In pictures: A look back at Bill Turnbull's life
- Published
Presenter Bill Turnbull, who has died at the age of 66, was a genial and reassuring fixture on British television screens for almost 35 years.
He joined BBC One's Breakfast programme as a fresh-faced reporter in 1988. Stints as a news correspondent and Washington correspondent followed, before Turnbull returned to Breakfast, as a presenter, in 2001.
His co-hosts included Sian Williams, with whom he shared the famous red sofa for 11 years, until she left in 2012.
His other regular on-air early-morning companions, included Charlie Stayt, Susanna Reid, Simon Jack, Carol Kirkwood and Mike Bushell.
Turnbull performed Duran Duran's Wild Boys, with newsreader Michael Buerk and sport presenter Rob Bonnet, on BBC Children In Need 2004.
He partnered Karen Hardy on the third series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.
The pair lasted seven weeks on the programme.
Turnbull combined light-hearted moments with hard-hitting news reports and political interviews, such as former Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to the Breakfast studio in 2011.
In 2008, he celebrated Breakfast's 25th anniversary with presenters past and present, including Angela Rippon, Francis Wilson, Chris Hollins, Glyn Christian, Selena Scott, Sue Cook, Sian Williams and Mike Smith.
Turnbull featured in more Children In Need spoof musical performances, including forming a Queen tribute band with Jeremy Bowen, Michael Buerk and Andrew Marr to perform Bohemian Rhapsody in 2005.
The following year, he played James Bond in another sketch on the charity telethon.
One of Turnbull's other loves was beekeeping and he presented BBC Two's What's Killing Our Bees? A Horizon Special, in 2013.
Turnbull left Breakfast in 2016, after 15 years. He said at the time: "When I first joined, it was rather staid and to be honest a little bit dull. Part of the success of the programme was it learned to relax, not just in terms of the presentation but also in terms of the content."
As well as having lie-ins in the mornings, Turnbull went on to host BBC One's Think Tank quiz and present a programme on Classic FM. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017.
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- Published1 September 2022
- Published1 September 2022