Investigative journalist Roger Cook, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83 after 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 joined ITV in 1985, and the eponymous The Cook Report ran for 16 series and more than 120 episodes, as he pursued criminals, con-men and corrupt officials.
The show was the most popular current affairs programme on television at the time, with an audience of up to 10 million.
The Cook Report exposed child pornography, Northern Ireland protection rackets, baby trading in Brazil and the illicit ivory trade.
He also looked at illegal immigration, war criminals in Bosnia and those behind 9/11 and other terrorist plots.
Cook also exposed the Russian black market in weapons-grade plutonium.
A number of his programmes were followed by successful police prosecutions or major changes in the law.
New Zealand-born Cook was injured many times in the course of making his programme and exposing wrongdoing.
A statement from ITV said: “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.”
Cook started his career in journalism while living in Australia, where he was raised, before moving to London in 1968 to join BBC Radio 4’s The World At One programme as a reporter and presenter.
He later created and presented his BBC Radio 4 show Checkpoint, which ran from 1973 to 1985 and was focused on exposing criminal wrongdoing and injustice.
It had a similar format to his acclaimed ITV show The Cook Report, which ran for 12 years and led to Cook winning a Bafta Television special award in 1998.
The TV crime buster and sleuth revisited some of his most famous stings in 2007 for a 90-minute special titled Roger Cook’s Greatest Hits, during which he admitted he had received death threats due to the series.
Cook was known for his confrontational, doorstepping investigative style which was parodied by comics such as Reeves and Mortimer, as well as Sir Stephen Fry – who poked fun at him in Channel 4 comedy series This Is David Lander.
