Broadcasting world mourns first Channel 4 News presenter Peter Sissons

Peter Sissons, the first newsreader to present Channel 4 News, has died aged 77.

Sissons, a familiar face on news bulletins for more than 40 years, died on Tuesday surrounded by family.

He welcomed viewers to the first edition of Channel 4 News when the programme was launched in 1982 and went on to present the show for seven years.

As a Liverpool grammar schoolboy, Sissons knew George Harrison and Paul McCartney. He attended Oxford before joining ITN in 1964.

He was wounded by gunfire while covering the Biafran War for the broadcaster in 1968.

He also reported on the miners’ strike and the Lockerbie bombing for ITN.

After the publication of Salman Rushdie’s controversial novel The Satanic Verses, Sissons found himself the subject of an Iranian fatwa.

Sissons left Channel 4 news for the BBC in 1989. He went on to present Question Time, the Six O’Clock News and the flagship 9pm bulletin.

In 2003 he accused the BBC of ageism after he and fellow veteran Michael Buerk were moved from BBC One to the News 24 channel.

Sissons was quoted as saying: “Ageism is still the BBC’s blind spot. Yet it is blindingly obvious that maturity goes with grey hairs.”

The BBC’s director-general, Tony Hall, said in a statement: “Peter Sissons was one of the great television figures of his time – as an interviewer, presenter and world-class journalist.

“During his distinguished career he was one of the most recognisable and well-respected faces of television news.

“He was always a great person to be with and to work with. He will be missed by his many friends and colleagues, and our thoughts are with his family.”

‘Consummate journalist’

Jon Snow, who took over from Sissons as presenter, said: “We at Channel 4 News are deeply sorry to learn of the death of Peter Sissons.

“He launched our programme in 1982 and was integral to its development before he left to join the BBC in 1989 to do Question Time.

“He was a consummate journalist, he showed real courage under fire and was indeed shot in both legs in Biafra.

“It was he who set the tone and the high journalistic standards that the programme seeks to emulate to this day.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and erstwhile colleagues. He will be greatly missed.”