Christian O'Connell

Christian O'Connell
O'Connell in August 2007
Born	1973 Winchester, Hampshire, England, UK
Occupation	Radio and television presenter
Known for	Presenting the breakfast show on Absolute Radio
Website
Absolute Radio profile

Christian O'Connell (born 7 April 1973) is an English radio DJ who presents the Absolute Radio weekday breakfast show.

He has formerly hosted BBC Radio Five Live's weekend sports game show Fighting Talk alongside the weekday breakfast show on indie music station Xfm London. O'Connell joined the Virgin Radio team making his first broadcast on 23 January 2006.

O'Connell has an ironic style and sense of humour that some have found occasionally offensive or interpreted as childish, making use of irreverent features and sometimes mocking the music that he plays. He is well known for his frequent discussions of embarrassing real life situations, often discussing the gender differences between men and women, and what the role of the man should be in a given situation. In September 2008 he published a book The Men Commandments to this effect.

Early Career

Christian started out on 2CR Radio in Bournemouth in 1999. He later moved to Juice FM in Liverpool in 2000. He commented "It was a budget, tin-pot station. They didn't have a lot of money."

Notable radio guests

Steven Seagal

Steven Seagal who is consistently cited by O'Connell.

O'Connell has long been a fan of Hollywood action man Steven Seagal, who he had mentioned several times on radio, and remarked that he would love to meet. However, when Seagal rang O'Connell the relationship and understanding between the two was quite difficult and left O'Connell feeling disappointed. Seagal did not understand O'Connell's ironic personality and sense of humour and much of the recorded interview had to be removed from the radio broadcast because of such uneasiness.^[1]The Observer described the interview as, "a spectacularly terrible interview in which Christian's questions dropped into a seemingly bottomless well of apathy."^[1] O'Connell described the interview remarking; "It was the single worst thing I've ever done on radio. And the other week I was having a go at Michael Parkinson, saying he used to be fantastic but sadly now he's become too fawning, and then I did the Seagal thing and I thought: I should just leave." ^[1] However, even after the interview, O'Connell still regards Seagal as one of his action heroes, citing him and his films on numerous occasions.

Liam Gallagher

On 27 October 2006 Liam Gallagher reportedly attempted to ring Absolute Radio (Virgin radio at the time) on the Who's calling Christian where there is the chance to win £10,000 for charity. Liam was apparently in a drunken state and it took him 3 hours after an aggressive protest to convince Absolute bosses that it was indeed him and not an imposter.^[2] A great deal of swearing occurred off air between the managers and Gallagher who swore that he would come down to Absolute Radio and "Rip Christian O'Connell's fucking head off". After further phone calls from Polydor records and from Nicole Appleton begging for him to be let on, Gallagher was eventually allowed on and swore live on air on a morning breakfast show. However, he did not complete the conversation, leaving his friend Scully to speak for him, saying that he had to take his kids to see Harry Potter. However after an interview with his brother Noel Gallagher in February 2007, O' Connell expressed his liking to Noel and regarded that he was one of the funniest men he had ever met in his life.

Tony Blair

Tony Blair called Absolute Radio's Who's Calling Christian? hotline, after charity campaigner Graham Marsh contacted his Sedgefield constituency. If he won, Marsh, from North Shields and who received a heart transplant in 1999, said he planned to donate his £10,000 to the two charities he supports - the Freemans Heart and Lung Transplant Association and the Tyne Youth and Community Centre, both in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Blair began by telling the programme: "Probably nothing in my career has prepared me for this." When O'Connell asked if he should be referred to as The Right Honourable Tony Blair, the Prime Minister replied: "Refer to me any way you like as long as it's reasonably polite! Tony will do fine." He explained: "Someone from my constituency phoned me and said 'Why don't we do this?' and I said yes because they are really, really good causes." The exchange ended with O'Connell asking Blair to choose his favourite song from the 1980s. He chose "Street With No Name" by U2 - actually called "Where the Streets Have No Name".

Graham Marsh and Tony Blair resoundingly won the contest on the 7 November 2006

David Tennant

Doctor Who actor David Tennant, who, with a notable sense of humour, is a regular on the show and a close friend of O'Connell, has been involved in some of the show's and O'Connell's professed "shabbiest" moments including the 2006 Christmas panto with Thandie Newton and the axed Mr. T escapade. In late March 2007 he appeared on the Breakfast show again and took part in another escapade "1 Golden Square" (the address of Absolute Radio). Later that week when he appeared on a rival show on BBC Radio 1 on the Saturday, Virgin Radio producer Roque Segade-Vieito contacted the station for a practical joke texting a question to Tennant as "I hear you have been signed up for a new programme called 1 Golden Square". Ironically the question was taken seriously and addressed to Tennant live on Radio 1 leaving O'Connell rather pleased with the gag.

In November 2009, Tennant co-hosted the Absolute Breakfast Show with O'Connell for three consecutive days.

In October 2010, Tennant co-hosted with O'Connell and acted out Copacabana with some of the Breakfast Show team to discover "just who shot who". Something with had been debated for a few days prior to this.

In September 2011, Tennant again co-hosted with O'Connell and experienced a fish-facing with a trout^[3] as well as participated in a tennis ball challenge outside the Absolute Radio studios.^[4]

Jimmy Nesbitt

James Nesbitt, another friend of O'Connells has also appeared on the show several times. He also appeared before he moved to Virgin Radio, with a guest appearance on O'Connell's XFM show in 2004.

