As any Morecambe and Wise fan will tell you, Des O'Connor was for years the butt of their gags. Like a true pro, he accepted his ribbings with good grace ( even appearing with them on one of their legendary Christmas shows ). But with top-rated variety shows such as this, he could afford to be gracious. 'Entertains' featured Des singing ( ahem! ), dancing, and doing comedy, often with big names as guest stars. A regular item 'Dandy Sandy' spoofed the 'Watch With Mother' children's show 'Andy Pandy', with Des as 'Dandy', the late Sir Harry Secombe as 'Teddy', and, if you can believe it, Britt Ekland as 'Looby Loo'! Another was 'I Say, I Say, I Say!', a music-hall spot in which Des tried to tell a joke, only to be interrupted by celebrity comics such as Norman Wisdom. Jack Douglas was a semi-regular, appearing as his twitching alter-ego 'Alf Ippititimus'. Terry-Thomas and Connie Stevens were on standby to help sell the show to America ( Wonder what our transatlantic cousins made of the lugubrious Johnny Vyvian? ).
