Countdown to comedy
17/12/2006
Comedian and game show host Tom O’Connor reveals some of the secrets of his trade to Tony Watts
Just how does a popular comedian performing dozens of shows each year keep his material fresh? Bootle-born comedian Tom O’Connor has no problems. “My audiences provide me with most of my material,” he says. “I don’t rely so much on gags as true life stories, which are often funnier anyway. And people are always coming up to me with the most incredible tales.”
These days there’s no-one more relaxed in front of a crowd. And Tom, of course, learned to handle an audience the hard way: teaching in a Liverpool school.
It was working as a maths teacher and assistant headmaster at St Joan of Arc School in Bootle that he developed his unique comedy routines. And when his pupils showed little interest in the more esoteric aspects of mathematics, the headmaster reassured him with the words: “Never mind the algebra and logarithms – just remember you are saving souls.”
“Telling jokes was the only way I could think of getting through to them,” says Tom. “It worked a treat… and that’s really how the comedy all started.
“That said, I actually started my show business career as a singer and would have been quite happy doing that but I soon found out that comedians got paid more. I gradually introduced comedy into my act and concentrated on just talking to the audience about people, and observing life. Real life can be very funny. It really took off from there.”
For several years he lived a double life – teaching by day and entertaining club audiences by night. He found himself getting home at three in the morning and then having to face a day at school – so something had to give before his health did. “When I had a year’s worth of work ahead of me, I knew I could take the gamble.”
But the years teaching have left him with several handy heritages. He’s proved, for instance, to be one of the most adept guests ever on the nation’s favourite afternoon programme, Countdown. He recently clocked up his 108th appearance – as the first guest under the new quiz master Des O’Connor. “I gather I was second favourite for that role, so I was honoured when Des asked me to be his first guest,” he says.
A lot of people will be disappointed that he didn’t get the berth as he has proved so polished over the years at the game show format, In fact he has no less than eight successful series to his credit: "Name That Tune", "Gambit", "Zodiac", "Password", "I’ve Got A Secrets", "A Question Of Entertainment", "That’s News To Me" and "Cross Wits".
But Countdown has proved – through its sheer longevity and abiding popularity – to one of the real “granddaddys” of television. Perhaps it’s because, along with the banter, it’s still a tough call for everyone with pen and paper when that dreaded clock starts to count down. And while he may be pretty skilful, Tom admits that Carol Vordermann is in a league of her won. “What a bright lady she is,” he says. “And very professional. Mind you, there is another side to her that audiences don’t always get to see: she does a wicked Cilla Black impression!”
Now well into his 60s, Tom still keeps up a very busy schedule in clubs around the country and often abroad, and as an in-demand after dinner speaker.
Sometimes – disconcertingly - he finds some very familiar faces in the audience. “I turn up some nights and there’s a whole row of my old pupils in front of me,” he says. “And some of them are there with their grandchildren!
“I had a chilling experience in Northern Ireland once when this six foot six chap in army uniform came up to me and said ‘Hello, Sir!’ I thought ‘I hope I didn’t give him too hard a time when I was teaching him!’”
One area of entertainment you won’t find him working is the panto circuit. “I did 22 years of that,” he says. “I paid my dues!”
But he is proving a dab hand at another art form: writing. He has a string of successful books to his name, and the latest is now on sale. “Fit to Travel” is centred on the hilarious things that can – and do – happen to people on trains and boats and planes. He’s also back on our screens as part of a new series called “The way we worship” which looks back fondly on days gone by.
“I do go back a long way,” he admits. “So far, in fact, that I can remember when Dale Winton was white and Michael Jackson wasn’t.
As he freely admits, he qualified for a bus pass several years ago but he has absolutely no plans to hang up his mic. “80 is the new 50. Older people like me are much younger than we ever were.
“I play golf at Royal Ascot with a lovely bunch of people who call themselves ‘The Coffin Dodgers’ – average age about 75 I should think.
“They’re all really active – and like a lot of older people today, they want to do a lot more than just sit with their feet up. There’s a huge amount of untapped potential out there.”
Tom himself is certainly making the most of his potential – and is even playing a role in the upcoming celebrations in 2008 of Liverpool being the European City of Culture. “2007 is also a big year for us,” he says, “as it’s the city’s 400th anniversary. So I’m helping with the promotional work.
“It’s a great chance to go back up and see the old place again.”
The unmistakable accent is still there, and so is the irrepressible optimism that characterises so many Liverpudlian wits. The next chance Tom is on at a venue near you, don’t pass up the chance to see how good old fashioned stand-up can be done.
Tom O’Connor is appearing regularly at Warner Breaks during 2007. For details of their venues and special breaks, click on the link below.