Face of Nation : A characteristically tough interview with Mr Cameron began with the former PM thanking him for “striking the fear into politicians like me”. Dame Edna penned a poem that said: “You won’t grow old, you’ll just get nicely mellow/So hug your trees, play Elgar on your cello.” Humphrys is leaving after 32 years.
The presenter made his career out of “asking us questions we don’t always want to answer, and calling us to account”, Mr Cameron said. The former leader’s comments came after Humphrys put it to Mr Cameron that he had “misled the nation” by failing to deliver on the result of the 2016 EU referendum by leaving his post in government.
Humphrys has built a reputation as a tenacious interrogator of politicians, and said he had been “a seeker of truth” during his time on the programme. Their interviews were “often a pleasure”, he said, adding: “It was occasionally not a pleasure but it was always worthwhile.”
Humphrys has interviewed every prime minister on the flagship programme from Margaret Thatcher to Theresa May, but has not grilled Boris Johnson since he came to power. The fact Mr Johnson avoided Today “probably means that he is anxious about a sustained and forensic analysis of what he’s trying to do”, the former Labour prime minister said. “Otherwise he’d come on.”
Another guest on Thursday was the new chief executive of the Woodland Trust, Dr Darren Moorcroft. Humphrys asked about punishments for people who chopped down trees – but joked that he was dissatisfied with the answer. “I was thinking of something a little more draconian – send them to jail if they chop down trees, that kind of thing,” the presenter said.
Dr Moorcroft replied: “That may be your next job John if you become a judge at the Supreme Court.” Humphrys added: “You’re on – accepted.” Thought for the Day, delivered by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, was also about Humphrys and his “fearless moral passion”.
BBC director general Lord Hall told him: “Thank you to you on behalf of all of us – the people who have loved working with you, the people who have put up with you at times as well.”
He added: “In all the stuff you read in the papers about the Rottweiler Humphrys and all that stuff, you are also someone who handles interviews with people who have been through traumas or disasters, or have something they want to get off their chests but don’t know how to do it, with amazing sensitivity.”
Today will continue with four main presenters – Justin Webb, Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney and Nick Robinson – and will not directly replace Humphrys. The 76-year-old will continue to present Mastermind on BBC Two.
Before joining Today in 1987, Humphrys worked as a BBC foreign correspondent in both the US and Africa, as a diplomatic correspondent and as a presenter of the Nine O’Clock News.
On the daily Radio 4 morning news programme, he became known for pinning down political leaders and public figures. On occasion, his interviewing style incurred the ire of both politicians and listeners.
When he announced his departure in February, Humphrys said: “I love doing the programme. I have always enjoyed it. That’s the problem. I should have gone years ago. Obviously I should have gone years ago.”
He is Today’s longest-serving presenter and has been one of the corporation’s highest earners. His salary in 2016-17 was between £600,000-£649,999, but he took a pay cut and went down to £290,000-£294,999 in 2018-19.
Speaking on Desert Island Discs in 2008, Humphrys said he did not think most politicians deliberately told lies on the programme. But he said: “I do start with the assumption that they are there for their benefit, rather than necessarily for the benefit of the audience.
