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Des Clarke

Des Clarke is one of the UK's most exciting rising stars. He has made a name for himself as both a highly successful comedian and as one of television's hottest young presenters.

Thanks to his sparkling wit and enthusiastic presenting skills, Des beat thousands of hopefuls to be asked to host ITV1's Saturday morning live programme SM:TV Live. This weekly 2 hour broadcast showcased his abilities both as a comedian and presenter, including character sketches, celebrity interviews and comic monologues. He has now made the breakthrough into prime time television as anchor of BBC 1 Scotland's live Children in Need coverage for the last three years and hosts his own weekly show on BBC Radio Scotland, Des Clarke's Friday Feeling.

Des has recently featured onscreen presenting Club Cupid, the hit entertainment dating show for Scottish Television. He is also making his mark as a sports broadcaster appearing regularly on BBC1 Scotland's flagship football programmes, Sportscene and Offside as well as Talksport and Radio 5 Live. Recent presenting work has included Invention SOS for Discovery, Sky One's youth show Whatever and How To Purchase Abroad on Overseas Property TV.

Des was asked to present the backstage celebrity coverage at the MTV Europe Awards and T in the Park. He has had the opportunity to interview some of the world's biggest music and film stars, including Beyonce, Robbie Williams, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Kylie and Christina Aguilera.

In addition, he has gained widespread industry recognition for his radio work, winning the prestigious X-TRAX British Radio Awards 2004 - Presenter Of The Year for his weekday morning show on Beat 106 FM, The Beat 106 Breakfast Show. He's just finished recording BBC Radio Scotland's new comedy show, Queen Victoria Ate My Hamster and is a regular guest on Gabby Logan's Radio 5 Live show, The Umpire Strikes Back. Des was also part of the SONY Award nominated North by North North sketch show.

His show stealing spot on The Weakest Link: Stand Up Comedy Special was a huge hit and he featured as a regular cast member for the third series of BBC1 Scotland's cult comedy Live Floor Show, after guest starring in the previous two series.

At the age of 26, Des has already performed his own full length sell-out comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Glasgow International Comedy Festival in recent years. He has played all over the world, with appearances at the New York, Adelaide, Dublin and Dubai Comedy Festivals under his belt.

Des is also well known as a celebrity newspaper columnist, and as an accomplished After Dinner Speaker.
· SONY Radio Comedy Award 2007 (Nominee - cast member)
· X-TRAX British Radio Awards 2004, Scotland: Presenter of the Year (Winner)
· Chortle Open Mic Comedian of The Year 2002 (Winner)
· ITV Golden Mic Award 2001 (Winner)
· Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award 2001 (Runner-up)
· BBC New Comedy Award 2001 (Runner-up)
· Channel 4 'So You Think You're Funny' 2000 (Runner-up)

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'An irresistible comedian... simply unmissable' [DAILY RECORD]
'So funny it's almost painful to watch him perform' [METRO]
'Memorable, distinctive and very popular... he is a comedic Kalashnikov.' [THE STAGE]

"Touched by genius.... Displaying unjustifiable depths of talent in someone so young. His comedy was astonishing, and indescribably funny, leaving the audience breathless" Edinburgh Evening News
"The man is so funny it's almost painful to watch him perform.... it's worth sitting through the rest to see his genius in action" Metro
"Memorable, distinctive and very popular.... he is a Comedic Kalashnikov" The Stage
"A true Scottish comedy genius in waiting" The List
"This boy could be a genius. He speaks in a stammering wall of sound.... When a full sentence emerges, it stands out as starkly as a rhyming couplet. The man's a poet" BBC Talent
"Frighteningly young and frighteningly talented, Clarke - with an E - is going to be a star" Chortle On-line
"Most promising newcomer - highly original" Scotland On Sunday (Scotsman)