Richard Desmond
Encyclopedia
Richard Clive Desmond is an English publisher and businessman. He is the owner of Express Newspapers
and founder in 1974 of Northern & Shell, which publishes various celebrity magazines, such as OK!
and New!, and British
national newspapers Daily Star and Daily Express
. Northern & Shell also owns British television network
Channel 5 as well as Portland TV, which, in turn, owns the adult
TV channels Television X
, Red Hot TV, and others.
In 2010, Desmond was ranked the equal-57th richest man in Britain according to the Sunday Times Rich List
, with a net worth of £950 million, He was once again listed on the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List
, with his fortune still at £950 million.
. An ear infection caused the sudden loss of Cyril Desmond's hearing and, according to Richard, he used to take him along, when he was no more than three years old, to act as "his ears" in business meetings, where he ostensibly acquired his "first taste of business dealings". After Cyril lost a significant amount of family money to gambling, his parents divorced and 11-year old Desmond moved with his mother into a flat above a garage; he has described his impoverished early adolescence as a time when he was "very fat and very lonely".
Richard and Janet Desmond were married for 27 years. In October 2010, in a little-reported development, Janet filed for divorce on the grounds of his "unreasonable behaviour" and was granted a decree nisi
from the court."
Desmond founded Northern and Shell in 1974, and combining his interest in music and advertising, joined Ray Hammond
in co-ownership of the latter's International Musician and Recording World
monthly magazine. This was followed by the publication of Home Organist, whose editor contributed the old-school motto Forti Nihil Difficile ("Nothing is difficult for the strong" - it was Disraeli's motto), still used by the Northern & Shell publishing group. Desmond eventually bought out Hammond, who moved on to writing books as a futurologist.
In 1983, Northern & Shell obtained the licence to publish Penthouse
in the United Kingdom. The company soon moved onto publishing a range of adult titles, including Asian Babes
, alongside about 40 other specialist publications, on subjects such as bicycles, fitness, stamps, cars and cooking. It was the first company to move to the revamped Docklands and the Princess Royal
opened the offices. When the company moved to the Northern & Shell Tower, the Duke of Edinburgh
presided over the ceremonial.
In November 2000, Northern & Shell acquired Express Newspapers
from United News & Media for £125m, enlarging the group to include the Daily
and Sunday Express titles, the Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday
(which Desmond started), and the Irish Daily Star
(owned jointly with the Irish Independent News & Media
group). The Daily and Sunday Express each sell around 700,000 copies per issue. The Daily Star is currently the only national paper to put on sales year on year with an 18% increase (September 2008 – September 2009) and circulation figures of around 850,000, largely due to aggressive pricing policies which significantly undercut competitors such as The Sun.
Northern & Shell also publishes a wide range of magazines including the celebrity weekly OK!
, started as a monthly in 1993, which is the largest weekly magazine in the world, with 23 separate editions from the US to Australia to Azerbaijan and with a readership in excess of 31million.
After buying Express Newspapers, Desmond became embroiled in a feud with Viscount Rothermere
, publisher of the Daily Mail
, the rival to the Daily Express, largely derived from stories relating to Rothermere's private life.
In February 2004, in a move that some newspapers interpreted as an attempt to clear and bolster his image, in view of his bid for the Daily Telegraph, Desmond sold the adult magazine business to Remnant Media
for an amount of approximately £10m.
In April 2004, the Daily Express reverted to supporting the Conservatives
, after a period backing Labour. On the same day Desmond accused The Daily Telegraph
, then considering accepting a takeover by the German Axel Springer
group, of giving in to Nazis
. Desmond reportedly harangued The Daily Telegraphs chief executive and associates in faux German at a business meeting and imitated Adolf Hitler
.
In 2005, The Guardian reported that Desmond became unwittingly caught up in a pornographic telephone and internet scam which allegedly led to him receiving death threats from the New York Gambino mafia family, according to documents released during a court case. Desmond has denied the whole episode.
In 2008, Northern & Shell reported a turnover of £483.9m. Since the time of its inception, the small, privately-owned publishing venture has become one of Britain's leading independent publishing businesses, with annual revenues close to £500m and more than 2,000 people employed. The group has offices in London, Broughton, Glasgow, and Dublin, and in New York and Los Angeles. They also have offices in Sydney, Australia, and Hamburg, Germany, for their partnerships in these countries.
