Classic FM to broadcast special tribute programme in honour of Bill Turnbull

Classic FM will broadcast a special tribute programme in honour of its presenter Bill Turnbull this weekend.

Bill Turnbull, the presenter who "woke up the nation" on BBC Breakfast for 15 years, has passed away after his battle with prostate cancer.

The show, Remembering Bill Turnbull, will air on Saturday September 3 from 10am to 1pm in what would have been his usual time slot.

Hosted by fellow Classic FM presenter Aled Jones, the programme will feature on-air highlights from Turnbull, who died aged 66 on August 31 after a “challenging and committed fight against prostate cancer”.

The three-hour programme will include a selection of his favourite classical music, including William Lloyd Webber’s Serenade For Strings, The Humming Chorus by Puccini, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte and The Armed Man by Sir Karl Jenkins.

A number of his most loved film and television themes, such as Band Of Brothers, Inspector Morse, Brideshead Revisited and Thunderbirds, will also be played.

The show will be interspersed with tributes from other broadcasters who knew Turnbull best, as well as messages from his fellow Classic FM presenters and his many listeners.

Classic FM also hopes to continue his legacy by using the show to raise further awareness of prostate cancer and encourage more men to get themselves checked.

Turnbull joined Classic FM in 2016, where he hosted Saturday and Sunday programmes, and also launched and presented Classic FM’s Pet Classics, to help keep pets and their owners relaxed during fireworks season.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2017 and later fronted the Channel 4 documentary Bill Turnbull: Staying Alive.

On Friday, many of Turnbull’s former BBC Breakfast colleagues appeared on the show to celebrate his “life and legacy”.

Sian Williams said: “He was a very loyal friend, and a very supportive friend. And being that honest about his cancer, just meant so many people got themselves checked.”

Turnbull had a passion for beekeeping, leading to the 2011 publication of his book The Bad Beekeepers Club, a humorous account of the ups and downs of an apiarist.

He was also an avid supporter of the Wycombe Wanderers, who have said they will be wearing black armbands in his memory this weekend during a game at Fleetwood, before holding a celebration of his life on September 10.