1. Sir James William Alexander Burnet, known as Alastair Burnet, was a British journalist and broadcaster, who had a career working in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with Independent Television News as chief presenter of the flagship News at Ten; Sir Robin Day described Burnet as "the booster rocket that put ITN into orbit".
Alastair Burnet began his career in journalism as a sub-editor and junior leader writer for the Glasgow Herald newspaper from 1951 to 1958.
Alastair Burnet was one of the first newsreaders of the half hour News at Ten bulletin in 1967.
Alastair Burnet left television broadcasting in 1974 to become editor of the Daily Express newspaper until 1976.
Alastair Burnet rejoined ITN to read the news on the News at 5:45 bulletin and he returned to present News at Ten two years later.
Alastair Burnet was born on 12 July 1928 in Fulwood, Sheffield to Scottish parents Alexander Alastair Burnet and Jessy, nee Rose.
Alastair Burnet's father was an electrical and mechanical engineer, while his mother came from a Scottish Highlands family and she was raised in Easter Ross.
Alastair Burnet was educated at The Leys School, a boys' public school in Cambridge, and was the editor of its magazine The Fortnightly.
Alastair Burnet later read history at Worcester College, Oxford, and played hockey.
Alastair Burnet refused to collect his second class degree because he thought he was worthy of a first.
Alastair Burnet left the Glasgow Herald in 1958, and was told of a vacancy at the weekly news and current affairs magazine The Economist, joining as a sub-editor, leader writer, and subsequently, associate editor under the editorship of Donald Tyerman.
Alastair Burnet was the main anchor for the ITV network's coverage of the 1964,1966 and 1970 United Kingdom general elections and the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969.
Alastair Burnet left ITN in 1965 to rejoin The Economist as editor following Tyerman's retirement, but continued broadcasting as a reporter and interviewer for Associated-Rediffusion's weekly current affairs programme This Week that he had presented from 1965 to 1970.
Alastair Burnet returned part-time to ITN in 1967 to launch the half-hour News at Ten bulletin that provided in depth reporting on the day's events, having campaigned for such a programme.
Alastair Burnet presented the short-lived topical interview series Man in the News in 1970 and 1971.
Alastair Burnet reported and presented for Midweek, and anchored coverage of the February and October 1974 United Kingdom general election programmes, covering the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips in November 1973, interviewing the couple shortly before the wedding.
Alastair Burnet then was appointed editor of the Daily Express by Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook and Jocelyn Stevens to try and reduce the newspaper's decline in circulation, ending his television career for that period of time.
Alastair Burnet began working in the role in late October 1974, but resigned at his own request 18 months later in March 1976 to rejoin ITN full-time, with the result being that the only major UK poll in which he was not involved in the UK TV coverage as lead presenter was the 1975 European Community Membership Referendum.
Alastair Burnet rejoined ITN in June 1976, initially for a brief stint back on News at Ten, but in September 1976 he became the main presenter for the newly relaunched early evening bulletin News at 5:45.
Alastair Burnet moved from the News at 5:45 and returned to the restyled News at Ten on 17 April 1978.
In 1980, Alastair Burnet began presenting a three-hour weekend phone-in news programme on the radio station LBC.
Alastair Burnet continued to present coverage of political events including the 1979,1983 and 1987 United Kingdom general elections, by-elections to the House of Commons, Budgets of the United Kingdom, the Democratic National Convention, the first inauguration of Ronald Reagan, the Elections to the European Parliament from 1979 to 1989, and every United States presidential election between 1976 and 1988.
Alastair Burnet presented coverage of the British royal family, commentating on the weddings of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 and other state occasions such as the Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom.
Alastair Burnet wrote four books on the royal family and presented several Royal documentaries including In Person: The Prince and Princess of Wales, A Royal Day and The Royal Family in Scotland.
In February 1990, Alastair Burnet resigned from the ITN board amid a dispute over the future ownership of the company following the Broadcasting Act 1990 becoming law, during which his own proposals to restructure the organisation to ensure the organisation was independent from the 15 regional independent franchises whom he feared with removed ITN's assets was rejected.
Alastair Burnet was offered the job as editor of The Sunday Times by Rupert Murdoch but declined the offer and instead recommended former The Economist colleague Andrew Neil.
Alastair Burnet took early retirement from ITN as newscaster and associate editor 18 months later, presenting his final edition of News at Ten on 29 August 1991.
Alastair Burnet had presented 1,447 editions of News at Ten.
Alastair Burnet was a member of the Committee of Reading and Other Uses of English Language between 1972 and 1975 and the Monopolies Committee Specialist Panel on Newspaper Panels from 1973 to 1991.
Alastair Burnet was a director of Times Newspapers between 1982 and 2002 and of United Racecourses Holdings Ltd from 1985 to 1994.
Alastair Burnet was a member of the Council of the Banking Ombudsman from 1985 to 1996.
Alastair Burnet was appointed an honorary vice-president of the Chartered Institute of Journalists in 1990.
Alastair Burnet married the journalist Maureen Campbell Sinclair at Kincardine Church on 26 July 1958.
Alastair Burnet was a supporter of Scottish football clubs Rangers and Partick Thistle.
Alastair Burnet's condition meant that he felt comfortable only with close friends; these included his wife, and former ITN News director Diana Edwards-Jones.
Alastair Burnet died peacefully in the early hours of 20 July 2012, at the Beatrice Place care home in Kensington, where he had been living following a series of strokes.
Alastair Burnet was knighted in the 1984 New Year Honours "for services to journalism and broadcasting".
Alastair Burnet won numerous awards, including the Richard Dimbleby Award three times from BAFTA in 1966,1970 and 1979.
In 1971, Alastair Burnet was named Political Journalist of the Year for 1970 at the Political Writer and Broadcaster of the Year Awards, and received the Royal Television Society Judges' Award in 1981.
Alastair Burnet was inducted into the RTS Hall of Fame in 1999.