BBC and ITV broadcasters including Sian Williams, Charlie Stayt, Susanna Reid and Naga Munchetty were among those celebrating the life and legacy of their ‘great friend’ Bill Turnbull at his funeral in his beloved Suffolk today.
The former BBC Breakfast presenter died on August 31 aged 66 after a ‘challenging and committed fight against prostate cancer’, which was diagnosed in November 2017.
Mr Turnbull’s two sons and son-in-law were among the six pallbearers carrying his oak coffin, adorned with a red rose and purple bouquet, into the church.
Family and close friends, including his BBC Breakfast co-hosts, attended a private ceremony at Holy Trinity church in Blythburgh, on Friday afternoon. Ms Reid made it to Suffolk hours after queuing through the night
Sian Williams, who anchored BBC Breakfast with Turnbull for more than a decade, said: ‘I think it is a day of sadness and reflection, and I hope sometime today there will also be time to celebrate his life because he was a great friend and a great man.
‘And he has so many different connections to so many different people who cherish him that I hope we can have that time together where we can share those memories.
Pallbearers carry the coffin of TV presenter and journalist Bill Turnbull into Holy Trinity Church in Blythburgh, Suffolk for his funeral. Mr Turnbull’s two sons and son-in-law were among the six pallbearers
The former BBC Breakfast presenter died at his home in Suffolk following a prostate cancer fight
Susanna Reid (left) and Sian Williams arrive for the funeral to say goodbye to their great friend a colleague
BBC presenter Naga Munchetty said she will remember Turnbull as a ‘funny, charming, cheeky guy’.
Former BBC Breakfast and Classic FM presenter Bill Turnbull died at the age of 66
Charlotte Hawkins worked with Bill at Classic FM and filled in for him when he became ill with cancer. DJ Danny Wallace also went east to Suffolk
Martha Kearney (left) and Charlie Stayt (right) arrive to say their goodbyes to Bill
BBC presenter Louise Minchin joined colleagues to celebrate the life of the broadcaster. Nick Robinson was also there to pay his respects
Sports journalist Mike Bushell worked on BBC Breakfast with Mr Turnbull
Chris Hollins and wife Sarah Alexander file into the church
A general view of Holy Trinity Church, close to the banks of the River Blyth
‘I wish he were able to understand how much he was valued, and I think it is incredible the number of people here who just wanted to come and celebrate and pay their respects to him.
‘Bill made a lot of friends and he was a very loyal friend and he was great to work with as a professional, but when you’re sitting alongside someone like that there is a lot of trust that goes with that.
‘I think the reason that so many people have turned out today to pay their respects – to think about him and share memories of him and to celebrate him – is because he was a good man.
‘He was a great bloke, he was great to work with, he was a great friend and you see that here with the number of people who wanted to express that.’
Bill Turnbull with his wife Sesi as he leaves BBC Breakfast for the last time after 15 years of service on February 26, 2016
A photograph at Turnbull’s home in Suffolk showing him with wife Sesi and children Henry, Will and Flora in New York in 1997
Sian Williams was accompanied by Susanna Reid, who came up from London after seeing the Queen’s coffin
BBC presenter Louise Minchin hugs a mourner
Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth was there to represent his beloved football club
A mourner carrying a bouquet of flowers with a Wycombe Wanderers football shirt
Ms Williams said she will remember Turnbull ‘with a smile’.
Other famous names to attend include Martha Kearney, Mike Bushell, Louise Minchin, Charlotte Hawkins and Nick Robinson.
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty, who shared the red sofa with Turnbull for several years, told the PA news agency: ‘Bill was the grammar hammer; he was so on top of his grammar plurals, singulars… He was all over it.
‘He was passionate about the job and passionate about the journalism and passionate about the audience.
‘The audience was all that mattered and all that does matter and Bill never forgot that – he was a joy to sit beside.
‘To sit next to Bill was always an experience, it was always fun, it was always focused but it was also about the audience.
‘It was telling the story, being part of the story, which is always a privilege, and hearing people’s experiences and helping to relay those to our audience.
‘It was the audience – that’s what Bill was about.’
Ms Munchetty said she will remember Turnbull as a ‘funny, charming, cheeky guy’.
Turnbull’s two sons and son-in-law were among the six pallbearers carrying his oak coffin, adorned with a red rose and purple bouquet, into the church.
Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull arriving for the TV Choice awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London in September 2010
Bill Turnbull and Susanna Reid present ITV’s Good Morning Britain together on February 26, 2020
(From left) Sally Nugent, Bill Turnbull and Louise Minchin attend the TRIC Awards in London March 10, 2015
Bill Turnball after his final episode of BBC Breakfast
Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Karen Hardy was partnered with BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull in 2005
Camilla walks with Bill Turnbull as she attends a Bees for Development event at Marlborough House in London in June 2019
Bill Turnbull died ‘peacefully’ at home in Suffolk after a ‘challenging and committed fight against prostate cancer’
The broadcaster had been an avid supporter of Wycombe Wanderers during his life, and the club’s manager, Gareth Ainsworth, attended the funeral wearing black sunglasses.
A signed Wycombe Wanderers shirt with the number 60 had been placed on a bench outside the church as mourners filed in to celebrate the life of the veteran journalist.
Turnbull started his broadcasting career at Scotland’s Radio Clyde in 1978, joining the BBC as a reporter for Radio 4’s Today programme in 1986 before becoming a reporter for BBC’s Breakfast Time two years later.
In 1990, he became a correspondent for BBC News and reported from more than 30 countries, covering notable stories including the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the OJ Simpson trial in the US.
After moving back to the UK, he became one of the main presenters on BBC News 24, as it was then called.
Turnbull also worked for BBC Radio 5 Live, including presenting Weekend Breakfast.
He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2017 and later fronted the Channel 4 documentary Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive.
Other notable TV appearances included BBC One’s Songs Of Praise and Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2016, he joined Classic FM, where he hosted programmes on Saturdays and Sundays, and also launched and presented Classic FM’s Pet Classics, to help keep pets and their owners relaxed during fireworks season.
Turnbull had a passion for beekeeping, leading to the 2011 publication of his book The Bad Beekeepers Club, a humorous account of the ups and downs of an apiarist.
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