Dan Walker closed out his final edition of BBC Breakfast with an impassioned message about the broadcaster’s reporting.
The presenter signed off from the programme after six years on Tuesday, following the news he is set to join Channel 5.
At the end of his final episode, which also featured a surprise return from his former co-host Louise Minchin, Dan praised the BBC endeavouring to “make sure everything we do and say is fair and accurate”.
In a two-minute thank-you speech, he began by saying: “I’ve had so many incredible memories of working on this programme and wonderful moments in this role as given me.
“We all know there aren’t many jobs where you’re given the chance to give a voice to people who don’t have a voice and to tell other people’s stories, and I think that’s what we love doing more than anything else.
“And it’s been a real privilege to sit here and to present this programme, which we all know means an awful lot to so many people who watch.”
Dan then went on to thank BBC Breakfast viewers, as well as the on-air and behind-the-scenes teams on the show, calling them “genuinely some of the best people that I’ve ever worked with in my career”.
He continued: “To be serious for a minute, I think at a time when trust and truth have never been more important, it’s great to work with a team – and I know that I see this every single day – that do everything to make sure everything we do and say is fair and accurate, and that is so important.
“I’ve no idea who is going to sit here in the future and who this job is going to go to, but I hope that they care about the programme, and I hope they care about the people they work with and care about the viewers as well.”
Before going on air, Dan revealed he had only managed to lock in “two hours and 46 minutes” sleep before hosting his final show due to “travel issues” the night before.
In a video of his “final stroll” to the studio posted on his social media accounts saying he did not have the “best prep for the final day” after getting stuck on the M4 charging his electric vehicle the previous evening.
He said he was heading into his final show “armed with cakes for the brilliant breakfast team”.
The broadcaster shocked viewers when he announced last month that he would be leaving BBC Breakfast to join 5 News on Channel 5.
He previously insisted money wasn’t the motivating factor in leaving the BBC, claiming it was “probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my career”.
Dan’s move to Channel 5 will see him become the lead anchor of the recently re-launched hour-long 5pm bulletin.
He will replace Sian Williams on the programme, after she announced she was stepping down earlier last month. He will also have an expanded role that will see him become a familiar face across the channel.
BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One and BBC News.