Born in Glasgow in 1951, Ken Bruce attended Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School, before training as a chartered accountant.
He always felt most comfortable in a radio studio, starting out with the Hospital Broadcasting Service in Glasgow, before becoming a staff announcer for BBC Radio 4 Scotland.
When Radio Scotland was launched in 1978 he joined as presenter of Nightbeat, as well as presenting a Saturday morning show. Subsequent roles on the channel included the mid-morning slot and a daily afternoon entertainment show.
His Radio 2 career began as presenter of the Ballroom programmes in 1980 and standing in for other broadcasters, but a he landed permanent role on Saturday late night show in 1984. Following a stint on The Radio 2 Breakfast Show, replacing Terry Wogan, he took on the job for which he would become famous in 1990 – hosting the mid-morning slot.
Other than a short-lived move to the early morning slot in 1992, he has remained in the slot until this year when he announced he would be leaving the BBC – taking his PopMaster format with him.
Here are 11 quotes from the master of radio.
1. Ken Bruce on...being the youngest of four children
"I was the baby and couldn't get a word in. Now I can speak without being interrupted." Photo: BBC
2. Ken Bruce on...Twitter storms
“Back in the day, not many people would take the trouble to sit down and write to you in green ink, whereas now you can get a Twitter storm about almost anything. A pressure group tried to get one started against me once over a flippant remark about badgers. They were campaigning, saying whatever I’d said – I honestly can’t remember what it was – was a disgrace.” Photo: BBC
3. Ken Bruce on...coming up with Popmaster
"Twenty years ago, over lunch, my BBC colleague Phil Swern and I came up with the PopMaster quiz for my show, and it's been more or less the same ever since. We just thought it would run for a few months, so it's become much bigger than we ever thought." Photo: BBC
4. Ken Bruce on...whether people cheat on Popmaster
"Over the years I've had my suspicions about some contestants getting assistance, but I don't like to use the word 'cheat' because I can't prove anything. Rather like golf, we trust people to play by the rules." Photo: PA