As a television presenter with a wideranging repertoire of live sport and entertainment shows, David Vine had what is perhaps most highly prized of all by television producers: a safe pair of hands. Inevitably, given the unpredictable nature of the programmes he fronted, events did not always turn out according to plan, but rather than being fazed by the awkward moments, Vine seemed to revel in them.

David Martin Vine was born in Newton Abbot, Devon. He was brought up in the village of Stickelpath, near Barnstaple, and educated at Bluecoats and Barnstaple grammar school before he took the first step toward realising an ambition he had already nurtured for years by becoming a trainee reporter with the North Devon Journal-Herald.

His other love was rugby union; reporting on South Moulton RFC’s matches, he was careful not to mention himself among its players. His enterprise and love of mischief were soon in evidence, though, when he dared to write about allegedly naughty relationships between Girl Guides and Scouts, and then managed to sell the story to national papers.

Called up for National Service, Vine joined the Intelligence Corps, spending most of his time in London before returning to journalism, working for the Western Morning News in Plymouth, where he later became the paper’s sports editor. But when ITV launched Westward TV in the South West of England in 1961, he joined the medium that would make him one of Britain’s most familiar faces. While at Westward, he helped to create a sports department and his appearances as a reporter impressed BBC bosses, who hired him to present Sportscene on BBC Two. Vine, still on Westward’s staff, worked for both employers for a while since BBC Two couldn’t be received in the South West region at the time. But a Fleet Street newspaper blew the gaff and Vine left Westward to commit himself to the BBC.

He acquired an impressive CV at the BBC as the host of programmes including Quiz Ball, Rugby Special, Match of the Day, A Question of Sport, Grandstand, Superstars, Starshot, The Horse of the Year Show and the corporation’s Winter and Summer Olympic Games coverage. He presented the first Wimbledon tennis championships to be broadcast in colour.

Other shows provided generous fare for his sense of humour. One of the highlights of his four years with the comically absurd It’s a Knockout was his commentary from Hawick in Scotland of a knight in armour rescuing a damsel in distress from a castle, a show in which so much went wrong that it descended into hilarious chaos.

And in the era when the Eurovision Song Contest at least maintained some semblance of a serious competition, Vine seemed to anticipate Terry Wogan’s playful presentational style by introducing Norway, in 1974, as “the place where they drink aquavit” and Spain as “the land of the package holiday”. Rather more embarrassingly, another of his reported on-screen utterances, involved him describing Israel as “a Mecca for tourists”.

The compering of the Miss World contest also posed challenges for the usually unflappable anchorman. But Vine had the ability to take any obstacles in his stride, whether he was explaining clay target skeet shooting, enthusing about another equestrian jump-off or a weightlifting snatch and jerk or familiarising viewers with the special talents of bowls champions such as David Bryant and Willie Wood.

The Vine name and visage became synonymous with two sports, in particular. Starting with New Year’s Day ski-jumping from Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1971, he covered winter sports for 25 years, notably with Ski Sunday, which began after the 1976 Winter Olympics. He injected a freshness and enthusiasm into every commentary, although many downhill racers would talk of the Vine curse because they were prone to crashing moments after he had remarked on their admirable progress. Vine himself, all too aware of what could happen on skis, was never witnessed on the piste, saying he would certainly take a tumble if he left the safety of the mobile television studio. His attention to detail and comprehensive file of reference cards, however, ensured he would never be stuck for words.

Snooker was the other sport with which Vine enjoyed a long and fruitful association. He presented all the main tournaments broadcast by the BBC from 1977 to 2000. In that time, the sport’s popularity rose to such a peak that 18 million viewers were watching until after midnight in May 1985 when Dennis Taylor clinched the world championship title with the final black ball of the final frame against Steve Davis. His colleague at the microphone, Clive Everton, said Vine had all the prime requirements: “never to stall, never to fluff, to be fluent and making sense – more or less.” The World Snooker Association recognised his contribution by presenting him with its special award for lifetime services to the game.

With his heavy glasses, smart blazers and ready smile, Vine representeddecency in sport. He once tackled John McEnroe after an outburst at an umpire: “What right do you have to call anyone an incompetent fool?” Vine asked.

Vine’s first wife, Shirley, died in 1970. He is survived by their two daughters and a son, and his second wife, and their son, Christian.

David Vine, BBC sports presenter, was born on January 3, 1936. He died of a heart attack on January 11, 2009, aged 73