Ian White: Former colleagues of new Calendar presenter wish him good luck in his new role

Mr White who has been a familiar face on the BBC red sofa for quarter of a century reporting and producing many daily bulletins, will now be hopping over to ITV's grey chairs as the new regional anchor, alongside Lara Rostron.

“It’s a dream come true. I was always on the sidelines, always the bridesmaid, never the bride,” said Mr White who has stood in for Harry Gration on many occasions.

Mr White and Ms Rostron, both former BBC presenters, will make up the new presenting duo after the departure of Christine Talbot and Duncan Wood who presented Calendar together since 2003.

Following his final BBC bulletin, Mr White had tweeted: “What an emotional night. My very last ⁦@BBCLookNorth⁩ bulletin with ⁦@Hudsonweather ⁩after 25 years as I prepare to leave the BBC for pastures new!”

He had also presented alongside Ms Rostron for her final BBC Look North show in which he wished her good luck for her “pastures new.”51-year-old Mr White, will swap his three day working week to broadcasting five nights a week. He said it is an honour to follow in some of the footsteps of his heroes such as Mike Morris, Duncan Wood and the late Richard Whiteley who presented Calendar before becoming a Channel 4 Countdown icon.

He added: “Amazing names to follow. Fantastic broadcasters. The pressure is on a bit, can I live up to it?”

But if he needed a ‘nod’ of approval, that has come in abundance with former Calendar stars sending messages of congratulations as well as a surprise gift from Richard Whiteley’s partner Kathryn Apanowicz.

Ms Apanowicz, who was a child star, sent Mr White one of Mr Whitely’s ties on hearing the news he’d got the job.

“I couldn’t quite believe it when the tie arrived in the post with a card saying ‘Dear Ian Dick would be thrilled he would have liked you to have this tie I’m sure’,” she said.

Christine Talbot, who presented Calendar for 20 years (since 2001), also spoke highly of Mr White. She said: “Ian is such a lovely person - he knows this region inside out. He will really bring that warmth to the programme.”

She said Mr White doesn’t need any advice to help him other than to “embrace” the experience and to enjoy the “best viewers in the world.”

“I happen to know he is a telly obsessive and he knows everything you need to know about telly, particularly over the past 50 years,” added Ms Talbot.

Mr White, who is originally from the North East but now lives in Wakefield, also owns the TV AM brand and is president of Radio Tyneside.

A born broadcaster, he said one of his strengths is to remain calm no matter what ends up happening during a broadcast.

Who is Ian White? His background from breakfast TV to teatime TV news

Mr White has previously said his fascination with regional news developed from an early age thanks to his family.

He went on to get a job working in the regional Newcastle office of ITV breakfast show TV-am – a show that he had loved since being a child after it launched in 1983 and became the UK’s most popular breakfast show. But he was only there briefly before the show was taken off the air in 1992 and replaced by GMTV.

Mr White later however bought the TV AM brand.

He previously told the Yorkshire Post: “So I had always been interested in TV-am as a bit of TV anorak. When it came to an end, I said ‘I will keep the name alive’.”

Mr White has since collected memorabilia, press releases and briefing notes connected to the show as well as buying the TV-am intellectual property rights and trademark, and setting up a dedicated website and a physical archive at his home in Wakefield.

Mr White and Ms Rostron will present together from November. The former BBC pair join another former BBC presenter elsewhere, Sabet Choudhury who jumped ship this month to join ITV News West Country as the new presenter of their flagship 6pm regional news programmes.