Pettifer started work in television during the early days of ITV, as one of the original Southern Television announcers in 1958. He later moved to the BBC as a globe-trotting reporter for programmes such as Tonight, 24 Hours and Panorama.
He was the host for the British television show Busman's Holiday (game show) from 1985 to 1988. The show was produced by Granada Television and ran on the ITV network.
Pettifer also wrote and presented a number of documentaries for both BBC and ITV, including Diamonds in the Sky, on the subject of international air travel; Automania, a history of the motor car, and Missionaries.