The genial king of light entertainment
Des O’Connor 1932-2020
Des O’Connor, who has died aged 88, was a singer, comedian and chat show host, often described as one of the nicest men in television. A consummate light entertainer, instantly recognisable with his ready smile and perma-tan, he sold 16 million records, performed at the Palladium more than 1,200 times, and hosted his own prime-time TV shows for 40 years. Although central to his appeal, his cheesy, “middle-of-the-road” geniality made him the butt of jokes – by Morecambe and Wise in particular; but he took it in good part. In fact, he had supplied many of the lines the duo used against him, said The Times. “One of the barbs of which he was particularly proud was: ‘Des O’Connor’s a self-made man. Well, it’s nice of him to take the blame.’” Only once, when his children were upset by bullies telling them “Your Dad’s rubbish”, did he complain. Eric Morecambe (an old friend) promised to say something nice about him on the next show. The following week, O’Connor tuned in to hear him declare: “People are saying Des and I are enemies, but he came to my daughter’s wedding. Do you hear that? He wasn’t invited. But he came.”
Desmond O’Connor was born in Stepney, east London, in 1932, the son of an Irish road sweeper and a Jewish cleaner. His childhood was happy, but hard: he suffered from rickets, and had to wear callipers; a few months after they came off, he was hit by a car, and put in an iron lung. Then, during the Blitz, the family house took a direct hit. “My mother was crying. I remember the skies were red with fire and [she] said to my father, ‘We’ve lost everything’. He said, ‘No, I’ve just done a head count. We’ve got everything we’ll ever need.’”
O’Connor left school at 14, and found work in a shoe factory. It was during National Service that he discovered his talent to amuse and, on leaving, he became a Redcoat at Butlin’s (where he also met the first of his four wives – she was the first girl he kissed). He went from there to performing in variety and in working men’s clubs. In 1958, he compèred the only British tour of Buddy Holly and the Crickets – and appeared on TV for the first time, on the panel of a Granada TV game show. The Des O’Connor Show was launched in 1963. It became a huge hit in Britain and in America, said The Daily Telegraph, and on the back of its success, he began his singing career. His chart hits dried up in the 1970s; but he was still on prime time TV in the 2000s – as the co-host with Melanie Sykes of Today With Des and Mel, and the host of Countdown. He is survived by his fourth wife, the singer-songwriter Jodie Brooke Wilson, and his five children. He claimed to be on good terms with all his former wives; the “third party” in his relationships, he said, had always been his work.