Faces of the week
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/magazine/6155942.stm Version 0 of 1. Our regular look at some of the faces which have made the news this week. Above are Des O'Connor (main picture), with <a href="#anchor">CHAIRMAN MAO,</a> <a href="#anchor">KYLIE MINOGUE,</a> <a href="#anchor">ANGELA MERKEL</a> and <a href="#anchor">DESERT ORCHID</a>. DES O'CONNOR His singing voice, perma-tan and cheesy grin have all been ridiculed, but at 74 Des O'Connor can lay claim to being one of the great survivors of light entertainment. The cheeky chappie from east London has spent 50 years in showbusiness, hosting his own show every year since 1963. Now he's to replace another housewife's favourite, Des Lynam, on the cult afternoon show, Countdown. Lynam, who's a decade younger than O'Connor, is giving up the show because he became tired of commuting from his home in southern England to Leeds where the numbers and letters quiz is filmed. O'Connor will have to make a similar journey, but seems unfazed by the travelling. At a recent screen test, his enthusiasm and energy amazed his new co-host Carol Vorderman and other members of the crew. But perhaps it's not so surprising, coming from a man who fathered his fifth child two years ago and at 70 professed a desire to learn to juggle and play the guitar. Des O'Connor: an old-fashioned all-round entertainerDes O'Connor was born in Stepney in east London in 1932, the son of a cleaner and a dustman. He had rickets as a child and spent several years in callipers, only walking properly when he was six or seven. Despite his medical problems and the poverty the family faced, his childhood was happy - full of laughter generated by his father, who, like Des, loved a joke. It was during his National Service that Des O'Connor's skills for entertainment were first spotted. He was caught doing an impersonation of an officer and it was suggested he take part in a talent show. After two years as a Butlins Redcoat, he made his professional stage debut at the Palace Theatre in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1953. He allegedly told his parents that a TV show was on the way - and then had to set about making the lie into a reality. Five years later, he was chosen to present ITV's Spot The Tune. In the early 1960s he was given his own show, and then began hosting Sunday Night at the London Palladium - and topped the bill more than 1,000 times at the theatre. Self-effacing During the 25 years he presented Des O'Connor Tonight, he prided himself on being able to attract many politicians and top stars, including Sylvester Stallone, Barbra Streisand, and Tony Blair. When his latest show Today With Des and Mel was axed in May as part of a major revamp at ITV, it was pulling in an audience of one and a half million. Des appears to have dealt with it in typical style - allegedly telling one friend that it was good to go out on a high. As well as enthusiasm and an instinct for what the public wants, Des O' Connor also has an ability to laugh at himself. It's a characteristic which has won him many friends, according to Bruce Forsyth. It stood him in good stead with Morecambe and Wise - who made poking fun at their friend into a national pastime. In their 1976 Christmas special, Des was famously asked on to sing - only to be repeatedly sidelined until the closing credits. O'Connor was mercilessly derided by Morecambe and WiseThe jokes belie the fact that his singing career has been very lucrative; he's produced more than 30 albums and sold over 15 million copies. And although publicly, he took the insults in good part, in private they seem to have hit home. When his eldest daughters were at school they were teased for having a naff father - something which he admits caused him pain. Things seem to have changed though. When his fourth daughter, 19-year-old Kristina, was at school her friend thought he was cool. And earlier this year he was voted the country's most inspirational oldie. His family means a great deal to Des O'Connor. He says his three marriages, which all ended in divorce, were the victims of his ambition and drive. Now he's careful to devote more time to his family. His current partner, the Australian singer-songwriter, Jodie Wilson, is more than 30 years his junior. But they've been together for 17 years and two years ago, Jodie gave birth to Des's first son, Adam. And it seems the nappies and sleepless nights haven't diminished his zest for life - not many people take on a new prime-time show in their mid-seventies. But given his track record he's likely to be a success. The Guardian's media correspondent, Owen Gibson, says that like his two predecessors on Countdown he appeals across the generations: "He's not cutting edge, but he's a consummate professional. And, according to people who know him, he's got that rare quality in TV: he's a genuinely nice bloke." <a name="anchor"></a> <HR> CHAIRMAN MAO A large silk-screen portrait of the former Chinese leader, Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, by Andy Warhol has been sold for more than £9m - an auction record for a picture by the pop artist. Warhol's interest in China and its leader was sparked in 1971, when America reopened relations with the communist state. He said that since China was in fashion he could make a lot of money. The following year he produced a series of 10 large-scale portraits of Mao. <a href="/1/hi/entertainment/6153236.stm" class="bodl">Full story</a> KYLIE MINOGUE Kylie Minogue has made a triumphant return with a barnstorming and emotional performance on home turf in Sydney. The diminutive singer had to cancel part of her Showgirl tour in May last year when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kylie had feared she would never perform again and says she can no longer attempt some of the things she used to do on stage. But she still wowed the audience, making numerous costume changes and playing a two hour set. <a href="/1/hi/entertainment/6135564.stm" class="bodl">Full story</a> ANGELA MERKEL The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has admitted to resorting to bribery to get things done, albeit more than 20 years ago before she entered politics. She is one of the most powerful women in the world, but as a young university physicist during the 1980s she was having difficulty passing her driving test. She had 38 lessons - but it was not until she acted on the advice of a friend and began tipping the instructor that she passed. DESERT ORCHID Desert Orchid was only a racehorse - but his death prompted the sort of adulation and emotional outpourings which would be the envy of many a pop-star or politician. Dessie had great determination and won 34 races during his career, most famously scooping the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989. He was so popular that even after retiring he received hundreds of birthday cards and made numerous public appearances. <a href="/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/6143558.stm" class="bodl">Full story</a> Written by BBC News Profiles Unit's Helen Morgan-Wynne |