Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with ''

The Des O'Connor Show ''The Des O'Connor Show'' is a British variety and chat show hosted by Des O'Connor which was broadcast on ITV from 1963 until 1973. History Associated Television produced the programme, which was recorded in black-and-white for the first six ...

'' in 1963, which ran for ten years. He also presented several U.K. television game shows, including ''

Take Your Pick! ''Take Your Pick!'' is a United Kingdom game show originally broadcast by Radio Luxembourg starting in 1952. The show was transferred to television in 1955 with the launch of ITV, where it continued until 1968. It was the first game show broa ...

'' from 1992 to 1999, and the long-running

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

game show ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'' for two years between 2007 and 2008. O'Connor recorded 36 albums and had four top-ten UK singles, including a number-one hit with "

I Pretend "I Pretend" is a song written by Barry Mason and Les Reed and recorded by Des O'Connor. O'Connor's recording of the song became a number-one hit in the UK and Ireland in 1968. Background Les Reed was in Wessex Studios and had just finished a se ...

", with global sales of more than sixteen million records. Well known for his friendship with comedians

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...

, his singing ability was often light-heartedly mocked on their show, with O'Connor taking part in the sketches.

Early life

Desmond Bernard O'Connor was born on 12 January 1932 in

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...

, East London, to Maude (''née'' Bassett), a cleaner, and Harry O'Connor, a dustman. His father was of Irish and Jewish descent, and he often joked that he was the first O’Connor to have a bar mitzvah. In his childhood, he had

rickets Rickets is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children, and is caused by either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stunted growth, bone pain, large forehead, and trouble sleeping. Complications ma ...

and was later badly injured in a hit-and-run car accident which meant he had to be in an

iron lung An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator (NPV), a mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body, and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space, to stimulate breathing.Shneerson, Dr. John M., Newmarket Genera ...

for six months. He had a brother, William, and a sister, Patricia, one year his junior. He was evacuated to Northampton during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, where he worked in a shoe factory and was a schoolboy and reserves player with

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

. After completing his

national service National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939. The ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, he worked as a Redcoat at Butlin's holiday camp in Filey, where he met his first wife Phyllis, and as a shoe salesman at

Church's Church's is a high-end footwear manufacturer that was founded in 1873, by Thomas Church, in Northampton, England. In 1999 the company came under the control of Italian luxury fashion house Prada in a US$170 million deal. History Between the ...

in Northampton, and for

United Counties The Province of Ontario has 51 first-level administrative divisions, which collectively cover the whole province. With two exceptions, their areas match the 49 census divisions Statistics Canada has for Ontario. The Province has four types of ...

, both on the road and in the office, before entering show business. Prior to his break on television, his first fully professional stage appearance in variety, was in a Newcastle theatre. Later, while he was in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

, he invited the Welsh singer Shirley Bassey out on two dates. In 1958, when Buddy Holly toured the UK, O'Connor was the show's compère for which he was paid £100 per week.
In 1950 and 1952, he collaborated in songwriting with British singer

Sam Browne General Sir Samuel James Browne, (3 October 1824 – 14 March 1901) was a British Indian Army cavalry officer, known best as the creator of the Sam Browne belt. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantr ...

and Australian pianist and composer Ray Hartley. The team produced hit songs "Let's Do It Again", "Start Singing A Song", "Yes! Yes! Yes! (I Like Good Old Melody)" and "Why Do I Love You?". O'Connor and Hartley also created the hit song "My Baby Told Me She Loves Me".

Career

Stage

O'Connor appeared at the Glasgow Empire, MGM Grand,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, the

Opera House An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

, Sydney, and the O'Keefe Centre, Toronto, and made more than one thousand solo appearances at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

. In late 2011, O'Connor starred in '' Dreamboats and Petticoats'' at the

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...

. In May 2012, O'Connor replaced

Russell Grant Russell John Dammerall Grant (born 5 February 1951) is a British astrologer and media personality. He has written several books on astrology, provides syndicated newspaper horoscopes and operates premium rate astrology phone lines. In March 2 ...

in the West End musical, '' The Wizard of Oz'', at the

, as Professor Marvel, Doorman at the Emerald City, Tour Guide, and The Wizard. In October 2015, O'Connor and

Jimmy Tarbuck James Joseph Tarbuck (born 6 February 1940) is an English comedian, singer, actor, entertainer and game show host. He was a host of ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium'' in the mid-1960s, and hosted numerous game shows and quiz shows on ITV ...

starred in their own one-off show at the London Palladium to raise money for the new Royal Variety Charity. Due to the success of this show, they toured the country in 2016 from April to October. The venues they visited were (in chronological order), the Southampton

Mayflower Theatre Mayflower Theatre (formerly the Gaumont Theatre and originally The Empire Theatre) is a Grade II listed theatre in the city centre of Southampton, England, with a capacity of 2,300. It features West End theatre shows when they tour the United Ki ...

