BBC News host leaves show after whopping 47 years on screens

BBC News is losing one of its longest serving journalists after 47 years on screen.

Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell has announced that he will be retiring from the broadcaster next year.

Reuters

BBC News is losing one of its longest serving journalists[/caption]

BBC

Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell is set to retire next year after 47 years with the BBC[/caption]

BBC

Nicholas joined the BBC in 1976[/caption]

In a post shared on X – formerly Twitter – the BBC revealed: “After 47 fantastic years we will be bidding farewell to Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell, who will be retiring next year.

“Nick has reported from across the world and presented key BBC News shows. Thank you for your remarkable service!”

Nicholas, 70, first joined the BBC in 1976 and alongside Sue Lawley, was the first newsreader to host BBC News at Six.

During his career, Nicholas was first to report some of the biggest news stories of the day, including the death of Lord Mountbatten in 1979, the death of former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1986, the Lockerbie disaster in 1988 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

He became the Royal Correspondent in 1998 and infamously was branded “so awful” by the then Prince Charles under his breath in 2005.

Nicholas is married to wife Maria and the couple have two daughters.

The news of Nicholas’s retirement plans prompted a flood of tributes from his BBC colleagues and fans of his work.

Sarah Campbell tweeted: “A brilliant and supportive colleague. One of very few journalists who most of the public know by name.

“So many career highlights- but for me, it has to be his flawless handling of the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Very sad that he is leaving – but my goodness, what a career!”

Fellow journalist Charlie Proctor wrote: “Wishing Nicholas Witchell a happy retirement.

“He was very supportive of me when I first started my royal reporting career a decade ago, taking time out of his busy schedule to answer my many questions.”

Dickie Arbiter added: “The retirement of the @BBCNews’s #NickWitchell after 47 years will be a very sad departure – he’s one of the few people at #Auntie with gravitas. A good innings and worth a #GoldRolex for staying the course.”