Roger Cook dead: ITV broadcasting legend dies as family speak out | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Legendary TV journalist and broadcaster Roger Cook has died aged 83. Roger had faced a number of cancer battles over the years, and died in hospital with his wife Frances and daughter Belinda by his bedside. He was born in New Zealand in April 1943 and later raised in Australia, and his career began as a reporter and newsreader at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He later moved over to the UK, where his successful television career spanned over five decades. Cook started out on BBC Radio 4’s The World at One before moving to programmes such as PM, Nationwide, and Newsnight.

He then founded and presented Radio 4 show Checkpoint, which exposed criminals and wrongdoing among officials, before changing the name to The Cook Report when it moved over to ITV. The current affairs programme ran for 16 series from 1987 to 1999, won him a British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) special award in 1997 “for 25 years of outstanding quality investigative reporting”.

During the series, Cook’s undercover stings, including people smuggling, drug dealing and the tainted blood scandal, drew in millions of viewers, and Cook admitted he was inundated with death threats due to the sensitive nature of some of his investigations.

His family announced in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Roger Cook, who died peacefully on Saturday after a short illness. Alongside a distinguished and award winning career in journalism, Roger was first and foremost a beloved husband and father. He will be deeply missed by all of us, and we ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult loss.”

ITV also issued a statement, penning: “In a career spanning an incredible five decades, Roger Cook’s groundbreaking approach to investigative journalism made him one of broadcasting’s most trusted and respected figures.

“On his eponymous current affairs programme, The Cook Report, Roger worked tirelessly to expose criminal wrongdoing and injustice, helping to drive important and lasting changes in the law. His fearless contribution to journalism will long be remembered, and we send our deepest sympathies and condolences to his wife, family and friends at this difficult time.”