SIR Trevor McDonald returned to Farnham to open an art exhibition at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design on Tuesday evening, telling students he envied their freedom to explore the human experience.
Before handing awards to three fine arts students - Laura Oswald, Penelope Walmsley-Clark and Gabriella Quintero - Sir Trevor, who used to live in High Park Road, told a packed SIAD courtyard: "There's a great difference between what we do in the media and what you do.
"You hone in on the squalor, the beauty and the terror that make up the modern contemporary human experience. We, if we're lucky, catch glimpses of it."
The multi-award-winning broadcaster, currently ITV's News at Ten presenter, was invited to perform the opening by Desmond Hamill, a part-time fine arts student at SIAD and former ITN colleague.
Recalling their time in Baghdad at the time of the 1991 Gulf War, Sir Trevor said in his speech: "I went there to interview Saddam Hussein.
"I was obsessed with this interview with a brutal dictator while Desmond sat there sketching this wonderful view we had over the Tigris, or the Euphrates. I think he had the better end of the deal."
Before his speech, The Herald asked if Sir Trevor had any artistic aspirations when he retires.
"I'm pretty awful. My family teases me for being able to do good palm trees. I hope to write more."
The exhibition is open today (Friday) and between June 23 and 27 from 10 am to 4-30 pm.