BBC Spotlight’s Justin Leigh signs off after 33 years

Justin Leigh has announced he is to leave the BBC after 33 years - including almost 20 years presenting the UK’s most popular regional TV news programme, BBC Spotlight. 

The popular presenter of the BBC One South West bulletin will sign off for good on Friday, October 16.

Justin said:  “The Spotlight team and our viewers are like a second family to me, so leaving the only job I ever wanted to do has been the hardest decision.  

“I have met so many amazing people as I have reported on the region’s triumphs and tragedies. It has been a huge privilege to have played a part in reflecting everyday life in this beautiful part of the world.”

Justin began his broadcasting career as a volunteer at BBC Radio Cornwall, working first on the Sunday afternoon rock programme showcasing Cornish musicians, before moving to weekday afternoons and then taking over as presenter of the breakfast programme ‘Coast to Coast’. 

A proud Cornishman, Justin crossed the Tamar in 1997 to begin TV reporting from the BBC’s South West HQ in Plymouth.

He quickly made an impression, and in 2001 he was asked to become a main anchor of the nightly regional news programme for the South West, BBC Spotlight. 

Justin’s warm and reassuring on-screen presence, coupled with a fierce reputation as a tough interviewer, soon made him a well-known and well-loved personality in the region. 

During the last two decades, Justin has been one of the main faces of the South West, covering some of the region’s biggest news events, including the flooding at Boscastle, the 1999 solar eclipse, the devastating foot and mouth outbreak, the collapse of the railway line at Dawlish, the Queen's Golden Jubilee and the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

 Justin has also reported from all over the world for Spotlight, including South Africa, the Arctic Circle, France and Belgium.

He has interviewed Prime Ministers and Royalty and grilled local and national politicians of every political hue.

He has also presented documentaries and series celebrating the region, chaired countless TV debates and news specials and hosted numerous Royal Cornwall and Devon County Show outside broadcasts. 

Stephanie Marshall, Head of the BBC in the West and South West, said: “For a quarter of a century Justin has been a fixture on South West TV, covering thousands of important stories and winning the affection of viewers all over the region.

“His incisive journalism and firm but fair interviewing style have rightly won him plaudits, and I would join the many calling him a broadcasting legend.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to pass on my sincere thanks to Justin for all he has done to serve our viewers across the South West through his journalism and professionalism”  

Throughout Justin’s time as presenter of BBC Spotlight, the programme has consistently been the highest rated and most watched regional news programme in the UK.

Following Justin’s departure, Victoria Graham will be lead presenter for Spotlight’s 6.30pm evening news on BBC One.