Leeds Grand Theatre The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It seats approximately 1,500 people. Building It was designed by James ...

, Southend

Cliffs Pavilion Cliffs Pavilion is a theatre and concert venue on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a town within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It seats 1,630 and offers an assortment of variety acts. Building Work began on the original Cliff ...

Bristol Hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as re ...

, Bournemouth International Centre, and

Milton Keynes Theatre Milton Keynes Theatre is a large theatre in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. It opened on 4 October 1999, 25 years after the campaign for a new theatre first started. Designed by architects Blonski-Heard with Kut Nadiadi and Robert Doe, the thea ...

. In 2017, O'Connor and Tarbuck toured the UK again from May to December. The venues they visited included

Theatre Royal, Norwich The Theatre Royal is an art-deco theatre in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is one of the country's oldest established theatres. It hosts a large range of touring productions. The theatre had a £10m refurbishment in 2007, designed by Tim Foster ...

, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Blackpool Opera House, Princess Theatre, Torquay, The Hexagon, Reading,

Theatre Royal, Newcastle The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. History The theatre was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the c ...

and Grand Theatre, Swansea. Until 2019, O'Connor toured theatres around the UK with his one-man show.

Television

O'Connor starred in mainstream television shows in almost every year from 1963 until the 2000s, a feat that only one other television personality has achieved worldwide (U.S. game show host Bob Barker, who hosted mainstream television shows from 1956 until 2007, with 1966–1972 being in syndication). * Between 1963 and 1971 O'Connor hosted ''

'', a British variety show, for eight series on ITV. This was followed by ''Des O'Connor Entertains'', a show which ran for two series between 1974 and 1976 and featured singing, dancing, and comedy sketches. In 1969, thirteen editions of the show were sold to

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

in the United States, as a summer replacement for the network's '' Kraft Music Hall''. The series was broadcast in more than forty countries. * Between 1977 and 2002, O'Connor presented his own chat show series entitled ''

Des O'Connor Tonight ''Des O'Connor Tonight'' is a British light entertainment variety show hosted by Des O'Connor Desmond Bernard O'Connor (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter. He was a long-time ...

'' which lasted for seven series on BBC Two and later seventeen on ITV. * From 1992 to 1998 O'Connor presented the game show ''

'' where he met fourth wife Jodie Wilson. In 1995 and 1997 O'Connor compèred the Royal Variety Performance. * In January 2001 ITV aired '' An Audience with Des O'Connor''. * From 2002 to 2006 O'Connor co-hosted ''

Today with Des and Mel ''Today with Des and Mel'' was a British television chat show hosted by Des O'Connor ('' Des O'Connor Tonight'') and Melanie Sykes. The show featured celebrity guests, phone-in competitions and chat between the hosts. It was produced by Car ...

'' opposite

Melanie Sykes Melanie Ann Sykes (born 7 August 1970) is an English television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted '' Going Out with ...

. The show was a lunchtime light entertainment programme aired on ITV. On 12 May 2006, the channel announced that the show would be one of a number to be axed in a "painful, but utterly necessary" move. * In January 2007, O'Connor replaced

Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...

as co-presenter of the

game show ''

'' with

Carol Vorderman Carol Jean Vorderman, HonFIET (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh media personality, best known for appearing on the game show ''Countdown'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008, as a newspaper columnist and nominal author of educational and diet ...

. He left the show in 2008 to spend more time on theatre and entertainment-based projects. In 2009, O'Connor was replaced by sports presenter

Jeff Stelling Robert Jeffrey Stelling (born 18 March 1955) is an English television presenter. He currently presents '' Gillette Soccer Saturday'' for Sky Sports and hosted coverage of the Champions League between 2011 and 2015. He also presented the Chann ...

. * In April 2012, ITV aired '' The One and Only Des O'Connor'', a one-off show that celebrated O'Connor's 80th birthday, with guests including Katherine Kelly,

Olly Murs Oliver Stanley Murs (born 14 May 1984) is an English singer, songwriter, and television presenter. He was runner-up on the sixth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2009 and was subsequently signed to RCA Records and Sony Music in the United Kingdom ...

