Stewart White leaves BBC Look East after 37 years

Presenter Stewart White has left the BBC Look East regional news programme after 37 years.

Mr White, 74, presented his final show on Thursday. He said goodbye and thanked viewers at the end of the 18:30 BST programme.

In total, he has presented more than 8,000 programmes and covered the biggest stories in the East of England.

"This is a sad day for me. I have spent 37 very happy years at BBC Look East," he said.

Stephen Fry was among those to pay tribute to the broadcaster, saying "Norfolk evenings will never be quite the same".

"Farewell, old boy," Fry wrote on Twitter. "You will be sorely missed."

Mr White leaves both his role presenting the Look East evening news on BBC One and the weekly regional political programme on Sundays.

Making the surprise announcement live on air, he said: "I have interviewed prime ministers, archbishops, Hollywood superstars and top musicians.

"I have challenged and celebrated, but the most important thing for me is that at 6.30pm every evening hundreds of thousands of people have invited me into their homes to take them through the news of the day.

"I have never taken that for granted and am honoured to have been a part of so many lives for so long. I will miss it with all of my heart, but the time is right."

Stewart White has presented Look East for the past 37 years

Mr White's first job at the BBC was as a studio manager before he moved in front of the microphone. He had short stints at several local BBC radio stations before joining BBC Look East in 1984.

Director of BBC England Helen Thomas said: "Stewart is a broadcasting giant. He's had an incredible career at the BBC and achieved many, many things but most importantly earned the trust, respect and affection of our viewers.

"It's typical of Stewart that he has asked to keep his final programme a quiet affair but I do want to pay tribute to a talented broadcaster, a brilliant journalist, and a kind colleague.

"We all wish him well for the future and thank him for his immense contribution over four decades."