Langley started his career in a Newcastle insurance office, served in the RAF, then travelled through America.
[3] He began his broadcast career in the early days of Tyne Tees television on the nightly news programme.
"The early days could be a bit catastrophic, a real string and sealing wax job," he said.
It was as a result of his and fellow presenter Donny MacLeod's success on the latter show that they were assigned to launch Pebble Mill in 1972 alongside Marian Foster.
[1] and a number of non-fiction works including a study of the sinking of the Argentinian light cruiser General Belgrano and a coast-to-coast guide, "Walking the Scottish Border".