before joining the bbc, embley began his career training as a newspaper journalist with thomson daily papers in wales, on the south wales echo and the western mail. he began broadcasting in 1983, working for bbc wales' "wales today", followed by the consumer affairs programme "watchdog" in 1987, and "public eye" in 1989. whilst working on "public eye", he was the first news reporter with a foreign crew to reach the san francisco to report on the earthquake.