On 23 July 2010, Desmond bought the UK terrestrial-television channel Channel 5, which was losing money, from the German group RTL
, for £103.5million. The new owner immediately proceeded to cut costs, starting with the dismissal of seven out of Channel 5's nine directors, beginning a drive to eliminate "£20m of yearly expenses". The stated plan includes the dismissal of up to further 80 of the network's 300 employees.
formed the RD Crusaders, a rock group featuring Desmond on drums, in order to raise money for charitable causes. Since its inception, the group has raised around £14m via a series of fundraising concerts for charities including Marie Curie, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Norwood Child Care and the Evelina Children’s Hospital. As well as Daltrey and Desmond, the lineup occasionally includes Robert Plant
, Lulu
, Steve Harley
, guitarists Russ Ballard
(of Argent
) and Rick Wills
(of Foreigner
and Bad Company
), keyboardist Steve Smith
and organist Zoot Money
.
Desmond, an active supporter of children’s charities, became president of the Norwood Charity in 2006.
He also financed the construction of the Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre, in Moorfields Eye Hospital
, the world’s largest specialist paediatric eye clinic, a centre treating more than 25,000 children a year. The Centre was officially inaugurated in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II.
's biography Conrad
and Lady Black
: Dancing on the Edge that Desmond had made a "humiliating climbdown" over an Express story at the end of 2002 on the state of Lord Black's finances, which it was alleged Desmond had ordered to be written.
This claim of a weakening of Desmond's "super-tough" reputation as a businessman was viewed as defamation by Desmond. Bower denied libel on the grounds of the story being "substantially true". The following day, the presiding judge The Hon. Mr Justice Eady
, discharged the jury as "fundamental" evidence and legal submissions had emerged. The new jury later found in favour of Bower.
Express Newspapers
Northern & Shell is a British publishing and television group. The holding company name is "Northern and Shell Network Ltd". Launched and founded in December 1974 and currently owned by Richard Desmond, it publishes the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday, and the...
and founder in 1974 of Northern & Shell, which publishes various celebrity magazines, such as OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
and New!, and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
national newspapers Daily Star and Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
. Northern & Shell also owns British television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
Channel 5 as well as Portland TV, which, in turn, owns the adult
Adult
An adult is a human being or living organism that is of relatively mature age, typically associated with sexual maturity and the attainment of reproductive age....
TV channels Television X
Television X
Television X is the name of a series of adult television channels in the UK, produced by Portland TV, a subsidiary of Northern & Shell owned by Richard Desmond, the proprietor of the Daily Express...
, Red Hot TV, and others.
In 2010, Desmond was ranked the equal-57th richest man in Britain according to the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List 2010
The Sunday Times Rich List 2010 was published on 25 April 2010.Since 1989 the UK national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times has published an annual magazine supplement to the newspaper called the Sunday Times Rich List...
, with a net worth of £950 million, He was once again listed on the 2011 Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List 2011
The Sunday Times Rich List 2011 is the 23rd annual survey of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom, published by The Sunday Times on 8 May 2011...
, with his fortune still at £950 million.
Personal life
Desmond was born in north London into a Jewish family, the youngest of three children. His father, Cyril, was at one time managing director of cinema advertising company Pearl & DeanPearl & Dean
Pearl & Dean is primarily known as a British cinema advertising company. It was founded in 1953 by brothers Ernie and Charles Pearl, and Bob Dean....
. An ear infection caused the sudden loss of Cyril Desmond's hearing and, according to Richard, he used to take him along, when he was no more than three years old, to act as "his ears" in business meetings, where he ostensibly acquired his "first taste of business dealings". After Cyril lost a significant amount of family money to gambling, his parents divorced and 11-year old Desmond moved with his mother into a flat above a garage; he has described his impoverished early adolescence as a time when he was "very fat and very lonely".
Richard and Janet Desmond were married for 27 years. In October 2010, in a little-reported development, Janet filed for divorce on the grounds of his "unreasonable behaviour" and was granted a decree nisi
Decree nisi
A decree nisi is a court order that does not have any force until such time that a particular condition is met, such as a subsequent petition to the court or the passage of a specified period of time....
from the court."
