Tony Morris death: ITV Granada Reports presenter dies aged 57

Acclaimed broadcaster hosted the regional ITV news series for 17 years

(PA/ITV)

Tony Morris, the veteran presenter of the ITV news programme Granada Reports, has died aged 57.

Morris served as the host of the programme for 17 years, stopping just a few weeks ago. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2019.

ITV News confirmed on Monday that Morris died on 1 August at Bury Hospice, with his family by his side.

Lucy Meacock, who co-presented Granada Reports alongside Morris, said that he “brightened up the whole of the North West for 17 years”.

“He was without doubt one of the most humble, kind and funny people I have ever met, and he would often make me laugh till my sides ached.”

During Morris’s time on the series, Granada Reports became the first regional news show to take home a Bafta, for the coverage of the Morecambe Bay Cockle Picking tragedy in 2004.

Morris and Meacock’s coverage of the Independent Panel into the Hillsborough Disaster won another Bafta in 2013.

His daughters, Natalie and Becky, wrote on Twitter: “He was more than a parent, he was also our best friend. We are utterly heartbroken, but so grateful for the time we had with him.”

Before joining Granada Reports in 2003, Morris worked on the BBC’s North West Tonight, and hosted the BBC Two late-night comedy series Blouse and Skirt.