Former BBC newsreader Richard Baker dies aged 93 - BBC News
Once one of the BBC's best known personalities, he introduced the first TV news bulletin in 1954.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Richard Baker introduced the first news bulletin broadcast on BBC TV.

The son of a plasterer, London-born Baker introduced the first BBC TV news bulletin broadcast in July 1954. He went on to front the Last Night of the Proms and present on Radio 2, 3 and 4.

Baker's son James said his father died this morning at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

BBC director general Tony Hall was among those to pay tribute, saying he "became the face of news for millions".

Baker's studies at Cambridge University were interrupted by World War Two.

He served on a minesweeper with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the conflict, attached to the supply convoys to Russia.

A keen amateur dramatist, Baker resumed his education after the war and joined the BBC in 1950 as a radio presenter.

He was a regular panellist on the TV classical music quiz Face the Music and hosted Start the Week on Radio 4.

His long career at the corporation also saw him voice the animated children's series Mary, Mungo and Midge, and make three guest appearances on Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Baker also presented coverage of the Proms

Lord Hall said Baker had been "at the forefront of the creation of the modern news presenter", adding: "He was a calm and assured presence who became the face of news for millions.

"Later, he became a great advocate for classical music, presenting many much loved programmes. But more than that, he was quite simply a lovely and charming man.

"Our sympathies are with his many friends and family."

BBC journalist John Simpson was one of the first to pay tribute to Baker on social media, describing him as one of the "finest newsreaders of modern times".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by John Simpson This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

ITV News presenter Alastair Stewart said Baker was a "giant" and a "true gentleman".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 2 by Alastair Stewart This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Former colleague Jan Leeming was saddened by the news of Baker's death.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 3 by Jan Leeming This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

He was "THE newsreader" for a certain generation, said BBC News presenter Simon McCoy.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post 4 by Simon McCoy This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.