Jeff began his career reporting on the fortunes of Middlesbrough FC for Radio Tees. He moved to BBC Radio’s Sport On 2 for the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics, then to TV-am, Channel 4 and EuroSport before joining Sky to front their coverage of horse racing, snooker and darts. Jeff has since been named Sports Broadcaster of the Year for five successive years by the Sports Journalists' Association, whilst Soccer Saturday and Jeff’s combination of a journalist’s knowledge and a fan’s passion has helped define football coverage.

In addition to his Sky duties, Jeff has hosted the Channel 4 quiz institution, Countdown (a role which also saw him appear in the cult sitcom The IT Crowd)and appeared in the FIFA 15 video game. He has also presented 30 episodes of Alphabetical in 2016. Away from the studio, Jeff is arguably Hartlepool United FC’s best known fan (a bias often aired on Soccer Saturday).

He is also an honorary freeman of Hartlepool, a title shared with the town's former MP Lord Peter Mandelson.