Lifetime award for TV's David Dimbleby

David Dimbleby has anchored eight general elections (Getty Images)

Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the Royal Television Society, as he marks 50 years since starting at the BBC.

The Question Time host - who has anchored eight general elections - was presented with his award at the annual TV journalism awards.

The 72-year-old recently expressed concerns about the departure of close colleague Ed Havard, who quit as Question Time editor over the programme's planned move to Glasgow.

Judges called Dimbleby a "giant of television journalism".

Sky, ITN and the BBC shared the "judges' award" for their pioneering debates between party leaders in the run-up to last May's General Election.

The judges called it "a genuinely historic agreement" and added: "In most people's eyes the debates more than lived up to their billing."

The Royal Television Society announced the winners of the RTS Television Journalism Awards 2009/2010 at a ceremony in London last night.

The evening was hosted by Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

Other winners included Jon Snow, the Channel 4 News host, who was named Presenter of the Year, beating nominees Dimbleby and Sky's Anna Botting.