TV Pop Diaries
Pop Music on British Television 1955 -
Des...short for Desmond.
After realising a knack for comedy while appearing in an RAF talent show O'Connor took the road so many had taken before in the same circumstances and became a Red Coat at Butlins after his demob in the early fifties. The experience of performing in front of a otherwise bored or boozy crowd that still wanted entertaining was valuable, as many entertainers who went through it would attest. At that time it was either Butlins or The Windmill in London.
Des probably made his TV debut as host of Granada's Spot The Tune (albeit as Desmond
O'Connor according to the TV Times listing) on 8th November 1956. Granada realised
he could sing a bit as well as being a great host who communicated well with an audience.
TV Times in 1956 claimed "He regards himself primarily as a comedian who sings rather
than as a singer who tells jokes, yet his singing attracts much attention. Many people
who write him fan-
Continuing with his new singing career he appeared on the 20th October 1957 edition of ATV's The Jack Jackson Show, about six months before his debut Columbia 45, Sailing Down The Chesapeake Bay. However, his three singles for Columbia came to nothing, but at least his TV appearances were regular, which probably led to his compering the now legendary Buddy Holly & The Crickets' UK tour in Spring 1958. Despite his success he would have to wait for another four years until his next record deal, this time with Pye's Piccadilly label in 1962, even then it was just for one single, but he was popular enough to appear on ABC's Top Numbers several times.
In 1960 it was rumoured that he had been offered the chance to host the country's biggest TV show, Sunday Night At The London Palladium, but Scottish comedian Don Arrol got the gig instead. He'd be back though.
His new deal with Piccadilly saw him appear on ABC's Thank Your Lucky Stars a couple of times in 1962, while he finally got his dream job hosting the Palladium show on the 25th February 1962 due to regular host Norman Vaughan's illness.
Impressing the ATV bosses he was given his own show at last, albeit a year later, debuting on Wednesday 29th May 1963, with the show seemingly swapping places with Rediffusion's Stars And Garters from Wednesday to Friday in early July 1963. Regular guests were singing group The Raindrops (featuring Jackie Lee and Vince Hill) and Terry Lightfoot and his Jazzmen. He would get a second series, but it would take another two years, beginning 23rd June 1965, and his first singing guest was Anita Harris, followed by the kind of musical guests that would have sit easily in a show like this five years' before. He hadn't exactly been resting, not only working on radio and TV, but making two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in the USA. The third series started on Wednesday 30th March 1966 and the guest list had stepped up a little bit with Lulu and Tom Jones, but it was still mostly late fifties, early sixties singers, while the fourth series beginning Friday 21st October 1966 gave room for Millicent Martin, Ronnie Hilton, Ronnie Carroll and Frank Ifield. It seems Beatlemania was allowed through the front door at ATV when they appeared on the Morecambe and Wise show in 1963, but that was it, just the once.
By January 1967 he was back hosting the London Palladium show, but this time he had attracted the interest of EMI who signed him to Columbia again. This time charts success wouldn't elude him. His first release under the new deal, Careless Hands, would take him into the top twenty, later leading to a number one with I Pretend. Careless Hands brought him to Top Of The Pops on 23rd November 1967.
The fifth series for ATV debuted Friday 19th May 1967, but this time things were a little different. Each musical guest (or member of a group) would engage in a comedy sketch with the host, so Hank Marvin of The Shadows, Engelbert, Cliff, Mireille Mathieu and others had to get their comedy pants on.
His now successful pop career would run in tandem with his TV hosting duties, not only his own show for ATV but on occasion The London Palladium gig too.
The next Des O'Connor series debuted Saturday 20th April 1968 with guests Matt Monro, Frankie Vaughan, and Engelbert and Mireille Mathieu were back, along with Mrs Mills and The Singing Postman, and all of this going on while his I Pretend was the number one single.
After a couple of compilation shows, listed as Des O'Connor On Reflection he was back, this time it was Des O'Connor On Stage, beginning Saturday 3rd May 1969, lasting just four shows. Mary Hopkin and Tony Christie were among the guests, but otherwise it was pretty standard showbiz fare. His shows would continue from 9th May 1970, but this time he fell foul of ATV's "international" aspirations. A inside joke had ATV stand for American TeleVision, making shows for the USA where the British host had to share a bill with American guests not known outside of their own country. A second series of these shows began 26th June 1971 with Connie Stevens as a regular guest.
14th March 1972 saw the beginning of his next series for ATV "Des" with guests Gilbert
O'Sullivan, Heathmore, Sacha Distel and others. He was back in 1974 with "Des O'Connor
Entertains" (how did they expect Morecambe and Wise to ignore that one?) starting
on 19th February, with regular guests Peters and Lee and a Christmas special broadcast
27th December 1974. His final series, again with Peters and Lee began 7th March 1975,
finishing 18th April 1975, while his final Entertains was a one-
The following year he had moved over to Thames, the home of the "other" O'Connor, Tom. He would continue to make shows emphasising comedy over music for the rest of his career, even taking on the chair of Countdown in the 2000s.
THE DES O'CONNOR SHOW / DES / DES O'CONNOR ENTERTAINS
ATV
29th May 1963 -
