- Des Clarke (Neighbours)
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Des Clarke 
Neighbours character Portrayed by Paul Keane Duration 1985–1990 First appearance 18 March 1985 Last appearance 11 October 1990 Classification Former, regular Profile Date of birth 19 November 1956 Home Adelaide Family Wife Daphne Lawrence (1986–1998)
Fiona (1991–?)Father Malcolm Clarke Mother Eileen Clarke Half sisters Sally Wells Sons Jamie Clarke Cousins Sarah Richards Desmond Kingsley "Des" Clarke is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Paul Keane. The character first appeared on-screen in the program's first episode in 1985.
Backstory
Engaged to be married. After a mess after his bucks party, 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.
Reception
In 2010 to celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary Sky, a British satellite broadcasting company profiled 25 characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history.[1] 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."[1]
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".[2] Orange UK describe Des as a "Jug-eared Mr Nice" and state he was one half of the serial's most popular couples.[3]
References
- ^ a b "Neighbours: 25 Top Characters". Sky. 2010. http://tv.sky.com/neighbours. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ Jackson, Kate; Wallis, Sara (3 March 2007). "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALAN'S NEIGHBOURS?". Daily Mirror. UK: (Trinity Mirror). http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2007/03/03/whatever-happened-to-alan-s-neighbours-115875-18700194/. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^ Pattison, Claudia. "Neighbours stars – where are they now?". Orange UK. (Orange). http://www.orange.co.uk/entertainment/television/pics/2345_2.htm. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
Categories:- Neighbours characters
- Fictional bankers
- Fictional characters introduced in 1985
- Soap opera character stubs
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