Dermot Murnaghan, one of British television's most authoritative news presenters, has died of cancer at the age of 68. His career spanned Channel 4, ITV, the BBC, and Sky News, where he was a lead anchor for nearly four decades.
Career Highlights and Notable Interviews
Murnaghan was particularly proud of securing the resignation of Peter Mandelson, who stepped down as Labour's trade and industry secretary in 1998. During an interview for ITV's Lunchtime News, Murnaghan pressed Mandelson on allegations that he failed to declare a £400,000 interest-free loan from Geoffrey Robinson on a mortgage application. Mandelson had previously survived tough interviews on BBC Two's Newsnight and Radio 4's Today programme, but Murnaghan's extended questioning led to his resignation the next day. The interview earned Murnaghan the Royal Television Society award for best interview of 1998.
Breaking the News of Princess Diana's Death
In the early hours of 31 August 1997, Murnaghan was called into ITV studios to report on the car crash involving Diana, Princess of Wales. After three hours of covering the developing story, he received confirmation of her death through his earpiece. He calmly read the teleprompter: 'We have reports from Paris that Diana, Princess of Wales, has been killed in a car accident and that her partner, Dodi Fayed, has also been killed.' He remained on screen for 18 hours, later describing the experience as 'telling a close relative that another close relative had died.'
Early Life and Education
Born in Barnstaple, Devon, to Wendy and Vincent Murnaghan, a civil engineer, the family moved to Northern Ireland, where he attended Sullivan Upper grammar school in Holywood. He earned a BA and MA in history from Sussex University before completing a postgraduate journalism course at City University, London. He began his career as a trainee at the Coventry Evening Telegraph from 1984 to 1985.
Television Career
Murnaghan entered television in 1985 as a researcher and reporter for Channel 4's The Business Programme, later moving to Business Daily. He worked in Switzerland for the European Business Channel before returning to the UK for Channel 4 Daily. He joined ITN in 1992, anchoring ITV's Lunchtime News from 1993 to 1999, often with Julia Somerville. After News at Ten was axed in 1999, he presented the ITV Nightly News at 11pm. He later co-anchored the ITV Evening News with Mary Nightingale and presented BBC Breakfast News from 2002 to 2007.
Sky News and Later Work
In 2008, Murnaghan joined Sky News, where he anchored coverage of the 2011 royal wedding and hosted his own Sunday-morning show, Murnaghan, from 2011 to 2016. He later presented Sky News Tonight from 2016 to 2023. In 2022, he was the first broadcaster to break the news of Queen Elizabeth II's death. He signed off from Sky News by flinging his script to the floor and saying, 'You stay classy, planet Earth. Goodbye.' He also hosted the BBC quiz show Eggheads from 2003 to 2014 and the true-crime series Killer Britain from 2020 to 2025.
Personal Life and Awards
Murnaghan married journalist Maria Keegan in 1989. The couple had three daughters, Kitty, Molly, and Alice, and a son, Jack. He won the Television & Radio Industries Club's newscaster of the year award in 2000. Dermot John Murnaghan was born on 26 December 1957 and died on 11 July 2026.
