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Des O'Connor Show (The): Volume One (TV)
R2 - United Kingdom - Network Review written by and copyright: Paul Lewis (22nd June 2009). |
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The Show
 
Made for ATV in 1970-1, The Des O’Connor Show was a light entertainment mixture of sketch-based comedy and song-and-dance numbers. Broadcast on Saturday evenings and produced with one eye on the American market, the series eventually proved popular in the US. Devised as a vehicle for the versatile television personality Des O’Connor, The Des O’Connor Show featured appearances from a number of guest stars and musical interludes from performers such as Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw and Liberace – who performs in a brief comic interlude that is clearly designed to introduce O’Connor to American audiences. Although O’Connor was at this stage in his career known primarily for being a singer, in this series he also performs in a large number of comedy sketches, some of them featuring appearances by well-known figures from the world of screen comedy, including Jack Douglas and Terry-Thomas.  
This particular series grew out of an the first incarnation of The Des O’Connor Show, which was also produced by ATV and ran between 1963 and 1968. The 1960s shows were shot in monochrome; these 1970s shows are still shot on video in a studio environment, but are in colour. O’Connor’s screen persona is now difficult to separate from his role as the butt of Eric Morecambe’s jokes (‘Des, short for desperate’) on the BBC’s The Morecambe and Wise Show (1968-77). A friend of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, O’Connor embraced the duo’s ‘ribbing’ and appeared on The Morecambe and Wise Show. Famously, O’Connor performed in the comedians’ 1975 Christmas special, appearing behind both Eric and Ernie as the two comics joked about the quality of one of his LPs: as a Christmas present, Ernie presents Eric with a gift of a Des O’Connor LP. ‘That’s the most unusual record he’s ever made’, Ernie says. ‘Is it the one where he sings the right notes?’, Eric asks. ‘That is the best record Des has ever made’, Ernie asserts. ‘You mean there’s nothing on it at all?’, Eric quips. It is O’Connor’s easy-going manner and seeming lack of self-importance that have ingratiated him to the viewing public, ensuring his long-standing popularity as a television personality, from the 1963 The Des O’Connor Show to recent television shows such as ITV’s Today With Des and Mel (2002-6) and his stint as the presenter of Channel 4’s flagship afternoon game show Countdown between 2006 and 2008. 
Here in the 1970s The Des O’Connor Show, the emphasis is for the most part on musical performances, with a sprinkling of comedy interspersed throughout. Some of the comedy sketches are very good, including one especially well-scripted sketch which functions as a parody of the secret agent-themed films and television shows that were popular in the 1960s and 1970s. However, most of these comedy sketches find O’Connor relying on his special guests as a crutch: for the most part, O’Connor is relegated to the role of comic foil. Nevertheless, the sheer variety of guest performers (which range from Valerie Leon and Roy Castle to Harry Secombe) mean that these shows have something for just about everyone. 
Network’s DVD contains a compilation of clips from the series. The first disc runs for 126:37 mins (PAL); the second disc has a running time of 123:13 mins.
Video
As noted above, these episodes were shot on videotape in a studio environment. They are watchable, but the tapes show some signs of wear and the image is, on the whole, soft. 
Audio
Audio is presented via a two-channel mono track. Dialogue is clear, but there is a distinct lo-fi ‘hiss’ throughout both the first and the second disc, although this is more noticeable during the quiet comic sketches than the musical numbers. There are no subtitles.
Extras
Disc two contains an image gallery (5:01).
Overall
A classic Saturday night mix of music and humour, The Des O’Connor Show features some great guest performances, and the range of guest stars means that there’s just about something for everyone in this compilation. O’Connor is likeable and easy-going, and it’s easy to see why he has enjoyed such a long career as a television personality. For more information, please visit the homepage of Network DVD.
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