Richard Desmond
Richard Desmond | |
---|---|
Channel 5 (2010–2014) | |
Spouses |
|
Children | 3 |
Website | northernandshell |
Richard Clive Desmond (born 8 December 1951) is a British publisher, businessman, and former pornographer.[3][4][5][6][7] According to the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List, Desmond was the 107th richest person in the United Kingdom.[8] He is the founder of Northern & Shell, a publisher known for running The Health Lottery and for having owned a variety of pornographic titles and of celebrity magazines (including OK! and New!), Britain's Channel 5,[9] pornographic television network Portland,[2] and Express Newspapers.[10]
In 2020, Desmond was involved in controversy after pressuring
Early life
Desmond was born in Hampstead, London, into a Jewish family, the youngest of three children, and was raised in Edgware, in north west London.[11][12] His father was descended from Latvian Jews, and his mother was of Ukrainian-Jewish descent.[13] His father, Cyril, was at one time managing director of cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean. An ear infection caused the sudden loss of Cyril'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".[14] After Cyril lost a significant amount of family money to gambling, his parents divorced,[15] and 11-year-old Desmond moved with his mother, Millie, into a flat above a garage; he has described his impoverished early adolescence as a time when he was "very fat and very lonely".[15] Desmond was educated at Edgware Junior School and Christ's College, Finchley.[13][16]
Early publishing career
Desmond left school at 15 and started working in the classified advertisements section of the
Northern & Shell began publication of the celebrity
Pornography
In 1982, Northern & Shell began to publish the UK edition of
Desmond's Northern & Shell launched The Fantasy Channel in 1995. It was one of the first pornographic channels available on satellite television in the UK, competing against other channels available on cable.[25] The channel was later rebranded as Television X.[26] By 2003, Desmond's company had expanded to broadcasting seven channels, with plans to launch six more and the business was described as "extremely lucrative", generating £17m of the £60m operating profits of Northern & Shell.[27] A website, fantasy121.com, was also launched.[28]
Desmond put the magazines up for sale in 2001 in an attempt to distance himself from pornography[20][23] and employed a spin doctor to try and rebrand himself.[29] He said in 2003 in a television programme, The Real Richard Desmond (Channel 4): "Would it be better to be a former pornographer rather than a pornographer? I'm probably being more honest by keeping them. They serve a need."[30][31] In February 2004, in a move that some media outlets interpreted as an attempt to improve his image in view of his bid for The Daily Telegraph.[22][32] Desmond sold the pornographic magazine business to Remnant Media for approximately £10 million.[33]
Desmond was apparently "wounded" by references to himself as a pornographer.
Northern & Shell's business interests in pornography ended in April 2016 when
Alleged involvement with New York mafia
According to The Guardian, Desmond had made a deal in 1991 with Norman Chanes for running advertisements in his pornographic magazines for telephone sex lines run by Chanes' mafia associate,
Express Newspapers
In November 2000, Northern & Shell acquired
In 2014 the Financial Times referred to the Desmond-owned Express running "apparently repetitive coverage of immigration, freak weather events and theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales."[46][47] Commenting at the Leveson Inquiry in January 2012, Desmond said: "There has been speculation that Diana was killed by the royal family ... The speculation has gone on and on. I don't know the answer."[48] The Times reported his newspapers had repeatedly published such claims.[49] For its defamatory articles covering the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, which numbered a hundred, the Express paid damages of £550,000 to the toddler's parents in 2008.[50] However, in his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, Desmond said the Express had been "scapegoated" by the Press Complaints Commission (PCC),[48] who had "failed to provide us with any guidance" and were thus implicitly responsible for the defamatory articles.[49] According to Desmond, the PCC was a "useless organisation run by people who wanted tea and biscuits and by phone hackers; it was run by people who wanted to destroy us."[48] In 2015, when asked in a BBC interview if he regretted the Express's coverage of McCann's disappearance, he said: "No, I think we reported it very fairly."[51]
In April 2004, the Daily Express reverted to supporting the
