Peter Jefferson, one of BBC Radio's most popular voices is leaving Radio 4 next week at the age of 64. He has been on the air with the beeb for 45 years.

Continuity announcer Peter Jefferson, who last month was unfortunatley heard swearing on-air by mistake, joined the BBC in 1964, working first as a librarian, before working as an announcer on the World Service, the Home Service and the Light Programme.

He has told friends he had been considering stepping down next May, when he will be 65, but the Telegrapg reports he received a phone call from a manager two weeks ago to tell him he would not be employed as an announcer any more.

BBC bosses are citing “operational changes” as the reason for letting him go.