Mr Dimbleby described him the groundbreaking broadcaster as "an interviewer's interviewer", who had taught him a lot about the art of questioning politicians.
"I remember his mischief and sense of fun, his teasing and mocking and ruthless tearing apart of any interview you did," he said.
"He was very generous with his help about the style of questioning.
"I remember learning a lot from him about his view of political interviewing and how it should be done."
"But he was also a very harsh critic."
'Barrister-showman'
Mr Dimbleby said part of Sir Robin's talent was down to his obsession with questions, spending hours trying to find the right words to bring out the desired answers.
"It was the barrister-cum-showman that led him to do this," he said.
Mr Dimbleby, presenter of Question Time, dismissed Sir Robin's qualms that he had wasted his life and could have been a barrister or politician.
"In truth he found a brilliant métier for himself which was unrepeatable as he did it at a time when it hadn't been done before."
Fearlessness
Sir Robin was perhaps most famous for making politicians feel uncomfortable in interviews without being rude.
Mr Dimbleby said the late broadcaster was driven by a passion to make elected politicians explain themselves.
He said Sir Robin believed the television viewer or radio listener had a right to know what their representatives got up to, and had been an early advocate of televising Parliament.
"He had a fearlessness in proposing questions nobody had ever thought were puttable before," he said.