A HIGHLY respected journalist who reported on major world events for the BBC has been laid to rest in Enfield.

Brian Hanrahan was in Tiananmen Square in 1989 as Communist tanks rolled in, he reported as the Berlin Wall came down, and he was in Moscow as Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader.

But it was during the Falklands War that Mr Hanrahan made his most lasting mark, reassuring the British public of the safety of Harrier fighter pilots during one raid despite strict Ministry of Defence reporting restriction.

Not allowed to say how many jets had been involved, he told the nation: “I counted them all out and I counted them all back” - later to be the title of his autobiography.

Mr Hanrahan fell ill with cancer earlier this year, and was admitted to hospital at the start of December with an infection, where his condition deteriorated. He died on Monday, December 20, aged 61.

Mourners including senior BBC journalists and presenters gathered at Saint Monica's Catholic Church, in Stonard Road, Palmers Green, today to pay their last respects as Mr Hanrahan was laid to rest.

Leading the tributes following his death, Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, said: “Brian was a journalist of unimpeachable integrity and outstanding judgement, but his personal kindness and humanity also came through.

“That is why audiences and everyone who knew him here will miss him very much."

Mark Byford, BBC head of journalism, added: "His great craft of using words sparingly but powerfully is a lasting memory for me.

“A beautiful writer, a beautiful man, whose passion for the BBC and for high standards in journalism inspired us all.”