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John Stapleton, the esteemed television presenter, has died at the age of 79, his agent has confirmed. He passed away peacefully in hospital.
A familiar face in factual programming for many years, Stapleton was widely known for his work on BBC’s Watchdog and GMTV’s News Hour, following the start of his career at the Oldham Chronicle.
Charlotte Hawkins, former presenter on Good Morning Britain, paid tribute to Stapleton, describing him as a “brilliant broadcaster” and a “genuinely lovely man”.
According to his agent, Jackie Gill, Stapleton’s Parkinson’s disease was complicated by pneumonia. She noted that his son, Nick, and daughter-in-law, Lise, were “constantly at his side”.
Erron Gordon, co-creator of Good Morning Britain and current BBC department head, remarked on Stapleton’s versatility, stating, “He had an innate ability to navigate any challenge from breaking news to technical hiccups, whether in the studio or on location he was brilliant,” deeming his on-air adaptability as “unmatched.”
After beginning his career at local newspapers in the north-west of England, Stapleton transitioned to television, joining the BBC’s Nationwide programme in 1975.
He then became a journalist for the corporation’s prominent current affairs programme, Newsnight, upon its launch in 1980, reporting from Argentina during the Falklands War.
In 1983, he moved to ITV, where he contributed to the launch of the channel’s TV-am breakfast show. Three years later, he returned to the BBC to co-present the consumer advice programme Watchdog with his wife, Lynn Faulds Wood.
Faulds Wood died of a stroke in 2020, leaving Stapleton to come to terms with his Parkinson’s diagnosis four years later with the support of their son, Nick, who is also a BBC journalist.
At the time of his diagnosis, Stapleton told the BBC he was striving to maintain a positive outlook, “because what’s the point in not being?”
A month after disclosing his diagnosis, Stapleton took on the challenge of singing for Children in Need, citing that it helped alleviate his symptoms, particularly his tremors.
To prepare for his performance, he joined the cast of the musical & Juliet.
Following his tenure on Watchdog, Stapleton returned to ITV to join GMTV, the successor to TV-am.
During his time there, he covered a wide array of global news events, ranging from the war in Kosovo to Hurricane Katrina.
Stapleton also conducted interviews with prominent figures of the time, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Princess Michael of Kent.
He remained with the channel after GMTV concluded in 2010, making appearances on both Daybreak and Good Morning Britain until 2015.
The Royal Television Society recognized Stapleton’s work covering the war in Iraq for GMTV with the award for presenter of the year in 2003.
As part of his coverage, Stapleton interviewed numerous leaders, including Prime Minister Tony Blair.
“He was just a very loving, unbelievably generous man,” his son Nick shared on Instagram. “You won’t meet anyone with a bad word to say about him. And you can’t do much better than that.”
Mentioning his mother in the post, he said he was “incredibly blessed to have two pretty remarkable parents”.
Nicky Campbell, presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live, remembered Stapleton as a “good friend, a kind, wise and very funny man and he was a broadcasting giant”.
Martin Lewis, founder of Money Saving Expert, stated on X that Stapleton and his wife were “brilliant pioneers of consumer journalism, laying the ground for people like me.”
Sangita Myska, former LBC radio host, described Stapleton as “a great journalist, role model and gentleman”.
In a social media post, she added, “I watched him on TV when I was growing up with admiration.”
“Great times together during the dawn of breakfast tv back in the 1980s,” wrote BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen. “Standout memories of both being attacked by Emu and interviewing Eric Morecambe! Terrific presenter, great man. RIP Stapes.”
That was a reference to one of Stapleton’s most comical moments on TV when he interviewed Rod Hull and his infamously hotheaded puppet bird on TV-am in 1983.
Stapleton “goaded” the puppet by mentioning that its chat show nemesis Michael Parkinson had sent his regards and was not only attacked by Emu but saw the bird grab and toss away his scripts for the rest of the live show.
Born in Oldham in 1946, Stapleton was a huge Manchester City fan. When asked by the Independent in 2008 what he would do if he did not work in the media, he replied he would “spend even more time travelling the country watching Manchester City”.
The seven-time Premier League champions said the team was saddened to learn of his death, adding: “He will be missed.”
In his Instagram post following his father’s death, Nick Stapleton said after watching the team win the 2023 Champions League final, his father had turned to him and said “he’d die happy. He meant it”.
The late-night comic’s show will return to air after Disney said it had “thoughtful coversations” with him.
BBC’s Pride and Prejudice screenwriter Andrew Davies says a student suggested making it “sexy”.
Gary Shaughnessy from Berkshire is trying out different sports to raise money for Parkinson.
Saturday’s spectacular saw a performance by last year’s winners Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, along with pop star Jessie J.
The author behind the popular children’s character lived in Rodborough for 30 years.
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