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BROADCASTING LEGEND DEREK Davis passed away today, following a short illness.
His death, at the age of 67, was announced by his former colleague Sean O’Rourke on Radio 1, at midday.
The news was greeted with shock and sadness by friends and colleagues, as they shared their memories of a warm, fiercely intelligent journalist and broadcaster – who wore his talent lightly, and was always at ease in front of a camera or a microphone.
Here’s why Ireland loved to watch – and listen to – Derek Davis…
They didn’t give him the Live at Three gig for nothing. Davis was a master of live television – able to make a complicated job (being engaging, dealing with people shouting things in your ear, responding to the unexpected) look simple.
The clip below, from RTÉ’s Live Aid coverage, provides a good example.
After the phone system “went mad” with donations – Davis appealed for “any P&T [Posts & Telegraphs] staff” to “please volunteer your services to the exchanges – because they’re beginning to get snowed under”.
Over on the BBC, they were getting flustered over the running order and looking embarrassed when Bob Geldof dropped f-bombs. But Davis was just looking relaxed and going with the flow. (Check out how he perfectly times the intro to Duran Duran in the clip…)
Alongside Thelma Mansfield on the long-running Live at Three – and, before that, opposite Anne Doyle in the news studios.
Davis began his career as a news journalist with ABC in the US, and later with the BBC. After moving to Montrose, he pioneered the two-handed news bulletin alongside Doyle.
His former colleague Colm Connolly, speaking today, said that while he took the work “very seriously” Davis also became known for his quips and comments on news stories – livening up what had, until then, been a very po-faced house style.
“The poor weathermen and women used to die a hundred deaths wondering about the joke he would crack about them or their attire, when he introduced them,” Connolly said.
Davis had a short but memorable stint as presenter of the Rose festival. The versatile host helmed the competition for two years in 1995 and 1996 – taking over from longtime presenter Gay Byrne and handing over the baton to Marty Whelan.
His reputation as the go-to ‘safe pair of hands’ was a factor in him getting the gig in the first place – he was only asked to anchor the show after Gaybo was taken ill at short notice.
Alongside Twink and Ronan Collins. If you’re too young to remember, Play the Game was basically charades on TV.
While he was still based at the BBC, Davis began submitting comedy scripts to the satirical comedy show Hall’s Pictorial Weekly – and was asked by the producers to star in a ‘Big Tom’ country-and-Irish parody video.
I thought to myself – nobody down there knows me, nobody up here will see this. So I’ll do it.
As he recalled years afterwards, “a few days later I got a phonecall offering me a job fronting a showband based in Cork.
“I thought ‘this is a mickey-take’.”
But it wasn’t, and so…
For the best part of a year … I traveled around closing more ballrooms than food poisoning.
The band’s name, by the way? ‘Mean Tom and the Bigliners’.
There was always a hugely positive response when he was on the panel.
Davis won widespread praise in recent years for speaking openly of his health problems – including his battle to keep his weight under control.
“You create a persona – a personality to go with your body size,” he told Brendan O’Connor – as he appeared on the Saturday Night Show after losing five stone as a result of gastric surgery.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner last year, he said he had taken the decision “to improve both the quality and the potential length of my life”.
Davis made his last radio appearance just a few days ago, on Marian Finucane’s Radio 1 show. Fellow contributors to the programme have been speaking of their shock at his passing.
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Came across as a genuine man full of life. Rip
And his social arguments on Vincent Browne recently upped him even further in my opinion …
The proverbial Jolly Giant …..
R.I.P.
Derek Davis was a true Presenter, and there’s no comparison between him and the current crop of overpaid Rte presenters.
He was hosting the Rose of Tralee and said to one of the girls “you are not very tall you are only up to my chin” to which she replied “which one”
He seemed like a sound guy………..
He could certainly keep his cool under pressure. Wasn’t there a clip of two rabbits that started riding on Live at Three? He even had an excuse to tell all the children who might be watching at home – something about one rabbit was scratching the other rabbits back, or something like that. Kept his cool all through it. Tried searching for it, but couldn’t find it. Hopefully RTÉ can resurface it over the coming days.
Grew up with derek on the tellie. A sad day but he will be remembered fondly. RIP Derek.
” I’ll see you in 1 moment for part 2 of live at 3″ Brilliant.
R.I.P.
Loved him – thanks for the laughs and the warmth, Derek. RIP
Derek was not overawed by big occasions. When President Ronald Reagan visited Ballyporeen, Derek hosted the live TV shenanigans; he presented Reagan with some kind of plaque and told him “You hang that on your wall, not on your chest”.
” I’ll see you in 1 moment for part 2 of Live at 3.” Brilliant
Derek was a true gentleman.
May God have mercy on his soul.
Have been listening to and watching Derek Davis for many years, he was wonderful. He did light entertainment effortlessly but he was razor sharp on more serious issues. Such a loss. But as a youngster I know said when crying about the sudden death of his classmate’s dad ‘if we’re this upset, what are his family like?’
” I’ll see you in 1 moment for part 2 of live at 3″ Brilliant
so,, Live at three,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
A real legend! RIP
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