Advent Calendar 2021 Day 15: Des O'Connor Tonight, 1986

Des was an iron horse of entertaining chat, his show lasting 22 years across BBC2 and ITV with a never changing format of feed lines, indulgent laughter and old school perma-tanned shiny floor razzle-dazzle, almost of the classic American entertainer mould multiplied by years spent as Jack Douglas' straight man. You'd certainly think of the vaudeville image when he comes on and starts crooning Winter Wonderland, but that it turns out is to set up a walk-on by Freddie Starr, in some ways the Connolly to his Parky. Indeed O'Connor is really going for the foil dollar this year when his second guest turns out to be Bernie Clifton and he surprise reveals his own ostrich and accompanying song. Shirley Bassey does her thing in a dress with knowingly comical shoulder pads somewhere between Max Headroom and David Byrne and she can't sit down in before launching into her own crosstalk gag which Des treats as if it's an ad lib before Starr reappears with a leek because you know why. Strangely enough he doesn't do the same for Tom Jones, with whom Des has a belting out the standards head to head, before the pair, Bassey, a choir and the Band of the Welsh Guards end with "the only song we could possibly sing". Well, it's not, is it, but hey, it's Christmas.