Bill Turnbull to leave BBC Breakfast after 15 years on presenting sofa

The 59-year-old host hopes to dedicate more time to his family, and to his favourite hobby, beekeeping

BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turner is stepping down after 15 years (BBC)

Bill Turnbull is to leave the BBC Breakfast sofa after 15 years of presenting the early morning current affairs show.

The 59-year-old will leave BBC Breakfast early in 2016 to spend more time with his family and his “neglected” bees.

Turnbull moved to the north when the show relocated to Salford’s Media City. He now plans to move to Suffolk and spend more time on his favourite hobby, beekeeping.

He told The Mirror: “I’ve been neglecting my bees for far too long. They are on a farm, they were going to come up here to the Lakes where we live but it was too windy.

Bill Turnbull pictured at home with his bees

“We are going to move to Suffolk with a bit of luck, it it where we have got family and friends,we have got to know Suffolk quite well in the last year and we like it so we are planning to move there.”

Turnbull joined BBC Breakfast as a reporter in 1988 and was later asked to take the presenting chair in 2001.

He said he highlights included presenting the show from the Olympic Park during 2012 and interviewing Bobby Charlton with the World Cup.

In July, the presenter accidentally dropped the C-word on live TV after stumbling over his words but quickly recovered.