David Dimbleby is the face of Question Time where he has spent over 20 years at the helm
David Dimbleby announced last night (Sun) that he will leave Question Time at the end of the year after 25 years at the helm.
After years of speculation over his future, the veteran broadcaster said he is leaving the BBC’s flagship political debate programme to become a reporter again.
Mr Dimbleby, 79, said it had been ‘exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics’ and a privilege to bring ‘voters face to face with those in power’.
BBC bosses on Sunday described him as a ‘titan in British broadcasting’ who has been a ‘brilliant champion of the public’.
However the corporation remained tight-lipped over who might replace him. Kirsty Young, the presenter of Desert Island Discs on Radio 4, is widely considered to be the favourite to succeed him.
Other candidates are said to include Victoria Derbyshire and Newsnight presenter Evan Davis.
David Dimbleby pictured in 1974. The veteran TV presenter is standing down from the helm of the nationally loved Question Time
David Dimbleby married British cookery writer Josceline Gaskell at Kensington Register Office. He is now married to TV producer Belinda Giles
Mr Dimbleby, who took over from Peter Sissons in January 1994, will sit in the chair for the final time on December 13. The programme was originally hosted by Robin Day.
Mr Dimbleby has presided over every BBC election night broadcast since 1979, as well as Budget Days and local, European and American elections.
The broadcaster also fronts the BBC’s coverage of the annual Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph and other state occasions. Corporation chiefs refused to say whether he would continue in these roles.
The 2015 election was set to be his last, with BBC News presenter Huw Edwards due to take over. But when Theresa May announced the snap election last year, there was a behind-the-scenes tussle resulting in a BBC announcement that Mr Dimbleby would front it.
He scotched speculation that he might hand over the reins of the election coverage four years ago by saying: ‘I don’t have any instinct to make way gracefully. I shall be dragged kicking and screaming from my chair.’ Announcing his decision to leave Question Time, he said last night: ‘At the end of the year I will have been chairing Question Time for a quarter of a century and I have decided that this is the right moment to leave.
‘It has been a privilege to work for a programme which brings voters face to face with those in power. It has been exhilarating following the twists and turns of British politics from John Major in 1994, through the Blair and Brown years to Cameron and May.
David has hosted Question Time since 1994 and has become the face of the BBC’s election coverage. He said 2015 would be his last but he returned in 2017 to cover the snap election
David Dimbleby took over Question Time from Peter Sissons who had presented the show between 1989 and 1993
David was married to British cookery writer Josceline Gaskell, with whom he shares three children, Liza, founder of the food chain Leon, Henry and Kate
David Dimbleby, 79, from Surrey, is a veteran broadcaster who has been the face of the BBC’s election coverage for years.
David Dimbleby has even appeared on daytime TV show Loose Women. He told the all-female panel about his first tattoo which represents him being a Scorpio
‘I am not giving up broadcasting. Instead, after years in the studio, I now plan to return to my first love: reporting.’ Mr Dimbleby, who got a tattoo of a scorpion on his back at the age of 75, started broadcasting for the BBC 57 years ago as a news reporter in Bristol after leaving Christ Church college in Oxford with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics.
He presented the BBC’s coverage of the first Europe referendum in 1975, a role he repeated in 2016 when the country voted for Brexit.
The presenter had to compete for the coveted job of Question Time host with Jeremy Paxman with both men filming pilot shows as an audition.
Mr Dimbleby, who is paid about £450,000 to front the show, said later: ‘The BBC turned it into a prize fight, not me.’
Although best known now for election nights and Question Time, he was at his post for the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother. His name has been mentioned as a possible director-general of the BBC.
Last night current director-general Tony Hall said: ‘David has been at the helm of Question Time for over 25 years: a brilliant champion of the public and the audiences’ friend – getting the answers they want on the big and difficult issues of the day.
Presenters Anna Ford and David Dimbleby at the British Film Academy Awards Ceremony in 1989
In 2013 David had got his first tattoo aged 75 – a scorpion on his right shoulder. He announced he would stand down from the helm of Question Time on Sunday
Dimbleby has covered the most important news stories in the UK. Pictured: The BBC’s studio set for an election programme with presenters David Dimbleby, Fiona Bruce, Jeremy Paxman and Peter Snow
The Question Time host is one of the most recognised faces in television in the UK
David Dimbley and his wife Belinda Giles at Browns Hotel. The pair wed in 2000, after first getting together in 1993
David Dimbleby David Dimbleby receives an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Brighton in 2009
Television presenters David Dimbleby and Selina Scott were pictured together on the Thames in London
‘Always a commanding figure, David has ensured Question Time has not only stayed relevant through the years, but a must watch for those interested in politics and current affairs. He is a titan in British broadcasting.’
BBC’s director of content Charlotte Moore, said: ‘He has led Question Time through times of momentous political change, allowing the audience to set the agenda and hold those in power to account. Thursday nights have become essential viewing for anyone who wants to be part of the current debate.’
Director of News, Fran Unsworth added: ‘He’s been a commanding figure in the chair and has been at the forefront of the biggest debates over the last 25 years. He has our huge thanks for holding politicians to account and ensuring the voice of the nation is heard.’