Originally born in Ireland veteran television and radio presenter Des Lynam moved to Brighton, England at six years of age, he began working as a freelance journalist for his local BBC radio station at eighteen and in less than six years found himself as one of the co-presenters for the nationwide BBC Radio 4 flagship morning show the Today Programme. Making his first appearance on national radio as the sports reporter for BBC Radio 2’s Sport on Two and Sports Report, Des Lynam quickly showed he had both an interest in and a finesse for sports broadcasting, over the next decade Lynam would establish himself as one of the most versatile sports journalists in the country, landing jobs as both a television and radio presenter covering everything from boxing to world cup football.
Des Lynam made his first appearance as a TV presenter in 1977, less than a decade into his professional career, beginning with Sportswide, the sports segment of the BBC’s national current affairs programme Nationwide. Lynam remained with Nationwide until the series ended in 1983, simultaneously spending time as a commentator and TV presenter for the BBC’s horse racing coverage on Grandstand. Over the next twenty years Des Lynam would continue to work as a sports speaker and presenter for the BBC, hosting Match of the Day, Wimbledon, The Grand National, Sportsnight and on the BBC’s coverage of no less than four Olympic Games.
Des Lynam left the BBC in 1999, moving to ITV where he continued to work as the TV presenter for live football broadcasts, Lynam remained at ITV for the next five years until he eventually retired as a sports speaker and broadcaster. In the summer of 2004 the BBC announced Lynam’s return as a television and radio presenter to the corporation, beginning with his own afternoon show on BBC Radio Five Live. A TV presenter for more than thirty years Des Lynam has spent the last decade working across the BBC, ITV and Channel 4; he has returned to coverage of sporting events and has hosted satirical panel shows, though he is arguably most well known as the man who replaced the late Richard Whiteley as the TV presenter for the immensely popular Channel 4 show Countdown.
How to hire Des Lynam
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Des Lynam for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
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