, Robert Lindsay, and Melanie Sykes.

Guest appearances

* O'Connor appeared as a guest on '' The Morecambe and Wise Show'' a number of times. He was the butt of many a joke by Eric Morecambe, being referred to as "Des – short for 'desperate", and "Death O'Connor". One line, sung to the tune of "Crazy Words – Crazy Tune" was, "Roses are red, violets are blue, Des can't sing, we know that's true!". (O'Connor was actually an old friend of the duo, and even participated in writing many of the "put-downs".) * In May 2012, O'Connor took part in the TV game show '' Would I Lie to You?''. * In December 2012, O'Connor was invited to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Variety Performance with

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was a British entertainer and presenter whose career spanned more than 70 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the ITV series '' Sunday Nig ...

Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...

, and

. * In December 2012, O'Connor partnered

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter. He is known for his quick wit, writing and starring in the sitcom '' Not Going Out'', being a team captain on th ...

in a celebrity edition of ''

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and l ...

''. * In December 2013, O'Connor appeared in a celebrity edition of '' The Chase''. * In October 2014, O'Connor was a panellist on an episode of ''

Through the Keyhole ''Through the Keyhole'' is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and ...

''. * In April 2017, O'Connor was on the panel of ''

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule ''Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule'' is a British television comedy panel show created, written and presented by Harry Hill and produced by his company Nit Television for ITV. The series began on 2 March 2017 and follows Hill and a group of cele ...

''.

Singing

O'Connor had a successful career as a singer, recording 36 albums, five of which reached the

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. O'Connor appeared with Morecambe and Wise on several of their Christmas shows. He worked with many pop stars, including

Adam Faith Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with " What Do You Want?" (1959) and "P ...

, Shirley Bassey,

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

, and Cilla Black. He toured with Buddy Holly (during Holly's 1958 stay in the UK) and Jason Donovan. He recorded four top 10 singles, including "

" which topped the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1968, and "

The Skye Boat Song "The Skye Boat Song" is a late 19th-century Scottish song recalling the journey of Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") from Benbecula to the Isle of Skye as he evaded capture by government troops after his defeat at the B ...

", a 1986 duet with

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (born 22 March 1936) is a British singer-songwriter and musician, who was born in Nairobi to English parents. His music is an eclectic mix of folk music and popular songs in addition to radio airplay hits. He is bes ...

. His singing ability was often parodied on '' The Morecambe & Wise Show'', with O'Connor taking part in the sketches.

Awards and honours

Des O'Connor on Blackpool's Walk of Fame, 2022

O'Connor was the first subject of the second incarnation of the long-running television programme '' This Is Your Life'', when the show returned to screens after a five-year absence, produced by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

. He was surprised live on the stage of the

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...

in November 1969. In 2001, O'Connor was presented with the Special Recognition Award at the

National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are vot ...

for his contribution to television. In 2002, his autobiography, ''Bananas Can't Fly!'', was published. He was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours. A month after his death, ITV aired a tribute, titled ''Des O'Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer'', on 13 December 2020.

Personal life

O'Connor was married four times: # Phyllis Gill (married 1953, divorced 1959; daughter

Karen O'Connor Karen Lende O'Connor (born February 17, 1958) is an American equestrian who competes in three-day eventing. Although she did not come from a family of equestrians, her interest in horses started at an early age, and she received her first hor ...

) # Gillian Vaughan (married 1960, divorced 1982; two daughters) # Jay Rufer (married 1985, divorced 1990, one daughter) # Jodie Brooke Wilson (married September 2007; one son)

Death

On 14 November 2020, O'Connor died in his sleep in hospital, aged 88, following a fall at his home in Buckinghamshire a week earlier. In a January 2021 interview, his widow Jodie revealed that in 2017, he had been diagnosed with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

, although he thought that he had suffered from effects of it for a few years previously. The episode of ''

'' broadcast on 16 November 2020 was dedicated to his memory.

Selected discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

* *
Entry at 45cat.com

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Des 1932 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians 20th-century English singers 21st-century English singers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English game show hosts English male singers English crooners Jewish singers English Jews English television presenters English television personalities Jewish English musicians Northampton Town F.C. players English people of Irish descent Footballers from Stepney Butlins Redcoats Columbia Graphophone Company artists Pye Records artists Traditional pop music singers English television talk show hosts Association footballers not categorized by position English footballers Accidental deaths from falls Singers from London English autobiographers 20th-century British male singers 21st-century British male singers Military personnel from London Royal Air Force airmen 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel