Radio 4 newsreader Howard Philpott dies after cancer battle

Radio 4 newsreader and announcer Howard Philpott has died after a short battle with cancer.

Listeners to the BBC station heard Philpott on the Radio 4 airwaves for the last 13 years.

BBC correspondent Nick Higham tweeted: "RIP my friend Howard Philpott, Radio 4 announcer and newsreader, who died last night. A really lovely man."

Senior announcer Chris Aldridge paid tribute, saying: "Howard Philpott was a much-loved and respected Radio 4 newsreader and announcer for some 13 years.

"He adored the medium of radio and was instinctive in the way he talked to the Radio 4 listener, mixing intellectual rigour with a ready wit. Away from the microphone he was delightful and self-effacing but with a steely resolve to uphold standards of grammar and pronunciation within the announcer team.

"We have lost a great friend and standard-bearer, and the BBC a dedicated servant."

The BBC said Philpott died after a short battle with cancer.

"Howard was a valued member of the Radio 4 team who will be missed by listeners and colleagues alike. Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time," a spokesman said.

London-born Philpott joined the BBC as a studio manager after originally training as a quantity surveyor.

He later worked as an announcer and newsreader for the BBC World Service.

Philpott, who lived on the south coast "surrounded by books, records, and assorted bits of audio and computer paraphernalia" according to a BBC profile, once said that his job was the fulfilment of a childhood ambition.

"I used to listen to Douglas Smith playing the announcer on Round The Horne and dream of following in his footsteps," he said.