The Val Doonican Show

Here’s one all Brits of a certain age know about, but few Yanks will know at all. Val Doonican(Michael Valentine Doonican, 1927-2015) was an Irish crooner in the vein of Perry Como or Bing Crosby, whose variety show was a mainstay of British television for over 20 years.

Doonican first sang professionally on radio and television in his native Waterford as a young man. He was 24 when he moved to England and joined a quartet called the Four Ramblers, which toured variety halls, military bases and such like, and had a regular engagement on a BBC radio western called Riders of the Range. In 1960 the group opened for Anthony Newley on tour, and Newley advised Doonican to go solo. An appearance on the radio show Variety Bandbox resulted in him getting a program of his own Your Date with Val. In 1962 he got his first tv show, in Ireland, Presenting Val Doonican. Well-received appearances on Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the Palladiumin 1964 resulted in his first hit single “Walk Tall”, and his own TV show. From 1964 through 1986, hundreds of entertainers appeared on The Val Doonican Show, not just British and Irish stars, but also Americans, Canadians, and Australians.

Doonican’s own versatility both as a performer and his tastes as a booker made the show particularly interesting. The focus was mostly music (after 1975 it was even called The Val Doonican Music Show). Doonican himself crooned in style of the pre-rock pop singers, but at times he would do numbers in the vein of fellow Irish performers who were then popular (e.g. The Clancy Brothers), and he was also into country and western music, sometimes accompanying himself on guitar. And his roster of guests reflected all these styles. Americans who did the show ranged from Tony Bennett and Andy Williams on the one hand, and Glen Campbell and Roy Clark on the other. And sometimes there were proper variety acts like puppeteer Shari Lewis. What’s missing from that mix? Contemporary rock and roll was clearly not to Doonican’s tastes, as those kinds of artists are unmistakably missing from lists pf people he booked. It was a pretty square show. But that’s okay, there were lots of other programs that showcased music for kids, like Top of the Pops and Ready Steady Go!

Doonican was 60 when he presented his last Christmas special, and retired shortly after that. He was 88 at the time of his death. His official web page is here.

For more about show business historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.