BBC presenter quits show with emotional statement after 33 years on air

ok.co.uk:

Long-serving presenter Garry Richardson will step down from BBC Radio Four’s Today programme this autumn, the corporation has announced.

Garry will present the sports news on the early morning programme for the final time on 9 September 9. It will mark exactly 50 years since the radio presenter's first day as a junior researcher for the BBC back in 1974.

Garry, 68, has been working on BBC Radio Four's Today programme for 33 years, having first joined the team in 1981. He was also the host of the agenda-setting Sportsweek programme on Sunday mornings on BBC Radio 5 Live for 20 years until its final edition in September 2019.

Speaking about exiting the BBC, Garry said he will still be broadcasting "from time to time". He said: "I have had the most wonderful time working for the BBC alongside my heroes from sport and showbusiness. “I’ll still be broadcasting from time to time, the only difference will be I won’t be setting my alarm for 2.45am and that’s a lovely thought.” The BBC’s director-general Tim Davie described Garry as a “legendary presenter” and added: “So many of us have woken up to him bringing the latest sporting news for over four decades.