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'' in 1963, which ran for ten years as well as the lunchtime chat show '' Today with Des and Mel'' from 2002 to 2006 with Melanie Sykes. He also presented several UK television game shows, including '' Take Your Pick!'' from 1992 to 1999, and the long-running

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

game show '' Countdown'' 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", with global sales of more than sixteen million records. Well known for his friendship with comedians Morecambe and Wise, 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 an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. Stepney 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 was applied to ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

, to Maude (''née'' Bassett), a cleaner, and Harry O'Connor, a dustman. His father was of Irish Catholic descent and his mother was Jewish, and he joked that he was the first O'Connor to have a

bar mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age ...

. In his childhood, he had

rickets Rickets, scientific nomenclature: rachitis (from Greek , meaning 'in or of the spine'), is a condition that results in weak or soft bones in children and may have either dietary deficiency or genetic causes. Symptoms include bowed legs, stun ...

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, a medical ventilator, mechanical respirator which encloses most of a person's body and varies the air pressure in the enclosed space to stimulate breathing. It assists breathing when Musc ...

for six months. He had a brother and a sister. He was evacuated to

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the c ...

. After completing his

national service National service is a system of compulsory or 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 ...

in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, 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 in

, and for the bus company United Counties, 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 in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, he invited the Welsh singer

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...

out on two dates. In 1958, when

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician who was a central and pioneering figure of rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texa ...

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 (United Kingdom), 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 prest ...

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, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, the

Opera House An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

, 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 Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

. In late 2011, O'Connor starred in '' Dreamboats and Petticoats'' at the Playhouse Theatre. In May 2012, O'Connor replaced Russell Grant 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 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, Leeds Grand Theatre, Southend Cliffs Pavilion, Bristol Hippodrome,

Bournemouth International Centre The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC ) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it ...

, and Milton Keynes Theatre. In 2017, O'Connor and Tarbuck toured the UK again from May to December. The venues they visited included Theatre Royal, Norwich, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Blackpool Opera House, Princess Theatre, Torquay, The Hexagon, Reading, Theatre Royal, Newcastle 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 '' The Des O'Connor Show'', 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 commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

in the United States, as a summer replacement for the network's ''

Kraft Music Hall ''The Kraft Music Hall'' was a popular old-time radio variety show, variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired first on NBC radio from 1933 to 1949. Radio ''The Kraft Program'' debuted June 26, 1933, as a musical- ...

''. 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'' which lasted for seven series on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

and later seventeen on ITV. * From 1992 to 1998 O'Connor presented the game show '' Take Your Pick!'' where he met fourth wife Jodie Wilson. In 1995 and 1997 O'Connor compèred the

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

. * In January 2001 ITV aired '' An Audience with Des O'Connor''. * From 2002 to 2006 O'Connor co-hosted '' Today with Des and Mel'' opposite Melanie Sykes. 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 British 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, pr ...

as co-presenter of the

game show '' Countdown'' with Carol Vorderman. 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 presented '' Gillette Soccer Saturday'' for Sky Sports from 1994 until 2023 and hosted coverage of the Champions League between 2011 and 2015. He also present ...

. * 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 personality. He rose to prominence after participating on the sixth series of the television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2009, where he finished as runn ...

, 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

with

Bruce Forsyth Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was an English entertainer and television presenter whose career spanned more than 75 years. Forsyth came to national attention from the late 1950s through the Associated Te ...

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 Jimmy Tarbuck. * 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 and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...

in a celebrity edition of '' Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''. * 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 David Frost, Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter explores celebrities' h ...

''. * In April 2017, O'Connor was on the panel of '' Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule''.

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 a list of the 40 currently 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. "To ...

of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. 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. As a British rock and roll teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK singles chart with " What ...

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

and

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

. He toured with

(during Holly's 1958 stay in the UK) and

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 millio ...

. He recorded four top 10 singles, including " I Pretend", which topped the UK Singles Chart in 1968, and " The Skye Boat Song", a 1986 duet with Roger Whittaker. His singing ability was often parodied on '' The Morecambe & Wise Show'', with O'Connor taking part in the sketches.

Awards and honours

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

by Eamonn Andrews 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 begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...

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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(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; one daughter) * Gillian Vaughan (married 1962, 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 at Wexham Park Hospital in

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

, aged 88, following a fall at his home in

Gerrards Cross Gerrards Cross is a town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies immediately south of Chalfont St Peter and a short distance west of the London Borough of Hillingdon, from which it is separated by the parish of Denham, Buckinghams ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, 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 neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, although he thought that he had suffered from effects of it for a few years previously. The episode of '' Countdown'' broadcast on 16 November 2020 was dedicated to his memory.

Selected discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

* *
Entry at 45cat.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Des 1932 births 2020 deaths 20th-century English male singers 21st-century English male singers 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians 20th-century English singers 21st-century English singers 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel Accidental deaths from falls Men's association football players not categorized by position Butlins Redcoats Columbia Graphophone Company artists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English autobiographers English crooners English men's footballers English game show hosts Jewish English comedians English male singers English people of Irish descent English television personalities English television presenters English television talk show hosts Footballers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets People from Stepney People with Parkinson's disease Jewish English musicians Jewish singers Military personnel from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Northampton Town F.C. players Pye Records artists Singers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Television personalities from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Traditional pop music singers Comedians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets English male comedians Jewish male comedians Piccadilly Records artists