Michael Mosley's moving final interview airs as BBC Radio 4 fans are left in tears

Dr Michael Mosley's poignant final interview was broadcast today on Radio 4, leaving listeners deeply moved as his friend and colleague opened the programme with the words: "I didn't know it would be the last time I would see him."

The much-loved TV presenter and nutrition expert, 67, met with a tragic end while vacationing with his wife Dr Clare Bailey on the Greek island of Symi earlier this month. He vanished after embarking on an afternoon walk at 1.30pm on Wednesday, June 5 and was tragically discovered days later on Sunday near Agia Marina beach.

Listeners tuned in to hear Dr Mosley one last time in a show titled There's Only One Michael Mosley on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds at 11am on Friday June 14, as part of the BBC's homage to him. He had previously recorded a special episode of Just One Thing at the Hay Festival on May 25, featuring Professor Paul Bloom, where he offered his usual insightful health advice.

This particular episode was introduced by Chris van Tulleken, a fellow TV doctor and presenter who had worked with Mosley on the BBC's Trust Me, I'm A Doctor series, reports the Mirror.

The BBC framed the broadcast as a heartfelt tribute to their "friend", followed by Chris's personal reflection. Chris said in his introduction: "What you're about to hear was recorded a few minutes before I met up with Michael at the Hay Festival and what I didn't know was that it would be the last time I ever saw him. Because two weeks later he died on holiday with his wife in Greece.

"As you're listening to Michael, I want you to reflect on his style - dryly witty, modest, humble. This style disguises that he is one of the most important broadcasters of recent decades. Before Michael, doctors in white coats told you how to live from their ivory towers. Michael's genius was to make himself the patient and the guinea pig in a way that's utterly relatable.

"Off-camera and off-mic he was the same - humble, kind and above all, generous. And that generosity set the tone in the BBC science unit in a way that meant everyone that worked there became friends and collaborators rather than competitors. For me, these friendships and endured for more than a decade.

"Michael's death has moved so many of us, so really I'm speaking for lots of television and audio presenters and producers. His legacy is going to live on in our memories - any time we brush our teeth standing on one leg or fast a little longer in between meals, we build up our strength doing squats or do any one of the hundreds of tricks that he taught us. I'll miss him as a friend and as a mentor - but perhaps most of all, I'll miss him as a broadcaster. So I hope you enjoy this - his final interview."

He went on to say: "I hope you enjoy it - along with all the hints and tips Michael has left us on how to live a good life. Something that he most certainly did."

A TV special titled Michael Mosley: The Doctor Who Changed Britain is set to air on BBC One at 8pm in tribute to the late doctor. The show will spotlight Mosley's remarkable broadcasting career and his significant influence on people's lives through science.

It has been confirmed that Dr Mosley, a father of four, passed away from natural causes, likely due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. An expert involved in the case has indicated that his remains are expected to be returned to the UK within the next 24 hours.

Dr Grigoris Leon, head of the Hellenic society of forensic medicine, told the Guardian: "Usually it's only a matter of time once a postmortem is conducted for a body to be released. It means in this case it's a question of days before repatriation takes place."

Search teams spent nearly four days searching for Dr Mosley before finding him behind a wall just a short distance from a resort on Agia Marina beach. A post-mortem examination later revealed that Michael had died around 4pm on Wednesday from natural causes, with no initial signs of injury.

Additional toxicology and histology reports have now been requested.

Physio Chris Byrne, a lecturer in sports and health sciences at Exeter University, has suggested that the circumstances surrounding Michael's death bear all the hallmarks of a fatal heatstroke. He warned about the dangers of exercising during intense heat.

Last week, extreme weather warnings were issued for the Dodecanese island as temperatures were expected to soar to 40C. Byrne also pointed out Dr Mosley's age as a risk factor, noting that our ability to regulate body temperature decreases with age.

Speaking to the Daily Express, he said: "the tragic story of Michael Mosley illustrates the rare but potentially lethal effect of combining physical activity in high environmental heat."

He added that any sporting event on the island that day would have been considered too "high risk" and cancelled due to the heat.

Before moving into broadcasting, Mosley initially trained as a doctor and presented numerous science programmes and films on the BBC, including Trust Me, I'm A Doctor, which delved into healthcare in Britain.

In 2002, he was nominated for an Emmy for his role as an executive producer on the BBC's science documentary, 'The Human Face'. Later, in 2014, he went to extreme lengths for a series called 'Infested! Living With Parasites' on BBC Four, where he ingested tapeworms for six weeks.

His influence extended into the world of diet and wellbeing as well.

He's widely credited with popularising the 5:2 diet, a type of intermittent fasting, through his book 'The Fast Diet'. Subsequently, he has also been an advocate for 'The Fast 800' diet, promoting a "moderately low-carb, Mediterranean-style diet".

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