Des
Lynam: The Biography, by Steve Purcell (1999)
DES Lynam is one of the most recognisable faces in British broadcasting.
The consummate professional, his easy charm, handsome good looks and sparkling humour have captivated millions of fans, both male and female, sporting and non-sporting.
In this in-depth and engrossing biography, Steve Purcell, a former Fleet Street journalist, unravels the complex man behind the most famous moustache on television: his life and loves, his rise from humble beginnings in Ireland to iconic status as a national treasure.
This biography tells how Lynam, a famously private individual, turned his back on a steady career as an insurance salesman to become a radio sports reporter, broadcasting from a garden shed.
It tells of his early years in top-flight sports broadcasting and of how his reputation grew within the BBC as he covered World Cups, Olympic Games, Wimbledon tennis and, of course, the Grand National in a career spanning some thirty years. It also tells how, as he pursued his dream, his marriage suffered and eventually cracked under the strain.