Lynam, Des(mond) Michael (1942– )

Irish-born sports presenter and television personality, known for his droll wit and impeccable delivery. Until August 1999 he was the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) sports anchor, presenting high-profile events including coverage of Wimbledon, the Olympic Games, and the football World Cup, and he has presented sports programmes that include Grandstand, Sportsnight, and the BBC's flagship football programme Match of the Day. He has won many British awards for his work, including Sports Presenter of the Year (five times since 1985), Male Personality of the Year (twice), and was voted Top Television Presenter in 1996 by BBC viewers.

Born in Ennis, County Clare, Lynam moved to Brighton when he was a child, and became a sports reporter for Radio Brighton in 1968 after working in insurance. He began working for the BBC in 1978, starting as a boxing commentator before moving to host sports programmes. He is very popular in Britain, and inspired a BBC film, My Summer with Des (1998), in which he had a cameo role, and lent his name to a football tribute band, the Des Lynam All-Stars. Towards the end of his career, he worked for ITV, Channel 4, and BBC Radio.