One of the UK’s most imaginative TV journalists, editors and authors has died.

Stuart Prebble rose from editor of the ground-breaking ITV investigative series ‘World in Action’ to become Chief Executive of the network before returning to production and devising the hit ‘Grumpy Old Men’ for BBC2 and the successful ‘Landmark Artists’ series for Sky.

Rob McLoughlin first worked with Stuart on ‘Granada Reports’ (ITV) in 1982 when Prebble turned the programme into a hit with 3.6m viewers and presented by Richard and Judy as well as the late Tony Wilson. It was the first time Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan appeared together : launching their hugely popular TV partnership.

Stuart and Rob worked together again on ‘World in Action’ and on a turnaround of Granada’s news and regional output ahead of the Thatcher ITV auction of franchises which Granada TV retained in the 1990s.

In a tweet on X and reported in the national press and media magazines, Rob described Stuart as an ‘original mind’ with a ‘fabulous sense of humour’ and as ‘one of Britain’s best TV journalists’.

Stuart also wrote a series of factual and fictional books.

He was 74 years old. RIP.