Faces of the Week

Our regular look at some of the faces which have made the news this week. Above are Des O'Connor (main picture), with Yvonne Fletcher,, Richard Clarke, Terence Hope and Salman Rushdie.

DES O'CONNOR

Mocked for his perma-tan and ridiculed for his records, Des O'Connor has nonetheless proved one of show business' great survivors. After 40 years at the top of his profession, it seems the veteran entertainer really is having the last laugh or, in his case, giggle.

In an age where a celebrity's sell-by date is increasingly imminent, the 72-year-old has shown his energy and adaptability in appealing to a new generation.

His daily lunchtime television show with Melanie Sykes has become a cult hit with student viewers, and prompted ITV bosses to sign the star to a lucrative new contract, reportedly worth nearly £4m a year.

And this week he announced that he was expecting a baby with his 35-year-old fiancée, singer Jodie Brooke Wilson. For the sprightliest septuagenarian in the industry, there will be no slowing down yet.

American success

His ease with an audience and versatility with guests harks back to the variety halls where O'Connor cut his performing teeth. His success was already a huge achievement.

Born into an impoverished East End family, young Des was such a sickly child he was unable to walk until he was seven.

Dame Vera Lynn joins O'Connor in song

After flirting with a career in professional football, O'Connor spent the 1950s performing as a Butlins Redcoat, taking part in variety shows around the country and touring with Buddy Holly.

He dabbled with early rock 'n' roll, hosted Sunday Night at the Palladium and was given his own Des O' Connor Show in 1963. He hasn't been off our screens since.

He even succeeded where many other Brits failed, by breaking America in the 1970s. He enjoyed a huge hit there with his network programme, sharing the stage with Jack Benny and Liberace.

Back in Britain, O'Connor's generosity with his guests guaranteed the willingness of A-list celebrities to appear. Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford all melted under Des' flattering attention and proved more forthcoming than on other shows.

Musical mockery

Their host found an effective formula, giggling on the sofa, genuflecting to his guest and persuading many a reluctant star to join him in song.

This approach made O'Connor ripe for parody but, for many years, guaranteed him huge ratings. He also showcased many American comedians new to British soil.

O'Connor suffered at the hands of Morecambe and Wise

When he finally lost his primetime slot, he smoothly transferred his patter to a lunchtime one.

Today with Des and Mel suits his laid-back style, and he says, "Our show is a frothy conversation. It's like a giggle down the pub."

Despite his full schedule, O'Connor shows no baulking at the prospect of changing nappies at an age when most men are happy to put their feet up.

Already the father of four by three previous marriages, he explains: "We just felt the time was right for us to have a baby of our own. Fatherhood is wasted on the young."

Some things won't change, though. O'Connor has never escaped Morecambe and Wise's pillory of his musical ability.

In his autobiography, O'Connor explained that he didn't mind "Eric and Ernie having fun at my expense, but now it seemed that every man and his dog was doing a Des gag".

Despite selling 17 million records, the creamy crooner recalled that even the Duke of Edinburgh asked him once, "Are you really that bad?"

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YVONNE FLETCHER The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers are to visit Libya next week, to investigate the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher 20 years ago. She was killed by a shot thought to have been aimed at protestors from inside the Libyan embassy. Home Secretary Jack Straw said Libyan authorities had been "tardy" in investigating Yvonne's death, but had now agreed to co-operate fully to try to determine exactly how she died. Full story

RICHARD CLARKE US security expert Richard Clarke made political waves by apologising to the victims of the 11 September attacks. Mr Bush's former head of counter-terrorism, Mr Clarke stuck a thorn in the side of the White House, testifying to the "dozens of times" that the president was told of urgent terror threats. In a book out this week, Mr Clarke accused the Bush administration of ignoring these warnings. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said only, "He needs to get his story straight." Full story

TERENCE HOPE The brain surgeon who found himself in the soup after taking lunch in a hospital canteen went back to work when managers at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham dropped a case against him. Terence Hope, who's 57, had been suspended after allegedly taking extra soup without paying. Mr Hope apparently insisted he was only collecting croutons. There's no word on whether he'll be dining out in future. Full story

SALMAN RUSHDIE Salman Rushdie's forthcoming stag night promises to be more magically real than any of his prize-winning fiction. "Phallic food", spin the bottle and a lesbian floor show are all on the menu at this women-only event, where the guest list includes Danni Minogue and Mariella Frostrup. Bearded, balding and not very tall, the author has sparked envy among his male observers. "I don't know how he does it," said one. The wedding will be Rushdie's fourth.