David Cameron

David Cameron appeared on O'Connell's Absolute Radio show twice in 2009. His second appearance caused controversy when the Conservative leader used the expletives "pissed off" (referring to the public reaction to the expenses scandal) and "twat" (when referring to Twitter) live on air.^[5]

David Jason

O'Connell mystified many by appearing to take great offence at a joke by David Jason when he guested on his show. Jason's joke included the line "Me hat, me coat", a play on the name Mahatma, similar to the joke about someone employed in a dentist's surgery called Phil McCavity. Labour MP Shahid Malik said he did not see the joke as racist and described the apparent controversy as a "storm in a tea cup".

BBC Radio Five Live

On 7 August 2004, O'Connell became the second person to host the BBC Radio Five Live show Fighting Talk, following the departure of Johnny Vaughan. It was his first outing on national radio (his Xfm show was broadcast only in London) and he completed 16 months presenting the show before leaving to focus on his new breakfast show at Absolute Radio. The show won a Gold award at the 24th Sony Radio Academy Awards, with O'Connell accredited as the presenter.

O'Connell returned to Five Live on Sunday mornings from September 2009, presenting The Christian O'Connell Solution, alongside comedian Bob Mills, as well as two guests. The hour-long show sees the panel provide comedic solutions to various stories appearing in the week's news. From 10 January 2010 it was replaced by 7 Day Sunday.

From January 2011, he presented the Saturday morning 9:00–11:00 on Five Live, standing in for Danny Baker.^[6]

Awards

• 2004 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for DJ of the Year.^[7]
• 2004 Sony Radio Academy Silver Award for Breakfast Show of the Year.^[8]
• 2005 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Entertainment.^[9]
• 2005 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Breakfast Show of the Year.^[10]
• 2006 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Sports Programme (Fighting Talk).^[11]
• 2007 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for a Competition (Who’s Calling Christian?).^[12]

Television career

O'Connell has appeared as a guest on a BBC2 sports show with Dickie Davies as one of the fellow guests. In 2003, Christian replaced Chris Moyles on Channel 5's Live With... show and went on to present trivia show "Pub Ammo" in 2004 on the same channel. In 2005 he also appeared on BBC2's Eggheads quiz show with Chris Smith, Roque Segade-Vieito and an Xfm listener as the other panelists on his (losing) team. He has also narrated Channel 4's Rock School.

In May 2006, it was announced that O'Connell will front Sunday Service; a Chris Evans style Sunday evening show on Sky One. In June 2006, O'Connell started his own world cup show, World Cuppa on ITV4.

In November 2006 he appeared on the BBC TV gameshow The Weakest Link. The show, recorded in early November, was shown at Christmas 2006. O'Connell admitted on his breakfast show that he went out in the 3rd round after being voted off by his fellow contestants. He blames this on his ridiculous answer to the question "Which has more legs than the other? A dog or a duck? O'Connell answered "Neither, it's a trick question, they have the same". O'Connell appeared as a guest in a September 2008 episode of Loose Women and Ready Steady Cook to promote his book, and was reminded of his previous Weakest Link ordeal by Zoe Tyler. He later appeared a second time on a Radio DJ special in mid-2009, but fared much better, being voted off in Round 7. In February 2010, O'Connell appeared as a presenter, commentator and interviewer for the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA), in a similar role to the UFC's Joe Rogan.

Author

In September 2008, O'Connell published his first book, The Men Commandments (Collins 0007284950). Dubbed The Bible for Blokes from the Daddy of Breakfast Radio, this is O'Connell's campaign to save manhood and help men reclaim their masculinity.

Personal and family

O'Connell originally came from Winchester and has an Irish father^{[citation needed]}. He attended Nottingham Trent University. He supports Football League Championship football side Southampton F.C., but claims he does not follow them so much since they were relegated from the top flight.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Radio ga ga". The Observer. April 2, 2006. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/apr/02/popandrock3. Retrieved November 5, 2008. 
2. ^ Plunket, John (September 6, 2007). "O'Connell signs new Virgin Radio deal". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/sep/06/radio. Retrieved November 5, 2008. 
3. ^ http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/player/Christian-O-Connell-Breakfast-Show/9145/David-Tennant--Fish-Face-Friday.html
4. ^ http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/player/Christian-O-Connell-Breakfast-Show/9147/David-Tennant-Plays-Building-Tennis.html
5. ^ "David Cameron apologises for Twitter radio swearing gaffe". The Daily Telegraph. 29 July 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/5930350/David-Cameron-apologises-for-Twitter-radio-swearing-gaffe.html. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xfj6n
7. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners04/win04_a7.htm
8. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners04/win04_a3.htm
9. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners05/win05_a5.htm
10. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners05/win05_a3.htm
11. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners06/win06_a5.htm
12. ^ http://www.radioawards.org/winners07/win07_c10.htm

External links

• Christian's profile at absoluteradio.co.uk
• absoluteradio.co.uk - The Breakfast Show
• Christian O'Connell interviewed From London's Evening Standard (May 2003)
• Press Gazette interview (January 2006)
• Interview with 'The Independent' (May 2006)
• Christian's first book, The Men Commandments, Sept 2008

Preceded by Johnny Vaughan

BBC Radio Five Live Fighting Talk Presenter 2004 - 2005

Succeeded by Colin Murray

Persondata
Name	Oconnell, Christian
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1974
Place of birth	Winchester, England
Date of death
Place of death