Investigative journalist Roger Cook, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83, his family said in a statement.
Broadcast from 1987 until 1999, the long-running series saw Cook investigate a wide range of issues, from organised crime and corruption to failures in public policy.
A family statement issued on Monday said: “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.”
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.”
New Zealand-born 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.
Among the powerful figures Cook took on was Don Arden, Sharon Osbourne's father, who threatened the journalist in 1979 while he was probing the music mogul's business practices.
Two years later, Cook was assaulted while filming an investigation, suffering three cracked ribs after being attacked by an antiques dealer. The incident was captured on camera for Newsnight.
Recalling the confrontation, Cook said: “Mr Harris invited me to step outside and talk things through, but his means of communication proved to be a metal bar.”
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. Cook was injured many times in the course of making his programme and exposing wrongdoing.
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.
