Veteran television presenter Dermot Murnaghan has died at the age of 68, a year after revealing he had been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. His family announced on his X account that he passed away peacefully at home in North London with family at his side.
A familiar face on British television for more than four decades, Murnaghan worked across major broadcasters including Channel 4, ITV, the BBC and Sky News. He presented flagship news programmes such as ITV’s News at Ten and the channel’s Evening and Nightly News, and was a main host on BBC Breakfast between 2002 and 2007, as well as anchoring the BBC’s Six O’Clock and Ten O’Clock bulletins. He also presented the quiz show Eggheads for eleven years from 2003 and was a prominent presenter at Sky News from 2007 until 2023.
Born in England, his family moved to Northern Ireland when he was a child. He attended primary school in Armagh and secondary school in Holywood, County Down, later studying at the University of Sussex and completing postgraduate journalism training at City University. Murnaghan began his career at local newspapers before moving into television, joining Channel 4 News and later fronting major ITV programmes from the early 1990s.
In 1998 he won a Royal Television Society award for his interview with Peter Mandelson about a secret loan, an investigation that precipitated Mandelson’s resignation. He also presented documentaries including Crimes That Shook Britain and Killer Britain, and more recently launched the podcast Legends of News, where he spoke with fellow journalists about major stories they had covered.
When he announced his diagnosis last summer he said he was responding positively to treatment and was determined to use his profile to encourage men to get tested. He repeatedly urged men over 50, those in high-risk groups, or anyone with symptoms to seek checks and campaigned for routine prostate screening by the NHS, stressing that early detection can be crucial and that the disease can sometimes progress without obvious symptoms.
Common prostate cancer signs include needing to urinate more often (especially at night), difficulty starting to urinate, a weak flow, taking a long time to empty the bladder, and blood in urine or semen, though the condition can be symptomless for years.
His family thanked the public for the many messages of support received during the last year and for his campaigning to raise awareness of screening programmes.
Tributes poured in from colleagues and public figures. Sky News political editor Beth Rigby described him as unrivalled in the presenter’s chair, praising his calm command of high-pressure moments. Sky presenter Anna Botting called him a “legend of news.” Jonathan Munro, interim CEO of BBC News, paid tribute to Murnaghan as a gentleman and brilliant broadcaster who connected naturally with audiences. Broadcasters including Piers Morgan and Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy also expressed sadness, noting his professionalism and kindness.
Former prime minister David Cameron, who has also been treated for prostate cancer, said Murnaghan’s decision to speak publicly about his illness and testing would have had a meaningful impact, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his advocacy would no doubt have saved lives.
Murnaghan’s career spanned the main British broadcasters and several genres of television journalism and entertainment. Alongside colleagues and viewers, many have noted that his public campaigning on prostate cancer awareness will be a significant part of his legacy.
