Likable Liverpuddlian comic Tom O'Connor came to prominence on Granada's 'The Comedians', and like Charlie Williams and Jim Bowen, progressed to game shows and variety specials such as 'London Night Out' and 'Wednesday At Eight'. His humour was mainly observational, often cleverly pointing out the differences between the past and the present.
In 1984, he joined the B.B.C. to make three seasons of a sketch-led show, each edition built round a topic such as education, cinema, hobbies and so on. Looking at it now its hard to believe it originally went out post-watershed. Yet not an expletive was used, nor body function joke made. It could easily have filled the slot on B.B.C.-1 after 'Songs Of Praise'.
As was the case with 'Dave Allen At Large', the sketches were the weak point, though helped by support from Derek Griffiths ( what an underrated talent ) and old 'Manuel' himself - Andrew Sachs. Ex-'Top Of The Pops' dancer Cherry Gillespie provided glamour, much as she had done in the previous year's Bond movie 'Octopussy'.
O'Connor was on safer ground with his stand-up act. A regular item had him perched on a stool, knocking back whisky and telling jokes to a smirking bartender. For instance: "A bag of chips now costs ten bob in real money. Years ago, you couldn't carry home ten bob's worth of chips. The man would have to shut the shop afterwards. And the police would come round to find out where you got the money!".
O'Connor's humour was obviously not aimed at the young, which made him a victim of the early 90's purge that rid the airwaves of all comedians lacking a toilet wall vocabulary.
Bland the show may have been, but it was watchable. The 80's was probably the last decade in which family comedy was acceptable on prime-time television. Now everything is 'dark' and 'cutting edge', and that's a shame.
In 1984, he joined the B.B.C. to make three seasons of a sketch-led show, each edition built round a topic such as education, cinema, hobbies and so on. Looking at it now its hard to believe it originally went out post-watershed. Yet not an expletive was used, nor body function joke made. It could easily have filled the slot on B.B.C.-1 after 'Songs Of Praise'.
As was the case with 'Dave Allen At Large', the sketches were the weak point, though helped by support from Derek Griffiths ( what an underrated talent ) and old 'Manuel' himself - Andrew Sachs. Ex-'Top Of The Pops' dancer Cherry Gillespie provided glamour, much as she had done in the previous year's Bond movie 'Octopussy'.
O'Connor was on safer ground with his stand-up act. A regular item had him perched on a stool, knocking back whisky and telling jokes to a smirking bartender. For instance: "A bag of chips now costs ten bob in real money. Years ago, you couldn't carry home ten bob's worth of chips. The man would have to shut the shop afterwards. And the police would come round to find out where you got the money!".
O'Connor's humour was obviously not aimed at the young, which made him a victim of the early 90's purge that rid the airwaves of all comedians lacking a toilet wall vocabulary.
Bland the show may have been, but it was watchable. The 80's was probably the last decade in which family comedy was acceptable on prime-time television. Now everything is 'dark' and 'cutting edge', and that's a shame.
