science festivals across the UK and internationally, including in the Middle East, South Asia and North America. She has moderated events at The British Library, The Royal Geographical Society, 10 Downing Street and mid-Atlantic, onboard Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. Julia was a judge for the 2024 Dylan Thomas Prize and Chair of Judges for the Stanfords Travel Book of the Year 2024. She is a trustee of the Stratford Literary Festival. Julia wrote the award-winning book Telling Tales: An Oral History of Dubai, capturing stories of court intrigue, pearl diving and gold smuggling, along with the early days of education and banking. She read Economic and Social History with a focus on South Asia at university before postgraduate study in Broadcast Journalism.    

Top Titles

• Telling Tales: An Oral History of Dubai (2005)