Veteran television and radio presenter with a broadcasting career spanning more than 40 years.
Des Lynam began his broadcasting career in 1977, starting off with Sportswide as part of Nationwide continuing until the series ended in 1983, and then presented Grandstand, Sportsnight and Match of the Day on the BBC for many years. He also fronted BBC coverage of Wimbledon, The Grand National, the Football World Cup and the Olympic Games.
Between 1988 and the end of the 1991–1992 season, the BBC lost the rights for top flight league matches to rival ITV (the BBC retained rights for the FA Cup). For four years Des presented Match of the Day on FA Cup weekends until the end of the 1991–1992 season but, in August 1992, with the start of the newly formed Premier League, the BBC regained highlights of top flight league matches with Des presenting Match of the Day highlights until 1999.
During his time with the BBC, Lynam was praised for his droll and down-to-earth style. Football fans also fondly remember when Des read out Rudyard Kipling poem “If—” on the BBC’s ending credits of the 1998 World Cup Final.
Lynam moved from the BBC to ITV in August 1999 to present ITV’s live football coverage, including coverage of the midweek UEFA Champions League, and, in 2001, Lynam presented The Premiership, which ran until 2004.
In May 2005, Lynam presented the BBC1 programme We’ll Meet Again, which marked the 60th anniversary of VE Day. The following month, he presented Have I Got News For You on BBC1 for the third time.
Lynam replaced Richard Whiteley as the host of Channel 4’s Countdown in 2005, and, after leaving Countdown, he hosted Sport Mastermind and appeared in Setanta Sports’ commercials for its coverage of the Premier League.
From 2011-13, Des Lynam co-hosted with Christopher Matthew three series of Touchline Tales on BBC Radio 4, a humorous look at sport.
