'My memories of working with the legendary Des O'Connor...they were great times'

The sad news that Des O’Connor has passed on to a higher place reminds me of all the years that I worked in a part time capacity back stage at the The New Theatre from 1958 to 1960 through to the seventies and at the ABC from 1959, with a Royal Air Force break from 1960 to 1962.

Having worked with so many stars of stage and screen there are many stories to tell but there is one prize memory of the charity concert by Cliff and Des in aid of Milton Keynes Church.

Back in those days there were no such things as remote mics.

Every artist had to have the mic on leads and it was my job to make sure that that the performer was comfortable and safe with the amount of trailing lead, except the day Des came to town.

On this occasion Des was singing and at the same time went dashing over to the OP side of the stage and came to a complete halt centre stage and looked over to me at Prompt side and pointed to his mic.

I kept pointing back to the floor.

This went on for a couple of minutes until Des realised he was standing on his lead.

We had a good laugh when he came off stage.

The concerts at the ABC brought some brilliant artists to town and also became home to Northampton Amateur Operatic Company who I joined immediately after leaving the Royal Air

Force.

They were great times.

John Kightley MBE

By email