TV broadcaster Roger Cook, best known for hosting current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died at the age of 83, his family has confirmed.
A family statement issued on Monday (15 June) read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Roger Cook, who died peacefully on Saturday after a short illness.
“Alongside a distinguished and award-winning career in journalism, Roger was first and foremost a beloved husband and father. He will be deeply missed by all of us, and we ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult loss.”
The New Zealand-born journalist joined ITV in 1985, launching the eponymous Cook Report two years later.
The current affairs programme ran for 16 seasons between July 1987 and August 1999.
Cook was known for his confrontational, doorstepping interview style – a format he popularised.
He was injured on a number of occasions over the course of his career, suffering broken fingers, cracked ribs and dislocated shoulders, and also received numerous death threats.
His titular show exposed everything from baby trading in Brazil to Northern Ireland protection rackets.
It won Cook a BAFTA special award in 1997 for “25 years of outstanding quality investigative reporting”.
Cook began his career at the Australian Broadcasting Company before moving to the UK in 1968, where he worked for the BBC.
In 1973, he created and began hosting Radio 4’s Checkpoint, which specialised in exposing criminals and injustice – and would pave the way for The Cook Report, which had a similar format.
ITV paid tribute to Cook following the news of his passing, writing in a statement: “In a career spanning an incredible five decades, Roger Cook’s ground-breaking approach to investigative journalism made him one of broadcasting’s most trusted and respected figures.
“On his eponymous current affairs programme, The Cook Report, Roger worked tirelessly to expose criminal wrongdoing and injustice, helping to drive important and lasting changes in the law.
“His fearless contribution to journalism will long be remembered, and we send our deepest sympathies and condolences to his wife, family and friends at this difficult time.”