In August 2005, the former Daily Express executive editor Ted Young made an out-of-court settlement with Desmond's company ahead of an industrial tribunal.[57] This related to an incident with Desmond in the newsroom in September 2004, during which Desmond was said to have hit the journalist. Desmond has repeatedly denied the claims.[58][59] In 2008, Northern & Shell reported a turnover of £483.9 million.[60]
Libel case
Litigation began at the High Court on 6 July 2009 over claims in journalist Tom Bower's joint biography of Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel, 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".[61] The following day, the presiding judge The Hon. Mr Justice Eady, discharged the jury as "fundamental" evidence and legal submissions had emerged.[62] The new jury later found in favour of Bower.[63]
A biography of Desmond, titled Rough Trader, was written by Bower and printed in 2006 but still awaits publication.[64][65]
Developments since 2010
In July 2010, Desmond bought the UK terrestrial-television channel
In the year before Desmond acquired Channel 5, it had made a total loss of €41m (£37m), or a €9m loss at an operating level. The new owner immediately proceeded to cut costs, starting with the dismissal of seven of Channel 5's nine directors, beginning a drive to eliminate "£20m of yearly expenses". The stated plan included the dismissal of up to 80 of the network's 300 employees.[70] Desmond also significantly increased the programming budget. In the first full year of Desmond's ownership, the broadcaster saw a 28% surge in revenue - the biggest TV advertising haul in its 14-year history - "thanks to factors including the arrival of Big Brother and the return of a major media buying contract with Aegis".[71] He sold Channel 5 to Viacom for £463m in May 2014.[72]
By December 2010, his privately owned publishing venture employed more than 2,000 people internationally, according to Desmond.[16] In 2010, Desmond was ranked the equal-57th richest man in Britain by The Sunday Times Rich List,[73] with a net worth of £950 million. In 2014, he was ranked 78th and worth £1.2 billion.[74] In 2016, Forbes estimated his fortune at close to $1.49 billion,[75] while the 2016 Sunday Times Rich List reported his net worth at £2.25 billion. According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Desmond has a net worth of £2.6 billion,[76] falling to £2 billion in 2020.[77] Express Newspapers was sold to Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) in 2018 for £200 million, of which £74 million was invested in the Express newspapers pension scheme until 2027.[10]
In 2020,
Charity work
In 2003, Desmond and
Political activity
In December 2014, during the run-up to the 2015 United Kingdom general election, Desmond was reported to have agreed to donate £300,000 to the UK Independence Party.[87] There was speculation at the time that a further donation could follow.[87] In April 2015, it was announced that he had given an additional £1 million to the party.[88]
The Health Lottery
In October 2011, Desmond's company
Personal life
Desmond and Janet Robertson were married for 27 years;[93] the couple have a son, Robert.[16] In October 2010, Janet divorced him and Desmond subsequently married Joy Canfield, a former manager for British Airways, in 2012.[94] Joy was pregnant with Desmond's child when Janet divorced him.[95] The couple have two children; daughter Angel Millie (born 2011) and a son, Valentine (born 2015).[96][97]
The tycoon's autobiography, The Real Deal: The Autobiography of Britain's Most Controversial Media Mogul, was published in June 2015 by Random House.[98] It was ghost-written by Sunday Express editor Martin Townsend.[99][100] He also provided his voice for the audiobook version. The autobiography received a five-star review in the Desmond-owned Daily Express.[101]
References
- ^ Davidson, Andrew (18 September 2011). "Desmond gives himself a clean bill of health". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Plunkett, John (1 April 2016). "Richard Desmond sells his adult TV channels". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Richard Desmond: the former porn baron caught in a Tory scandal". The Guardian. 25 June 2020. Archived from the original on 28 July 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Richard Desmond: the porn king's coup | Tom Bower". The Guardian. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Desmond, the maverick pornographer, gives two fingers to the rest of Fleet Street". The Guardian. 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Cookson, Robert (1 April 2016). "Richard Desmond strips porn from his portfolio". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
The deal marks the end of an era for the media mogul, who was once one of the UK's porn kings with an empire ranging from adult magazines to telephone sex lines.
