ITV to celebrate the life and work of Des O’Connor

Singer, comedian, presenter, and chat show host – and those are just some of the things all-round entertainer Des O’Connor fitted into his near-on 70-year career.

Now ITV are to celebrate the legacy of ‘TV’s Mr Nice Guy’ with Des O’Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer.

The documentary will pay tribute to Des in a one hour special celebrating his life and work from his early days with ATV in the sixties and seventies to a brief stint at the BBC before returning to ITV with Thames Television in the eighties and nineties.

Des was the longest-serving prime time TV host on British Television. He topped theatre bills globally, including over a thousand solo appearances at the London Palladium. And despite much mockery from pals Morecambe & Wise, he released 36 Chart-topping albums. With a career spanning nearly 70 years, Des O’Connor was a showbusiness legend.

Related Feature: Remembering Des O’Connor

The programme was commissioned before Des’ sad death last month aged 88. In fact, the production began earlier this year following O’Connor’s revelation that he had decided to take a well-earned retirement from the spotlight.

“With insight from family and showbiz friends, and with exclusive access to an amazing collection of hundreds of unseen home movies, the programme will provide an intimate portrayal of how Des went from Butlins Redcoat to become the ultimate entertainer.” – ITV

Stars lining up to celebrate the life of Des include Melanie Sykes, Elaine Paige, Cliff Richard, Jimmy Tarbuck, Sheila Ferguson, Jodie Brooke Wilson, Bradley Walsh and Jonathan Ross to name just a few.

In 2012 ITV marked his 80th birthday and over fifty years in show business with The One And Only Des O’Connor.

Des O’Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer airs on December 13th on ITV, STV and UTV at 9pm.