Bill Turnbull, who for 15 years woke up the nation as a presenter on the BBC Breakfast sofa, has died aged 66.
Across a four-decade career, he presented from the front line of British and foreign politics, as well as hosting an array of lighter gameshows and religious programmes.
William Robert Jolyon Turnbull was born on January 25 1956 in Guildford, Surrey.
Educated at Eton College, he attended the University of Edinburgh where he was editor of the student paper.
Turnbull began his radio career at Radio Clyde in Scotland in 1978.
He joined the BBC as a correspondent for the Today program in 1986 before becoming a correspondent for BBC Breakfast Time two years later.
His most memorable stories included the Lockerbie disaster in 1988 and the Romanian revolution in 1989.
In 1990, Turnbull became a correspondent for BBC News and a reporter from more than 30 countries.
During his four-year tenure as a Washington reporter, he covered the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the OJ Simpson trial, and there was also a rain-soaked appearance at breakfast during a Florida hurricane.
After returning to the UK in 1997, Turnbull became one of the main presenters on BBC News 24, as he was called at the time.
He has also worked on BBC Radio 5 Live, including serving weekend breakfast.
Turnbull joined BBC Breakfast in 2001 as a presenter alongside Sian Williams.
They worked together until 2012 when Williams left after the show moved from London to Salford.
Celebrity fans, including David Cameron, Frank Skinner and Miranda Hart, sent farewell video messages to the presenter.
The former prime minister said: “Bill, throughout your career, you have brought us news from all over the world, from war zones to the White House, but over the past 15 years we have been used to seeing you present from one privileged location - the BBC breakfast couch.
“Now it's the day to swap out that sofa for a bed and the long-awaited one. So, on behalf of all the people who used to start their day with you, thank you.”
During those fifteen years, the nation woke up to Turnbull's calm and reassuring style.
However, in July 2015, he made an embarrassing slip live.
The Guildford-born broadcaster appears to be saying "c***" instead of "client" while referring to the reaction to the public health story.
In a statement, the BBC said he had "unintentionally stumbled" on his words.
Charlie State, Carol Kirkwood, Bill Turnbull, Simon Jack, Louise Minchin and Chris Hollins at the annual TRIC Awards in 2010 (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
It was one of the most memorable moments of BBC Breakfast.
As a household name, Turnbull has appeared in many TV shows apart from Breakfast.
He was a presenter on BBC One's Songs Of Praise.
In 2005, he competed as a contestant on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing. In partnership with Karen Hardy, he was the seventh celebrity to be voted out of the show.
Turnbull also participated in ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire; BBC celebrity mastermind, am I lying to you? , Aimless Celebrities, Room 101 and through the keyhole, featured in the dictionary's corner of Channel 4's Countdown.
Arguably his most famous role came in the 2011 Doctor Who episode, The Wedding Of River Song, in which he played him.
Turnbull's passion for beekeeping led to the publication in 2011 of his book The Bad Beekeepers Club, a hilarious account of the vicissitudes of the hobby.
In 2018, when he was 63, he announced that he had advanced prostate cancer, and said he was taking CBD to treat his symptoms.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet with Julie Echingham and Bill Turnbull during the annual Civil Service Awards Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2015
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh meet with Julie Echingham and Bill Turnbull at Buckingham Palace in 2015 (Anthony Devlin/PA)
Turnbull was filmed smoking marijuana with a vape for a Channel 4 documentary - Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive - after his attempts to find the right treatment.
In his later years he presented a weekend radio show on Classic FM and appeared as a guest presenter on The One Show.
On a number of occasions in 2020 and 2021, Turnbull reunited with former BBC Breakfast co-host Susanna Reid as a guest presenter on ITV's Good Morning Britain.
The pair had breakfast together until 2014, when Reed left to join ITV.
In October 2021 he announced that he was taking a "leave of absence" from his weekend show on Classic FM "for health reasons".
A Wycombe Wanderers fan was quoted on the club's official website, from an interview with Prostate Cancer UK, as saying: "There's a special atmosphere about Wycombe Wanderers because of its location, such a beautiful country setting, and it's small enough for a real club feel about it where people really care about each other." .
He is survived by his wife Sarah, whom he married in March 1988, and their three children.