David Dimbleby: Changing chairs?

Dimbleby has anchored BBC election coverage since 1979

David Dimbleby is one of the best-known figures in TV political journalism.

Presenter and chairman of BBC One's Question Time since 1994, David Dimbleby is the son of the doyen of British TV presenters, Richard Dimbleby.

David's father: War reporter Richard Dimbleby

David, elder brother of journalist Jonathan, was born in 1938 and educated at Charterhouse and Christ Church College Oxford, as well as the universities of Paris and Perugia.

He joined BBC Bristol as a news reporter in 1960 and soon moved to TV presenting, working on programmes such as Quest, What's New and Top Of The form.

Flagship

During the early 1960s he made films about Cyprus, the Ku Klux Klan and the police for BBC TV, before moving to the US in 1966 to work as a special correspondent for CBS news.

On his return to the UK he reported for the BBC One current affairs flagship Panorama - for which he was later to become the main presenter.

He has presented Question Time since 1994.

Since 1974, Dimbleby has also been part of the BBC's election team, anchoring the election night results programmes for all the national elections since 1979.

Dimbleby's documentaries have won many awards, including the Royal Television Society Supreme Award for 1979's The White Tribe Of Africa and an Emmy award for 1990's The Struggle For South Africa.

Award

He also provided live commentary for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

In 1998, David Dimbleby was given BAFTA's prestigious Richard Dimbleby award - named in honour of his father.

First a reporter for, then presenter of Panorama

He recently sold his family business of regional newspapers to Newsquest in a deal reported to be worth around £12m in cash.

Dimbleby had been sole owner and chairman after buying out his family in 1983, during which time he had had frequent disputes with the National Union of Journalists over conditions and pay at the company.

Some commentators saw the sale as a sign that Dimbleby might be starting to wind down his working life at the age of 62 - perhaps to spend more time at his home on the South Downs.

There has also been speculation that he might not anchor the BBC's coverage of the next election.

But reports that he is in contention for the BBC chairmanship suggest there is plenty more to come in what is already a remarkable career.