42nd in the charts with 8.97 million viewers.
This episode was slated the following day in the Aberdeen Evening Express with columnist Melanie Henderson writing (25th January 1996):
"WHEN Des O'Connor narrows his beady eyes and purses his lip-glossed lips, you know that any minute he will smirk. Then he will grin without moving his lips. And then the audience will go ape for no apparent reason. Des O'Connor Tonight (Grampian, Bpm) could be Des O'Connor any old night. His prologue is as funny as it usually is - that is, not at all. Most of it has already been said, more wittily, in the week's newspaper columns and It is now devoid of even minor amusement factor. Major amusement factor, however, is provided by Des's get up, which is a brown shiny jacket and a cornflower blue shirt. The routine is a pause-grin-pause-applause pattern with the originality of a traffic light sequence. It is a relief when Des drifts towards his white sofa and introduces "Eric Sykes, a naturally gifted funny man." In other words, everything Des isn't. It is a shock to see that Eric has on a tan jacket over a black polo neck. Have the wardrobe department been on the helium as well as the audience? It is obvious Eric has a hearing aid, but Des SHOUTS in his mechanism and leans so close that it is conceivable he might put his tongue in Eric's ear. We are denied funny man Eric's natural gifts because Des drowns him out. With wheezes. Every time Eric is on the verge of a punchline, Des goes "cough-WHEEZEI" and spoils the comic potential, slight that it is. Eric tries in vain to promote his book: "Eric Sykes the first novel?" asks Des "No - but the last," says Eric. And then Des goes into overdrive. "Eh-heh-heh," he squeaks and claps his hands above his head. His eyebrows disappear into his hairline. Eric tries another tack and picks up his book. "I can't read with all this going on," he says - and this from a man with impaired hearing. "Eh-heh-heh," goes Des. "WHOOPI WHOOPI WHOOPI" go the audience. Des's eyebrows have now disappeared over the back of the couch. The discussion is shifted to wigs Des looks guilty, as if he might have something to dislodge. By this time he has coughed so much he is clutching his ankles as trying to control his bladder. Then he asks Eric to show us his golf socks. We might as well have been reading Dostoevsky in Hindu for all the sense this made - not that it presented any great mental challenge. Greater mental challenges are found on soup packets, the contents of which have a lower percentage of monosodium glutamate.
Things do not improve when Diana Ross slinks on in her usual mermaid-wear, arms outstretched. The wardrobe ladies have been suitably worshipping. So is Des, who puts on a face of concern when Diana talks about "a very challenging part of my career." This time his eyebrows are nosewards because he is very interested in her cleavage. Diana says it is important to "take yourself out of who you are." It is more likely she will take herself out of her dress. Des, still blushing, eyebrows out of control, winds up the "interview," still clapping, coughing and wheezing. There is only one cure for Des O'Connor and it is called Benylin."
"WHEN Des O'Connor narrows his beady eyes and purses his lip-glossed lips, you know that any minute he will smirk. Then he will grin without moving his lips. And then the audience will go ape for no apparent reason. Des O'Connor Tonight (Grampian, Bpm) could be Des O'Connor any old night. His prologue is as funny as it usually is - that is, not at all. Most of it has already been said, more wittily, in the week's newspaper columns and It is now devoid of even minor amusement factor. Major amusement factor, however, is provided by Des's get up, which is a brown shiny jacket and a cornflower blue shirt. The routine is a pause-grin-pause-applause pattern with the originality of a traffic light sequence. It is a relief when Des drifts towards his white sofa and introduces "Eric Sykes, a naturally gifted funny man." In other words, everything Des isn't. It is a shock to see that Eric has on a tan jacket over a black polo neck. Have the wardrobe department been on the helium as well as the audience? It is obvious Eric has a hearing aid, but Des SHOUTS in his mechanism and leans so close that it is conceivable he might put his tongue in Eric's ear. We are denied funny man Eric's natural gifts because Des drowns him out. With wheezes. Every time Eric is on the verge of a punchline, Des goes "cough-WHEEZEI" and spoils the comic potential, slight that it is. Eric tries in vain to promote his book: "Eric Sykes the first novel?" asks Des "No - but the last," says Eric. And then Des goes into overdrive. "Eh-heh-heh," he squeaks and claps his hands above his head. His eyebrows disappear into his hairline. Eric tries another tack and picks up his book. "I can't read with all this going on," he says - and this from a man with impaired hearing. "Eh-heh-heh," goes Des. "WHOOPI WHOOPI WHOOPI" go the audience. Des's eyebrows have now disappeared over the back of the couch. The discussion is shifted to wigs Des looks guilty, as if he might have something to dislodge. By this time he has coughed so much he is clutching his ankles as trying to control his bladder. Then he asks Eric to show us his golf socks. We might as well have been reading Dostoevsky in Hindu for all the sense this made - not that it presented any great mental challenge. Greater mental challenges are found on soup packets, the contents of which have a lower percentage of monosodium glutamate.
Things do not improve when Diana Ross slinks on in her usual mermaid-wear, arms outstretched. The wardrobe ladies have been suitably worshipping. So is Des, who puts on a face of concern when Diana talks about "a very challenging part of my career." This time his eyebrows are nosewards because he is very interested in her cleavage. Diana says it is important to "take yourself out of who you are." It is more likely she will take herself out of her dress. Des, still blushing, eyebrows out of control, winds up the "interview," still clapping, coughing and wheezing. There is only one cure for Des O'Connor and it is called Benylin."