Des O’Connor: All-round entertainer who dazzled audiences for decades

With a twinkle in his eyes, he was seldom off the screen in a career that spanned more than half a century

The versatile performer has been described as Britain’s version of an American star (Rex)

Des O’Connor, who has died aged 88, was the all-round entertainer who brought joy to generations of television audiences through his unique combination of humour and easy-listening music performances. In a show business career spanning more than 60 years he released about 30 albums, selling more than 16 million copies, appeared more than 1,000 times at the London Palladium and hosted countless television shows.

Desmond O’Connor was born in 1932 in Stepney, east London, to Maude, a cleaner, and Harry, a dustman. With a Jewish mother and an Irish father, he later joked that he was the only O’Connor to have had a bar mitzvah.

He found his first taste of entertaining on stage during national service, taking part in a talent show at the request of his commanding officer. On leaving the RAF he joined Butlin’s as a Redcoat, a route followed by many of his contemporaries in show business, including his friend Jimmy Tarbuck. O’Connor recalled of this time: “Every day I learned something new about interacting with a crowd ... I would volunteer for the bingo sessions, because they were a real challenge.”

O’Connor’s break came during his second Butlin’s season at Filey, North Yorkshire, where he was spotted by Pete Davies, a London-based agent. Davies got him a booking at the Palace Theatre, Newcastle, paying £20 a week for two shows a night and launching his long and successful career.

Billed as “the comedian with the modern style”, in March 1958 he accompanied Buddy Holly for a month’s tour across the UK. O’Connor recalled how Holly nurtured his passion for the musical performances which would become part of the comic’s repertoire: “At the shows, I would be the comedian doing bits and pieces before they went on. I’d also give Buddy a few gags and his southern drawl would make them funny. In return, he’d teach me a few things about the guitar.” 

He made his television debut in 1963 with The Des O’Connor Show, a variety format that ran for the next decade. When ATV syndicated the show to CBS in America, O’Connor became a household name there too, leading to performances in Las Vegas and throughout the US. From then onwards he was seldom off the small screen, with shows including Des O’Connor Tonight, broadcast on the BBC and ITV for more than 20 years, and Take Your Pick from 1992 to 1999. 

O’Connor appeared alongside the great comedians Morecambe and Wise on many occasions. The duo would tease him relentlessly, making him the butt of the joke, with quips such as “Des in Des O’Connor is short for desperate” and  “Des has just done a one-man show – let’s hope two turn up next time”, lines that it later transpired were written by O’Connor himself.

In 2007 he took over from Des Lynam on Countdown, hosting the comedy words and numbers game show with Carol Vorderman and Susie Dent for the next two years. Vorderman said: “Des was the king of telly really for so many years ... He was the one who made you laugh, made you feel safe, made you feel as though – with that twinkle that was forever in his eyes – that you never quite knew what was going to happen.”

At the age of 85, O’Connor was still touring with Jimmy Tarbuck, who said in tribute: “He was our version of an American star ... He could turn his hand to most things, when he interviewed you, he was a giggler but he listened and joined in. We’ve done five years now on the road, just the two of us and it’s been so good to work with him.”

O’Connor was made a CBE in 2008 for services to entertainment and broadcasting. He had experienced a fall at home in Buckinghamshire and had began to recover but relapsed and died peacefully in hospital.

He was married four times and fathered his most recent child at the age of 72. He is survived by Jodie Brook Wilson, whom he married in 2007, and his five children.

Desmond O’Connor, entertainer and broadcaster, born 12 January 1932, died 14 November 2020