Des Clarke is one of the UK's most exciting performers and one of Scotland's best known voices in comedy, satire, radio and television. In short, he's spent the last couple of decades talking for a living – and, remarkably, people have continued to listen.

Des first made his name after winning a nationwide search to host the iconic Saturday morning show SM:TV Live. The two-hour weekly show was the perfect training ground, giving him the chance to interview celebrities, perform character sketches and deliver comic monologues on national television.

Since then, Des has built an impressively varied TV career. He has hosted his own shows on BBC Scotland, including Breaking the News and Des Doesn't Do, and fronted the very well-received Big Try-Athlon documentary for Sport Relief. He has also presented BBC Scotland's New Year's Eve show Not Quite The End Of The Year Show in 2024 and 2025, as well as co-presenting the 2025 Hogmanay celebrations.

Des is a regular face on BBC One, appearing as a VT and vox pops presenter on The One Show, Morning Live and Sunday Morning Live. He is also the voice of Jeopardy! on ITV alongside Stephen Fry. Which means he can now officially say he has been in the same sentence as Stephen Fry without anyone correcting him.

Radio is a real passion for Des and a major part of his career. He currently presents the Heart Scotland Breakfast Show. He previously spent more than 10 years as host of the award winning Capital Scotland Breakfast Show, and 4 years as host of Heart Scotland's Drivetime Show.

Since 2015, Des has fronted BBC Radio Scotland's award winning satirical panel show Breaking the News, leading more than 300 episodes alongside Scotland's finest comedians. The programme successfully made the transition from radio to television and in 2026 won the RTS Scotland Award for Entertainment.

His radio career has earned widespread industry recognition, including a British Radio Award and multiple Scottish Comedy Awards, alongside nominations for UK ARIA Awards, Celtic Media Awards, Arqiva Awards and Sony Awards. His stand-up comedy has also been recognised, with Des winning Chortle Best Newcomer and the ITV Golden Mic Award.

A familiar face on our TV screens, Des regularly presents or appears on a host of programmes including; Richard Osman's House of Games, Celebrity Pointless, STV Appeal, Make You Laugh Out Loud, Invention SOS, Sportsround, Club Cupid, Celebrity Mastermind, Live At The Fringe, Celebrity Chase, Celebrity Weakest Link, Bad Language, The Dog Ate My Homework, Celebrity Eggheads and NBC's Today Show.

For five years, Des was the anchor of BBC Scotland's Children in Need, giving him extensive experience of live television, celebrity chaos and trying to sound professional while something inevitably goes wrong in the background.

Away from the studio, Des hosts Snookered on BBC Sounds alongside comedian and friend Amy Matthews. Together they interview snooker stars, legends of the game and fellow super fans.

But stand-up remains Des's first love. He regularly performs his own sets and solo shows in Comedy Clubs and at the Edinburgh Fringe and Glasgow Comedy Festival and has toured internationally with his distinctive brand of observational humour, performing everywhere from New York and Dubai to Australia and Los Angeles.

His live presenting skills have also seen him entertain and provide commentary for huge outdoor audiences at Six Nations rugby and Scotland football matches, and in 2014 culminating in performances to more than a quarter of a million people over 11 days during the Commonwealth Games.

And then there was the small matter of hosting the Closing Ceremony in front of a global television audience of around one billion people. Des was delighted to return to the Commonwealth Games in 2026, hosting the Opening Ceremony and serving as live announcer for the Closing Ceremony.

In 2019, Des took to the red carpet to host the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Red Carpet Show and After Show, once again demonstrating his ability to talk to famous people while standing somewhere very glamorous and pretending not to be freezing.

Alongside his broadcasting and comedy career, Des is also a prominent newspaper columnist and highly sought-after corporate host & after dinner speaker.

Whether he's behind a microphone, in front of a camera, on a comedy stage, in a stadium or standing next to a celebrity asking questions they definitely weren't expecting, Des Clarke has established himself as one of Scotland's most versatile and entertaining performers.

Basically, if there's a microphone nearby, there's a very good chance Des is already holding it.