- ^ "JK Rowling tweet blasts Express owner Richard Desmond over pornography links". www.thedrum.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Waterson, Jim (5 November 2021). "Richard Desmond in legal battle with Wikipedia over term 'pornographer'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Hosking, Patrick; Wighton, David (26 July 2009). "PROFILE Richard Desmond". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Richard Desmond in new TV bid". BBC. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4735-1854-4. Archivedfrom the original on 2 May 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "Richard Desmond: 'I've got so much money it's ridiculous'" Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Independent, 21 June 2010
- ^ a b "Richard Desmond: Never afraid to Express himself" Archived 9 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian, 15 August 2010
- ^ a b c d e Blackhurst, Chris (1 December 2010) "The MT Interview: Richard Desmond" Archived 1 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Management Today. Retrieved 25 June 2015
- ^ a b c Snoddy, Raymond (25 October 2004). "Richard Desmond: The demon proprietor of Fleet Street". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ Alex Benady "Larging It Up With Richard Desmond" Archived 26 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Management Today, 1 October 2003
- ^ Terry Kirby "From 'Penthouse' to penury? The man who would be King of the Centrefold" Archived 8 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent, 14 August 2003
- ^ a b "Desmond to sell 'adult' titles". BBC News. 11 January 2001. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Profiles: The porn king who took the gloss off a very aristocratic empire". Evening Herald. 8 February 2003.
- ^ a b Clennell, Andrew (2 March 2004). "Desmond breaks links with porn as he fights for 'Telegraph'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011.
Richard Desmond, the pornographer turned proprietor of the Daily Express group who is bidding for the Daily Telegraph, took the first step towards reshaping his image yesterday by selling his pornographic magazines.
- ^ a b "Telegraph battle prompts Desmond to sell off porn titles". Campaign. 2 March 2004. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Teather, David; Burkeman, Oliver; Brown, Maggie (23 November 2000). "Daily Express buyer Richard Desmond". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Marsh, Harriet (3 November 1995). "Media Launch; X marks the erotic TV slot". PR Week. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Hunthcraft, Jak (17 November 2014). "We Went to the Video Shoot for the Television X Christmas Single". Vice (in Danish). Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Shah, Saeed (31 May 2003). "Sky to carry more Desmond channels". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Boggan, Steve (11 June 2002). "More crumpet, Prime Minister?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Day, Julia (9 June 2005). "Desmond's spin doctor moves on after five years". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Snoddy, Raymond (4 April 2003). "It's honest to keep my porn. It serves a need". The Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Byrne, Ciar (4 April 2003). "Desmond: 'I was born' to take out Daily Mail". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "Profile: Richard Desmond". BBC News. 12 February 2004. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "The rebel entrepreneur who went too far". The Independent. 24 April 2004. Archived from the original on 27 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Richard Desmond: 'I've got so much money it's ridiculous'". The Independent. 20 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ "'Soft-porn' donation defended by Blair". BBC News Online. 17 May 2002. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Hogson, Jessica (16 May 2002). "Desmond's good enough for me, says Blair". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Reynolds, John (1 April 2016). "Express Newspapers owner Richard Desmond gives up porn". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Richard 'dirty' Desmond: A Humbuggery Special". Private Eye. No. 1323. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ Crace, John (14 February 2010). "Private Eye proves the old jokes are the best". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ John Sweeney "Desmond's New York venture" Archived 30 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Observer, 20 May 2001
- ^ a b c Teather, David; Milmo, Dan (17 February 2005). "Mafia told Desmond: we'll kill you over porn deal". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ^ "Porn Star!" Archived 13 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 9 June 2004
- ^ Jorn Madslien (12 February 2006). "Profile: Richard Desmond". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 November 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2006.
- ^ "ABC Circulation Figures". Audit Bureau of Circulations. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2009. (December 2008)
- ^ National newspaper circulations Archived 31 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine Press Gazette, 16 October 2009
- ^ Mance, Henry (19 December 2014). "Richard Desmond explores sale of Daily Express". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Broster, Paul (4 May 2018). "Daily Express: what a difference a new owner has made (especially if you are a migrant)". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
a bizarre Desmond-led obsession with front pages – whether they merited a story or not (and it was very often not) – that focused on the same themes year-on-year, including weather, Princess Diana and immigration.
- ^ a b c Cooper, Marta (12 January 2012). "38 bad, 68 good: Richard Desmond's defence of Express McCann coverage". Index on Censorship. Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b "McCanns were glad of the publicity, says Desmond". The Times. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
He [Desmond] referred to unsubstantiated claims repeatedly published in his newspapers about the Royal Family being involved in Diana's death. ... In his witness statement, Mr Desmond suggested that the Press Complaints Commission was to blame for the defamatory articles his papers ran on the McCanns because it had 'failed to provide us with any guidance'.
