Roger Cook has died aged 83
Pioneering reporter Roger Cook has died aged 83 after a short illness.
Roger Cook has died aged 83.
The pioneering investigative journalist, who is credited with inventing the doorstep interview, passed away "peacefully" over the weekend following a short illness.
His family said in a statement: "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."
Cook was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, where he started his media career before moving to the UK in the late 60s.
After working on both The World At One and Newsnight for the BBC, he launched Checkpoint on Radio 4.
The reporter is best known for presenting The Cook Report in the 80s and 90s on ITV between 1987 and 1999.
The broadcaster said: "In a career spanning an incredible five decades, Roger Cook's groundbreaking 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."
During one infamous doorstep interview in 1981, he suffered three broken ribs when an alleged car thief hit him with a baseball bat, which was caught on camera for Newsnight.
Cook said of the attack: "[He] invited me to step outside and talk things through, but his means of communication proved to be a metal bar."
He went onto appear on the likes of BBC Radio 4's Checkpoint as well as The World This Weekend, while The Cook Report ran for 16 series.
Although the show was cancelled in 1999, he brought it back in 2007 for a 20th anniversary special.
In 1997, he was recognised with a BAFTA for, at that point, 25 years of investigative reporting.
Seven years later, he was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Nottingham Trent University.
