Adam Boulton has been a major reason for the success of Sky News. From the start he gave the channel weight (and I am not referring to his physical size), providing it with authority and credibility.
Arguably just as significant has been his ability to remain calm and composed, even when dealing with breaking news and, most notably, when confronted with quarrelsome interviewees.
A master of his brief, he has also proved to be a terrific interviewer: tough, persistent, unflappable and usually polite. It is ironic that he is likely to be remembered for the odd occasions when he has been at his most argumentative.
For example, in his most memorable on-air confrontation - that famous post-election spat in 2010 with Alastair Campbell - he appeared to lose his normal sang froid
After testily telling Campbell several times: "Don't keep saying what I think? I'm fed up with you telling me what I think", it ended with Campbell saying: "Calm down, calm down."
Similarly, he said much the same to Labour's then culture minister Ben Bradshaw who suggested he was "sore" about the outcome of the election. "I'm not going to take this from you," said a clearly exercised Boulton.
Yet, as a matter of course, calmness has been a feature of Boulton's normal modus operandi in the face of provocation.
For example, Boulton didn't react when the combative Conrad Black, speaking after being released from a prison term in the United States, told him: "Stop being a jackass. You're just being abrasive" and accused him of asking "somewhat predictable questions."
At one point Black asked him, "What's your name again?" But he kept his cool, plugging away with pertinent questions.
Most of the time, whether interviewing, reporting or analysing, Bouton has been an exemplary political journalist. His will be a tough act to follow.
