BBC TV icon to leave screens for good today as he says 'I'll go quietly'

Wales Online

3 hours ago

BBC TV icon to leave screens for good today as he says 'I'll go quietly'
The legendary broadcaster is making a low-key departure from TV after over 50 years in the business
Steve Rider (right) is bowing out from TV this weekend
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Legendary sports broadcaster Steve Rider will hang up his microphone for the final time today after over 50 years on screen.
The 75-year-old will bring the curtain down on his remarkable career as he fronts ITV4's coverage of the British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park on Sunday afternoon, having held that role for the last 16 years. Rider is probably best known however for presenting the iconic BBC sports show Grandstand, while he covered everything from rugby and golf to rowing and motorsports during his time with the broadcaster.
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He also presented Sportsnight and Sports Personality of the Year, as well as hosting the BBC's coverage of every Olympic Games between 1988 and 2004, before leaving the corporation in 2005.
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He then joined ITV, where he presented coverage of Formula One, as well as the football and rugby World Cups, before moving on to the British Touring Car Championship.
While his remarkable and varied career saw him become one of the most recognisable and popular names in sport broadcasting, however, Rider will make a low-key departure from our screens - but it's one that suits him fine.
"God knows, I'll be very disappointed if Andrea Bocelli isn't here,' he joked in an interview with the Telegraph, before adding: 'I'll go quietly, don't worry.'
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Earlier this year, Rider admitted he would "just sidle away" after presenting the Touring Car Championship for the final time.
"The biggest emotion as you get into the last two minutes of something like that is, 'For God's sake, don't c**k it up,' because you'd be thinking about that for the next 20 years," he told MailOnline.
"I've probably outstayed my welcome. I've been hugely lucky with the places that the career has taken me. But it's close to 50 years now, so the cracks are showing!"
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The Dartford-born presenter's exit from TV comes over 18 months after he revealed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Rider had gone to get himself tested after one of his friends was diagnosed with the same cancer following a medical check, with his wife urging him to undergo further examinations after his readings came back "a little high" following his first check-up.
He then underwent "significant" surgery to prevent the disease from spreading and he admitted during an appearance on BBC Breakfast that he had been "incredibly lucky" as the cancer had been detected early.
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"I was cutting it a bit fine," Rider said. "They took one look and said, 'We're going to operate in two weeks'. No mucking about.
"We did Brands Hatch for ITV on the Sunday and I had the operation on the Thursday, so it fitted into the schedule quite nicely!
'It was one operation, whip it all out, off you go and enjoy the rest of your life, second chance. But I was one of the lucky ones," he added, as he urged people to undergo checks for the disease.
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"Get yourself tested because once this wretched thing develops, as we've been seeing from Chris Hoy and Eddie Jordan, it just gallops away and there's no control. The chance you have is early testing."
Ahead of Rider's retirement, an ITV statement read: "This Sunday, the legendary Steve Rider will present his final show before he retires following a stellar 45 years working for ITV and BBC.
"Steve began his career as a reporter at LBC before moving to Anglia Television. As he progressed through the ranks he went on to work on the Olympic Games, World Of Sport and BBC's Grandstand to name a few. He returned to ITV in 2005 and presented our Formula One coverage, the 2006 Football World Cup, the Champions League and the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
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"More recently, the 75-year-old has been anchoring the British Touring Car Championship on ITV4. We wish Steve all the best in the future and thank him for all his dedication and hard work in a TV career spanning over 50 years on screen."