Des Clarke (Neighbours)
Encyclopedia
Desmond Kingsley "Des" Clarke is a fictional character
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
, played by Paul Keane
. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode.
, the wedding was called off and he ended up having Daphne Lawrence
move in with him. They got married a year later and had a son named Jamie. Unfortunately, Daphne died after a car crash and Des lived alone with his son until 1990 when he moved away to Perth
with a widow. Des was characterised by his large ears, one scene found him attempting to overcome this by sticking his ears back with chewing gum. In 2003, when Jamie returned, it was revealed that Des was in a hospital battling depression.
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Des is in the list and describing him they state: "Say Des, think Daphne. You can't be a happy couple in a soap for long, and the Clarkes were no different, as Daphne was mowed down by a car in 1988. You also can't be single in a soap for long, either, so it was only a matter of time before Des saw Jane, the ex-girlfriend of his adoptive son Mike 'Guy "out of Memento" Pearce' Young. He left for a new life with a fellow widow, but misery continued to haunt him even off screen: his son Jamie briefly appeared in 2003, with Des apparently having suffered depression and putting his son into care."
British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror joked over Des and Keane's appearance branding him as "Jug-eared", they also labeled him as the "lovable bank manager". Orange UK
describe Des as a "Jug-eared Mr Nice" and state he was one half of the serial's most popular couples.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Paul Keane
Paul Keane
Paul Keane is an Australian actor well known for playing Des Clarke in the soap opera Neighbours. Other TV credits include Bliss and Flight Into Hell. He was trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1983....
. He made his first on screen appearance on 18 March 1985, the show's first episode.
Stroylines
Engaged to be married. After a mess after his bucks partyBachelor party
A bachelor party , also known as a stag party, stag night or stag do , a bull's party , or a buck's party or buck's night , is a party held for a man shortly before he enters marriage, to celebrate his "last night of freedom" or merely to spend...
, the wedding was called off and he ended up having Daphne Lawrence
Daphne Clarke
Daphne Rose Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Elaine Smith. She made her first on-screen appearance in the serial's first episode on 18 March 1985. Daphne a stripper hired for Des Clarke's bucks party and she moved in him. She and Des fell in love...
move in with him. They got married a year later and had a son named Jamie. Unfortunately, Daphne died after a car crash and Des lived alone with his son until 1990 when he moved away to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
with a widow. Des was characterised by his large ears, one scene found him attempting to overcome this by sticking his ears back with chewing gum. In 2003, when Jamie returned, it was revealed that Des was in a hospital battling depression.
Reception
In 2010 to celebrate Neighbours 25th anniversary SkyBritish Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Des is in the list and describing him they state: "Say Des, think Daphne. You can't be a happy couple in a soap for long, and the Clarkes were no different, as Daphne was mowed down by a car in 1988. You also can't be single in a soap for long, either, so it was only a matter of time before Des saw Jane, the ex-girlfriend of his adoptive son Mike 'Guy "out of Memento" Pearce' Young. He left for a new life with a fellow widow, but misery continued to haunt him even off screen: his son Jamie briefly appeared in 2003, with Des apparently having suffered depression and putting his son into care."
British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror joked over Des and Keane's appearance branding him as "Jug-eared", they also labeled him as the "lovable bank manager". Orange UK
Orange UK
Orange is a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom, which launched in 1994. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was purchased by France Télécom in 2000, which then adopted the Orange brand for all its other mobile communications activities...
describe Des as a "Jug-eared Mr Nice" and state he was one half of the serial's most popular couples.