- ^ Sweney, Mark (19 March 2008). "McCann payout confirmed at £550k". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ Sweney, Mark (17 June 2015). "Richard Desmond defends coverage of Madeleine McCann disappearance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ a b Tryhorn, Chris; O'Carroll, Lisa; Gibson, Owen (22 April 2004). "Desmond taunts Telegraph in 'Nazi' tirade". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
Mr Desmond ... said Germans were 'all Nazis'.
- ^ Leonard, Tom; Born, Matt (23 April 2021). "Goosesteps and Nazi salutes in the boardroom". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "Express owner 'in Nazi outburst'". BBC News. 23 April 2004. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-136-50077-0.
- ^ Alibhai-Brown, Yasmin (2 June 2002). "I can take Mr Desmond's porn but not his racism". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ Financial Results 2008 Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Northern & Shell announcement
- ^ James Robinson "Tom Bower book damaged Richard Desmond's 'super-tough' reputation, court hears" Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 7 July 2009
- ^ Alex Spence "Jury discharged in Richard Desmond libel case" Archived 12 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Times, 7 July 2009
- ^ Patrick Foster "Richard Desmond loses libel case with Tom Bower over Conrad Black claims" Archived 6 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, The Times, 24 July 2009
- ^ Tom Bower (26 July 2009). "My week: Tom Bower". London: The Observer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (13 April 2015). "Tom Bower to speak to NUJ after being barred from Express offices". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
- ^ "RTL Group sells UK broadcaster Five" (Press release). RTL Group. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ Robinson, James (23 July 2010). "Richard Desmond promises Channel Five 'investment, drive and leadership'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- ^ "UK: Media tycoon Desmond seals deal for Five". The Spy Report. Media Spy. 24 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^ Sweney, Mark (1 May 2014). "Viacom confirms purchase of Channel 5 from Richard Desmond for £450m". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "Richard Desmond". The Times. London. 26 April 2009. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Sunday Times Rich List". Sunday Times. 24 April 2017.
- ^ "Richard Desmond". Forbes. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2020". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Minister accepts Isle of Dogs housing development 'was unlawful'". 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Simon (22 July 2020). "Robert Jenrick says he regrets dining with donor before planning decision". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Former Tory donor's housing project 'unlawfully approved to avoid £40m hit'". 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ Swann, Steve (24 June 2020). "Jenrick and Westferry: What's at stake in row?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Robert Jenrick urged to release documents in planning row". 10 June 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ Jones, Amy (22 July 2020). "Tory Co-Chairmen given dressing down over decision to allow Richard Desmond to sit next to minister at infamous fundraising dinner". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ Desmond, Richard (15 June 2015). "'You play the drums, don't you?' said Roger Daltrey. 'Put a band together and I'll sing'". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 November 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "The Richard Desmond Children's Eye Centre" Archived 30 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Moorfields Eye Hospital. 25 February 2009.
- ^ Camden New Journal, 8 February 2007
- ^ a b Kleinman, Mark (12 December 2014). "Express Owner Desmond Hands £300k To UKIP". Sky News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ "Express owner Richard Desmond gives UKIP £1m". BBC News. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ Benjamin, Alison (19 October 2011). "Is the health lottery good news for charities?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ "Media group launches commercial lottery". BBC News. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
- ^ "Health Lottery increases proportion of ticket price that goes to good causes". Third Sector. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Richard Desmond gears up for National Lottery battle". Financial Times. 12 November 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ Summerskill, Ben (2 September 2002). "Profile: Richard Desmond". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ Henry Mance (12 June 2015). "Lunch with the FT: Richard Desmond". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Sabbagh, Dan (9 February 2018). "Richard Desmond: a crude, ruthless proprietor who squeezed profits". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Decca Aitkenhead (19 June 2015). "Richard Desmond: 'I hate to admit this, but I've never actually hit anyone'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Penguin authors - Richard Desmond". Penguin Books. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (13 April 2015). "Tom Bower to speak to NUJ after being barred from Express offices". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Greenslade, Roy (8 October 2014). "NUJ to Richard Desmond: sell Express Newspapers to someone who cares". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ Harris, Sarah Ann (19 June 2015). "Richard Desmond's Autobiography Gets Five Stars In The Daily Express - His Own Newspaper". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ Aitkenhead, Decca (19 June 2015). "Richard Desmond: 'I hate to admit this, but I've never actually hit anyone'" Archived 16 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian (London).
External links
- Richard Desmond on Twitter
- Northern & Shell company website
- Richard Desmond collected news and commentary at The Guardian