Talk show host David Letterman has announced that he is to retire from The Late Show on CBS, stepping down in 2015. Letterman has been one the late-night TV staples since 1982, when he began presenting Late Night on NBC, influencing the likes of Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel. "The man who owns this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance” Letterman said in the video statement. "And I phoned him just before the programme, and I said 'Leslie, it's been great, you've been great, and the network has been great, but I'm retiring'. “I just want to reiterate my thanks for the support from the network, all of the people who have worked here, all of the people in the theater, all the people on the staff, everybody at home, thank you very much." See the statement in full here: http://youtu.be/H9eYkpgeeI8