ITV's News at Ten anchor Sir Alastair Burnet dies aged 84:
Journalist was one of the news broadcaster's leading presenters for most of the 1970s and 1980s
Sir Alastair Burnet, the main anchor of ITV's News at Ten in the 1980s, has died aged 84.
A statement on behalf of Burnet's family said he died peacefully in the middle of the night at the Beatrice Place nursing home in Kensington, west London, where he was being cared for after suffering several strokes.
Burnet joined ITN as political editor in 1963 and was one of the news broadcaster's leading presenters for most of the 1970s and 1980s.
He became known as the authoritative voice of Britain's biggest commercial news broadcaster, describing the Apollo space missions, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and the visit to Britain of Pope John Paul II.
Burnet also had a successful career in print journalism, editing the Economist and Daily Express.
John Hardie, the chief executive of ITN, on Thursday described Burnet as "the greatest newscaster Britain ever produced".
He added: "ITN stands on the shoulders of giants, none greater than Sir Alastair Burnet. He defined newscasting for a generation and his influence is still clearly evident today. He set the bar to a standard that has never been surpassed and perhaps not even equalled. Sir Alastair will be sorely missed by many here at ITN, but his legacy lives on."
Burnet is the author of four books on the royal family and was knighted in 1984 for his services to journalism and broadcasting. He was born in Edinburgh in 1928 and went to school in Cambridge and then to university at Oxford.
Burnet was the political editor of ITN for two years from 1963, before becoming editor of the Economist from 1965 until 1974. He returned to ITN to head the team of newscasters during the three-month trial of News at Ten before being appointed editor of the Daily Express, where he was at the helm until 1976.
He then returned permanently to ITN, first as a newscaster on the News at 5.45 programme, and then back to News at Ten.
He was presented with the Richard Dimbleby award on four occasions and was nominated political broadcaster of the year in 1979.
The broadcaster Andrew Neil described Burnet as "one of the greatest journalists of his generation".
He added: "He played a pivotal role in the rise of ITN as political editor, interviewer and newscaster; he launched ITN's News at Ten, Britain's first dual-anchored, half-hour newscast – the most successful newscast in British broadcast history; and he will always be remembered for presenting historic live events, from numerous election nights – on BBC and ITV – to US space launches to major royal events.
"He will also always be recalled by family, friends and colleagues for his unparalleled professionalism, humour and gentlemanly kindness, especially to journalists starting out on their careers. Joy it was to be in his company and he was an inspiration to many who followed in his footsteps – the broadcasters' broadcaster. There will be many who wish to pay tribute to him in the days ahead."
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Sir Alastair Burnet, the main anchor of ITV's News at Ten in the 1980s, has died aged 84.
A statement on behalf of Burnet's family said he died peacefully in the middle of the night at the Beatrice Place nursing home in Kensington, west London, where he was being cared for after suffering several strokes.
Burnet joined ITN as political editor in 1963 and was one of the news broadcaster's leading presenters for most of the 1970s and 1980s.
He became known as the authoritative voice of Britain's biggest commercial news broadcaster, describing the Apollo space missions, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and the visit to Britain of Pope John Paul II.
Burnet also had a successful career in print journalism, editing the Economist and Daily Express.
John Hardie, the chief executive of ITN, on Thursday described Burnet as "the greatest newscaster Britain ever produced".
He added: "ITN stands on the shoulders of giants, none greater than Sir Alastair Burnet. He defined newscasting for a generation and his influence is still clearly evident today. He set the bar to a standard that has never been surpassed and perhaps not even equalled. Sir Alastair will be sorely missed by many here at ITN, but his legacy lives on."
Burnet is the author of four books on the royal family and was knighted in 1984 for his services to journalism and broadcasting. He was born in Edinburgh in 1928 and went to school in Cambridge and then to university at Oxford.
Burnet was the political editor of ITN for two years from 1963, before becoming editor of the Economist from 1965 until 1974. He returned to ITN to head the team of newscasters during the three-month trial of News at Ten before being appointed editor of the Daily Express, where he was at the helm until 1976.
He then returned permanently to ITN, first as a newscaster on the News at 5.45 programme, and then back to News at Ten.
He was presented with the Richard Dimbleby award on four occasions and was nominated political broadcaster of the year in 1979.
The broadcaster Andrew Neil described Burnet as "one of the greatest journalists of his generation".
He added: "He played a pivotal role in the rise of ITN as political editor, interviewer and newscaster; he launched ITN's News at Ten, Britain's first dual-anchored, half-hour newscast – the most successful newscast in British broadcast history; and he will always be remembered for presenting historic live events, from numerous election nights – on BBC and ITV – to US space launches to major royal events.
"He will also always be recalled by family, friends and colleagues for his unparalleled professionalism, humour and gentlemanly kindness, especially to journalists starting out on their careers. Joy it was to be in his company and he was an inspiration to many who followed in his footsteps – the broadcasters' broadcaster. There will be many who wish to pay tribute to him in the days ahead."
• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.
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