Carpenter began his career in Fleet Street. He had his first break as a boxing writer with the weekly Sporting Record. He also wrote boxing columns for the Daily Mail. Carpenter joined BBC in 1949 and retired in 1994. During his tenure, he was hailed as the BBC's "voice of boxing".

He was well-known for his relationship with British heavyweight Frank Bruno, whose catchphrase "Know what I mean, 'Arry?" originated in his popular post-fight interviews with Carpenter. Carpenter is credited with covering every single Olympic Games from 1956 to 1992.

During his career with the BBC, he presented flagship programmes such as Sportsnight, Grandstand and Sports Personality of the Year. Carpenter died on Saturday at King's College hospital in London.