Business career
Desmond left school at 15 and started working in the classified advertisements section of the Thomson Group, while playing the drums at night. After moving to another company, and, on the basis of his music interests, he opened a record shop.Desmond founded Northern and Shell in 1974, and combining his interest in music and advertising, joined Ray Hammond
Ray Hammond
-Non-fiction:*Forward 100 *Digital Business: Surviving and Thriving In An On-Line World *The Modern Frankenstein - Fiction Becomes Fact *The Musician and the Micro -External links:*...
in co-ownership of the latter's International Musician and Recording World
International Musician and Recording World
International Musician and Recording World was a magazine in production from 1974 to 1991. It was jointly created by Ray Hammond and Richard Desmond and published by Northern & Shell. As it expanded, separate editions were created for the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan...
monthly magazine. This was followed by the publication of Home Organist, whose editor contributed the old-school motto Forti Nihil Difficile ("Nothing is difficult for the strong" - it was Disraeli's motto), still used by the Northern & Shell publishing group. Desmond eventually bought out Hammond, who moved on to writing books as a futurologist.
In 1983, Northern & Shell obtained the licence to publish Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
in the United Kingdom. The company soon moved onto publishing a range of adult titles, including Asian Babes
Asian Babes
Asian Babes is a British pornographic magazine which features depictions of women of South Asian, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai origin.The magazine was owned by Richard Desmond's Northern and Shell publishing company until its sale in 2004 as part of a package of 45 titles to Remnant Media for a...
, alongside about 40 other specialist publications, on subjects such as bicycles, fitness, stamps, cars and cooking. It was the first company to move to the revamped Docklands and the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
opened the offices. When the company moved to the Northern & Shell Tower, the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
presided over the ceremonial.
In November 2000, Northern & Shell acquired Express Newspapers
Express Newspapers
Northern & Shell is a British publishing and television group. The holding company name is "Northern and Shell Network Ltd". Launched and founded in December 1974 and currently owned by Richard Desmond, it publishes the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday, and the...
from United News & Media for £125m, enlarging the group to include the Daily
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and Sunday Express titles, the Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday
Daily Star Sunday
The Daily Star Sunday is a weekly tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom. It was launched as a sister title to the Daily Star on 15 September 2002....
(which Desmond started), and the Irish Daily Star
Irish Daily Star
The Irish Daily Star is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by the Independent Star Limited. Independent Star Limited is a joint venture between Richard Desmond's UK based Express Newspapers Limited, which owns the British Daily Star, and Irish news magnate Denis O'Brien's Independent News &...
(owned jointly with the Irish Independent News & Media
Independent News & Media
Independent News & Media plc , is a media organisation based in Dublin, Ireland, with interests in 22 countries on 4 continents worldwide. The company owns over 200 print titles, more than 130 radio stations, over 100 commercial websites and many billboard locations, and is a leading press player...
group). The Daily and Sunday Express each sell around 700,000 copies per issue. The Daily Star is currently the only national paper to put on sales year on year with an 18% increase (September 2008 – September 2009) and circulation figures of around 850,000, largely due to aggressive pricing policies which significantly undercut competitors such as The Sun.
Northern & Shell also publishes a wide range of magazines including the celebrity weekly OK!
OK!
OK! is a British weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly, its first issue was published in April 1993. In September 2004, OK! publishers Northern and Shell launched in Australia as a monthly title – the magazine went weekly in October 2006...
, started as a monthly in 1993, which is the largest weekly magazine in the world, with 23 separate editions from the US to Australia to Azerbaijan and with a readership in excess of 31million.
After buying Express Newspapers, Desmond became embroiled in a feud with Viscount Rothermere
Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere
Harold Jonathan Esmond Vere Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere succeeded his father as the 4th Viscount Rothermere in 1998...
, publisher of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, the rival to the Daily Express, largely derived from stories relating to Rothermere's private life.
In February 2004, in a move that some newspapers interpreted as an attempt to clear and bolster his image, in view of his bid for the Daily Telegraph, Desmond sold the adult magazine business to Remnant Media
Remnant Media
Remnant Media was a British company which published a variety of pornographic magazines.On 1 March 2004 Richard Desmond's company Northern and Shell sold a package of 45 titles, for about £20m, to Remnant Media in order to help reshape Desmond's image as part of his strategy to bid for The Daily...
for an amount of approximately £10m.
In April 2004, the Daily Express reverted to supporting the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, after a period backing Labour. On the same day Desmond accused The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, then considering accepting a takeover by the German Axel Springer
Axel Springer AG
Axel Springer AG is one of the largest multimedia companies in Europe, with more than 11,500 employees and with annual revenues of about €2.9 billion. The Company is active in a total of 36 countries, including Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia and Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland...
group, of giving in to Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
. Desmond reportedly harangued The Daily Telegraphs chief executive and associates in faux German at a business meeting and imitated Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
In 2005, The Guardian reported that Desmond became unwittingly caught up in a pornographic telephone and internet scam which allegedly led to him receiving death threats from the New York Gambino mafia family, according to documents released during a court case. Desmond has denied the whole episode.
