Legendary football presenter is now enjoying new career as real-life Dr Doolittle ‘making animals speak English’
DES LYNAM has swapped presenting for a new career as a real-life Dr Doolittle.
The legendary former football presenter is known for presenting Grandstand and Match of the Day during his time on TV.
Lynam also hosted coverage from Wimbledon, the Grand National and the World Cup during his broadcasting career.
However, he has now swapped TV for the book shelf after writing a series of animal-themed books.
His first two were even published earlier this year, with parts one and two of Now Who’s Talking? going on sale.
Speaking to Sussex World in July, Lynam explained: “It never occurred to me about writing about animals.
“I was looking out of the window one day, and the two magpies who usually stood together were at opposite ends of the garden.
“I wondered if they’d had a row. Obviously, we don’t know how they communicate, so I made it up from there.
“I made them speak English obviously, and created some dialogue, that was the first one and it grew from there, doing other animals. I thought it was quite funny and hoped somebody else would.
“Then one day Bryony Hill, widow of Jimmy Hill, phoned me up and asked me what I was up to.
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“When I told her she asked me to read them to her over the phone, thankfully she laughed out loud, she found them hilarious.
“She then said ‘I’d love to do the illustrations for them’ … she sent me some and they were perfect.”
Lynam’s idea soon snowballed and he has since written enough for four books, including farmyard and baby animal versions.
“Someone suggested I get them published,” the 80-year-old added.
“So I contacted BBC publications, they said the best publishers out there for this kind of new work were Austin Macauley. So, I sent them in, and they sent back glowing praise, which I found astonishing and very heartening.
“Jonathan Martin, who was my Head of Sport at the BBC, asked me where I got that imagination from! And Dick Knight (ex-Brighton and Hove Albion chairman) joked ‘If you’re not careful you’ll be rich again!’
“Since I stopped doing television, people often ask me, what do you do all day now? ‘I say stare out of the window into space’, and this is what that’s produced!”