He introduced the first BBC television news broadcast on 5 July 1954, although John Snagge read the actual bulletin. A competent pianist, he also became closely associated with classical music broadcasting, and presented many music programmes on both television and radio, including, for many years, the annual live broadcast from the "Last Night of the Proms". He was a regular panellist on the classical music quiz show "Face the Music". On radio he presented "Baker's Dozen", "Start the Week" on Radio 4 from April 1970 until 1987, "Mozart", "These You Have Loved" (1972–77), and "Melodies for You" for BBC Radio 2 (1986–1995, 1999–2003). He also presented the long-running "Your Hundred Best Tunes" for BBC Radio 2 on Sunday nights, taking over from Alan Keith, who died in 2003, and retiring in January 2007 when the programme was dropped by the BBC. In 1995 he made his first foray into independent radio with a move to Classic FM, where he presented the Classic Countdown and Evening Concert programmes.