In 2008, Northern & Shell reported a turnover of £483.9m. Since the time of its inception, the small, privately-owned publishing venture has become one of Britain's leading independent publishing businesses, with annual revenues close to £500m and more than 2,000 people employed. The group has offices in London, Broughton, Glasgow, and Dublin, and in New York and Los Angeles. They also have offices in Sydney, Australia, and Hamburg, Germany, for their partnerships in these countries.
On 23 July 2010, Desmond bought the UK terrestrial-television channel Channel 5, which was losing money, from the German group RTL
RTL Television
Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
, for £103.5million. The new owner immediately proceeded to cut costs, starting with the dismissal of seven out of Channel 5's nine directors, beginning a drive to eliminate "£20m of yearly expenses". The stated plan includes the dismissal of up to further 80 of the network's 300 employees.
Charity work
In 2003, Desmond and Roger DaltreyRoger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
formed the RD Crusaders, a rock group featuring Desmond on drums, in order to raise money for charitable causes. Since its inception, the group has raised around £14m via a series of fundraising concerts for charities including Marie Curie, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Norwood Child Care and the Evelina Children’s Hospital. As well as Daltrey and Desmond, the lineup occasionally includes Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
, Steve Harley
Steve Harley
Steve Harley is an English singer and songwriter, best known for his work with the 1970s rock group Cockney Rebel, with whom he still occasionally tours .-Biography:As a child, Harley suffered from polio, spending four years in hospital up to the...
, guitarists Russ Ballard
Russ Ballard
Russell Glyn Ballard is an English singer, songwriter and musician.-Career:Ballard was initially a guitarist with Buster Meikle & The Day Breakers in 1961, together with Roy Ballard, Russ's older brother on piano and Bob Henrit on drums...
(of Argent
Argent (band)
Argent are an English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies.-Career:The first three demos from Argent, recorded in the autumn of 1968 featured Mac MacLeod on bass guitar though he was not meant to become a member of the group.Original members of the band were...
) and Rick Wills
Rick Wills
Rick Wills , is a British bass player. He is best known for his work with rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces and Bad Company.-Career:...
(of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
and Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
), keyboardist Steve Smith
Steve Smith (musician)
Steve Elliott Smith is an American drummer who has worked with hundreds of artists in his career, but is mostly known for being the drummer of the rock band Journey during their peak years of success. Modern Drummer magazine readers voted him the #1 All-Around Drummer five years in a row...
and organist Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
.
Desmond, an active supporter of children’s charities, became president of the Norwood Charity in 2006.
He also financed the construction of the Richard Desmond Children’s Eye Centre, in Moorfields Eye Hospital
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS eye hospital located in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest and largest eye hospital in the world and is internationally renowned for its comprehensive clinical and research activities...
, the world’s largest specialist paediatric eye clinic, a centre treating more than 25,000 children a year. The Centre was officially inaugurated in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Libel case
Litigation began at the High Court on 6 July 2009 over claims in journalist Tom BowerTom Bower
Tom Bower is a British writer, noted for his revelatory investigative work such as his unauthorized biographies.A former Panorama reporter, his books include unauthorised biographies of Tiny Rowland, Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Geoffrey Robinson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson...
's biography Conrad
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
and Lady Black
Barbara Amiel
Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour is a British-Canadian journalist, writer, and socialite. She is also the wife of former media baron and convicted felon Conrad Black.-Early life:...
: Dancing on the Edge that Desmond had made a "humiliating climbdown" over an Express story at the end of 2002 on the state of Lord Black's finances, which it was alleged Desmond had ordered to be written.
This claim of a weakening of Desmond's "super-tough" reputation as a businessman was viewed as defamation by Desmond. Bower denied libel on the grounds of the story being "substantially true". The following day, the presiding judge The Hon. Mr Justice Eady
David Eady
Sir David Eady , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Eady, in legal writing Eady J, is a High Court judge in England and Wales. As a judge he is known for having presided over many high-profile libel and privacy cases....
, discharged the jury as "fundamental" evidence and legal submissions had emerged. The new jury later found in favour of Bower.