FOLLOWING the death of local tv legend Richard Whiteley his tv show Countdown' was hosted by Des Lynam who has now left the show after complaining about the long distances to travel to Leeds to record the show.

Send for a younger man, someone who can cope with the travelling?

No, just send for the ultimate professional - Des O'Connor. There's not a lot that Des can't do. He's combined a flair for comedy with talent as a singer, and his charm and informality have seen him host one of the most popular chat shows on TV.

He's done 11 Royal Variety Performances, and has performed at the London Palladium more than anyone else - over 1300 times.

Were that not enough, he's written a successful autobiography, sold 16 million records, has been on the books of Northampton Town FC, and even been granted a licence as an amateur jockey.

It would all be enough to make you sick with envy, if he wasn't living proof that nice guys can finish first. Nobody who has worked with him has a bad word to say about him - quite something after over 50 years in the bitchiest profession outside of parliament.

Now, within touching distance of 75, he's embarking on a new stage of his career, taking over Channel 4's legendary daytime flagship show, Countdown'.

He got started in showbiz when he was in the Air Force. He was caught clowning around and ordered to take part in a talent competition, which he won.

Des said: "After that, it dawned on me that becoming a Red Coat might be the door that I needed to get into showbusiness, to learn what I could. It was the best grounding anyone could ever have if they wanted to be an entertainer.

"When I started out I was only doing jokes, just clowning around. Mum says all I ever did as a kid was jokes. When I was in the Air Force I used to go to the Embassy Theatre in Peterborough and see the acts. I always loved the comics. I never saw myself as a singer - it was only years later, when my mother kept going on at me to sing, that I did it. So you can blame my mum.

"I nearly went down a different avenue though as I played football for Northampton Town and I was an amateur jockey.

"I never took the sport that seriously. Right from day one I just enjoyed making people laugh, and that was all I wanted to do. I was only at Northampton between the ages of 16 and 18.

"I was a ballboy at the ground, and I used to go and watch them train whenever I could. One night I was watching a practice game and someone got injured, so they said Go on, son' and I scored a goal!

"So they signed me up as an amateur which I did for two years but I only played in the third team in the United Counties League."

Of how he got a jockey's licence Des said: "I got my amateur jockey licence after a bet struck at a lunch I was invited to by the Queen Mother at Epsom where the Amateur Derby was being run. Through a conversation, I took on a bet that I could ride the winner within three years.

"It's a long, long story. I did get my amateur jockey's licence but I never rode in a race. I was at the Palladium for nine months when the licence came through and there was a clause in my contract specifying no dangerous sports."

Des says that the proudest moments of his career include his 11 Royal Variety Shows.

"They always had a lot of clout and a lot of kudos. Also doing An Audience with Des O'Connor' was pretty fantastic - walking on and having an entire audience of your peers stand up at the beginning and at the end. After all the stick I've taken, all the insults over the years about my singing, to suddenly see an entire audience spontaneously give you a standing ovation is pretty memorable."

Des said that his worst disaster was at Glasgow Empire in 1954.

"I'd been in showbiz about five weeks, and my agent said I've got you a week at the Glasgow Empire'. What he didn't tell me was that the national sport of Scotland was to go to the Empire on a Friday night and wait for the English comic. It was horrible.

"The act in front of me was a lady working with her nephew because her husband had been killed two days before. So she did the show, had a fit of tears, and then I was rushed on to do funnies. And having 3,000 people just staring at you in silence is not a nice thing. So I pretended to faint, went down in a heap, and ended up in the local hospital, with them threatening to operate for appendicitis!"

Of the new challenge of Countdown' Des said: " I am excited about it. A challenge is a challenge and this is something really different for me. It;s got a really different flavour to it. It's not a quiz or a game show, it's more like a parlour game and it's very laid back, very relaxed, great fun. I'm excited to be part of a show that's been running nearly 25 years.

"I went to do some run throughs and it was just so much fun. We never stopped giggling. That's what I love to do. I haven't done a day's work since I came into show business - I've done a lot of day's effort but not work. It's too enjoyable to call work."

Des admitted to having been a fan of the show saying: "I've watched it many, many times. I'm not very good with the maths but I'm quite good with the words. But Carol (Vorderman)is just extraordinary. I don't know if she's got a computer in her head - I watched her do the numbers, quite often in a matter of seconds.

"I had met Carol before, she's been a guest on Des O'Connor' two or three times, she's done Des & Mel' two or three times. I've always found her very relaxed, a lot of fun, not afraid to chip away at herself a little bit.

"She's lovely. I'm very fortunate to be working with someone who's got a great sense of fun."

Des said that he was conscious of stepping into the shoes of two very distinguished hosts of Countdown'.

"I can't afford to look back too much at what's gone on before. I very much respect both gentlemen. Des Lynam really knows his television, he's an absolute pro and a charming guy.

"Richard was great, I had a lot of time for him. He was very warm, really his warmth was his talent. He had real charm, a sweet gentleman."

A new era of Countdown', with Des at the helm started on January 2.

by Benjie Goodhart and Rachel O'Connor