Ian White Look North: BBC presenter bids farewell as he ends 25 years presenting on Look North

Ian, who has worked for the BBC for almost 30 years, revealed on Wednesday night’s show (Sep 21) that it would be his last.

Later posting on Twitter, he said: “What an emotional night. My very last ⁦@BBCLookNorth⁩ bulletin with ⁦@Hudsonweather ⁩ after 25 years as I prepare to leave the BBC for pastures new!”

White, who is originally from the North East but now lives in Wakefield, has previously said his fascination with regional news developed from an early age thanks to his family.

He had previously told The Yorkshire Post that growing up he was determined to become a news reader, and that working on Look North meant he was living out his childhood dream.

His career started when he was 16, olunteering on Radio Tyneside which broadcast to the region’s hospitals. He was still doing his A-Levels when he was given his own news programme on the station.

From there, he was offered a job as a researcher by a TV producer, went on to get a job working in the regional Newcastle office of ITV breakfast show TV-am. However, shortly after starting there it was replaced by GMTV.

White briefly worked subtitling adverts before landing a job at BBC Radio Norfolk in 1993. White returned up north in 1996, when he got a job as a newsreader on BBC Radio Leeds and ended up doing TV bulletins for Look North.

From 1998, he was Look North’s late night newsreader and his role saw him producing, presenting and reporting for bulletins throughout the day.