When asked about the Stan Boardman "Focke" incident on Twitter, Des O'Connor responded (24th October 2017): "On the night it was one of the mildest moments. We had Oliver Reed & Freddie Starr on the same show. I think it was a plot to get me off TV."
Despite the press and TV coverage in the aftermath of this episode, it didn't affect the viewing figures in a positive way.
In actual fact, they dropped - 9.17 million watched this edition (38th in the charts), yet only 8.69 million tuned in the following week.
In actual fact, they dropped - 9.17 million watched this edition (38th in the charts), yet only 8.69 million tuned in the following week.
On When Chat Shows Go Horribly Wrong (2017) Stan Boardman recalled: "When we went down into the green room, everyone was in a huddle. The producer, the director, and Des, and I went, 'All right.' They all ignored me. [...] I think it was sad that Des lost the live show. And it was always pre-recorded. It wasn't Des's fault at all. The people who are running television were then frightened of losing their jobs."
Oliver Reed's segment on the show saw him apparently inebriated, and telling Des he had a tattoo on his "cock". Des recalled the interview in his 2001 autobiography "Bananas can't fly!", writing:
"I took a deep breath and introduced Oliver. He walked on. Well, he didn't so much walk, he just kind of arrived. As he lurched past me he breathed on me, and another twenty-two Fokkers fell out the sky. Then he slumped down on the sofa and started to slide down the front of it. He was a big man, and I couldn't stop him. He just sat there on the studio floor, looking up at me. I had no option other than to slide down with him.
All the cameras, by now, had been lowered, and the show was taking place two foot six off the ground. With great optimism, I started talking to Oliver. 'Now, I believe you have a new film out.' By way of reply, he grunted something that sounded like 'nyeah'. I asked him a couple of simple questions but I couldn't get any sense out of him. He looked as though he would keel over at any moment, and it's not easy to interview someone when they are lying face down on the carpet. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was still in shock from the Fokkers, and now this. I had to do something.
I have a theory that if you can make an audience laugh, they will forgive you almost anything. I remembered an article I had read about Oliver Reed in Woman's Own, and you can trust Woman's Own. I mean, Cosmopolitan will tell you how to have an orgasm, but Woman's Own will tell you how to knit one. According to Woman's Own, Oliver Reed had a tattoo on his behind. Normally, I would never have gone anywhere near Oliver with a question about a tattoo on his rear, but these were desperate moments. 'I'll ask him,' I decided. 'He'll say bum, but what's one bum among twenty-two Fokkers?'
'Oliver, I believe you've got a tattoo in an unusual place.' He mumbled something that sounded like 'Ayer plah'. 'Could you tell us where?' He did. This time with reasonable clarity. And it wasn't on his bum. I wish it had been. The studio audience were now howling with laughter but I knew I was in serious trouble. We went to another commercial break."
What's notable about Des's recollection is that it doesn't match what's on screen, with Oliver Reed sat on the sofa throughout and not as inebriated as Des suggests. Either Des misremembered the details, or it was possibly exaggerated for comic effect.
"I took a deep breath and introduced Oliver. He walked on. Well, he didn't so much walk, he just kind of arrived. As he lurched past me he breathed on me, and another twenty-two Fokkers fell out the sky. Then he slumped down on the sofa and started to slide down the front of it. He was a big man, and I couldn't stop him. He just sat there on the studio floor, looking up at me. I had no option other than to slide down with him.
All the cameras, by now, had been lowered, and the show was taking place two foot six off the ground. With great optimism, I started talking to Oliver. 'Now, I believe you have a new film out.' By way of reply, he grunted something that sounded like 'nyeah'. I asked him a couple of simple questions but I couldn't get any sense out of him. He looked as though he would keel over at any moment, and it's not easy to interview someone when they are lying face down on the carpet. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was still in shock from the Fokkers, and now this. I had to do something.
I have a theory that if you can make an audience laugh, they will forgive you almost anything. I remembered an article I had read about Oliver Reed in Woman's Own, and you can trust Woman's Own. I mean, Cosmopolitan will tell you how to have an orgasm, but Woman's Own will tell you how to knit one. According to Woman's Own, Oliver Reed had a tattoo on his behind. Normally, I would never have gone anywhere near Oliver with a question about a tattoo on his rear, but these were desperate moments. 'I'll ask him,' I decided. 'He'll say bum, but what's one bum among twenty-two Fokkers?'
'Oliver, I believe you've got a tattoo in an unusual place.' He mumbled something that sounded like 'Ayer plah'. 'Could you tell us where?' He did. This time with reasonable clarity. And it wasn't on his bum. I wish it had been. The studio audience were now howling with laughter but I knew I was in serious trouble. We went to another commercial break."
What's notable about Des's recollection is that it doesn't match what's on screen, with Oliver Reed sat on the sofa throughout and not as inebriated as Des suggests. Either Des misremembered the details, or it was possibly exaggerated for comic effect.
Des performs "The Skye Boat Song" at the end of the show, with interruptions from Freddie Starr. At this stage it had been in the charts for three weeks and was No.46 in the UK Singles Chart - the following week it rose to No.22.
The song, recorded with Roger Whittaker, reached its peak UK Chart position of No.10 on its sixth week of release, and stayed in the Top 100 Single Chart for eleven weeks in total.
The song, recorded with Roger Whittaker, reached its peak UK Chart position of No.10 on its sixth week of release, and stayed in the Top 100 Single Chart for eleven weeks in total.