[1] Cook's parents were New Zealanders, but he was brought up in Australia,[2] and began his career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a reporter and newsreader on both radio and television.
[1] This was a higher-budget version of his radio programme, with a large and dedicated research team, which enabled it to operate on an international scale.
Cook was described in the British press as "nemesis in a leisure shirt", "a cross between Meatloaf and the Equaliser", "the bravest/most beaten-up journalist in Britain" and "The Taped Crusader".
In its 12 years on air, The Cook Report was the highest rated current affairs programme on British television, with audiences peaking at over 12 million.
In the 1980s, his Checkpoint series was the inspiration for a sitcom, BBC Radio 4's Delve Special, where investigative journalist David Lander, played by Stephen Fry, doorstepped many fictional villains.
When Cook's investigations moved to television, the parody followed, in Channel 4's This is David Lander, with Tony Slattery later taking over the central role in the show.