Bradley subsequently worked in radio and television production with the BBC. He spent five years on the staff of "The Times" (and was a features writer for "The Times" for eight years) and then combined freelance writing with teaching at Cranleigh School in Surrey. Following further study at the University of St Andrews, from which he graduated with a first-class honours BD degree in theology, Bradley was ordained to the ministry of the Church of Scotland and appointed Head of Religious Broadcasting for BBC Scotland. He has lived in Scotland since 1985. He sat on the committee that drafted the Church of Scotland's Hymnary (Fourth Edition), which was published in 2005. Bradley has taught in the areas of Christianity in contemporary Britain; hymnody, liturgy and worship; monarchy, church and state; and the theology of musical theatre. According to his profile in his 1997 book "Abide with Me", he was one of the first lecturers to teach an honors course on hymnology at a British University.