Christian O'Connell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian O'Connell
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O'Connell in September 2008
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Christian Liam O'Connell
7 April 1973 Winchester, Hampshire, England
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| Years active | 1999–present |
| Known for | Presented the breakfast show on Absolute Radio until 18 May 2018. |
Christian O'Connell is a famous radio DJ, TV host, writer, and comedian. He was born in Winchester, England, on April 7, 1973. Today, he lives in Australia.
Christian is well-known for hosting The Christian O'Connell Show. You can hear his show on weekday mornings on Gold 104.3 radio in Melbourne, Australia. It's also replayed in the evenings across other major Australian cities.
Contents
Christian O'Connell's Journey
Starting in Radio
Christian O'Connell began his radio career in 1998. He started with The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show in Bournemouth, England. After that, he moved to bigger cities like Liverpool in 2000 and London in 2001.
His show became very popular. In 2006, it became a national show on Virgin Radio. This station later changed its name to Absolute Radio in 2008.
Moving to Australia
In 2018, Christian made a big move. He announced he would leave Absolute Radio in the UK. He moved to Australia to host the breakfast show on Gold 104.3 in Melbourne. His last UK broadcast was on May 18, 2018. He started his new show in Australia on June 4, 2018.
His show in Australia became very successful. In April 2020, it started being broadcast across Australia. You can now hear The Christian O'Connell Show in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. His contract was even renewed until 2029!
Comedy and Awards
Christian is also a talented comedian. He performed three sold-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This is a very famous comedy festival. He also hosted big comedy shows for charities like MacMillan Cancer and Stand Up to Cancer.
Over the years, Christian has won many awards. These awards recognize him as one of the best radio presenters. He has won several Sony Radio Academy Gold Awards for his breakfast show and as a DJ.
Christian's Life
Christian O'Connell grew up in Winchester, England. His father worked for Ford, and his mother was a nurse. He is married and has two daughters.
He went to Henry Beaufort School and Peter Symonds College. Later, he studied at Nottingham Trent University. Christian loves football and supports Southampton F.C. in the UK. He also supports the Melbourne Demons in Australian Rules Football.
Radio Shows Christian Hosted
Christian has hosted many radio shows throughout his career:
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, 2CR FM, Bournemouth (1998 – January 2000)
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, Juice FM, Liverpool (January 2000 – January 2001)
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, XFM London, (January 2001 – October 2005)
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, Virgin Radio, United Kingdom (January 2006 – September 2008)
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, Absolute Radio, United Kingdom (September 2008 – May 2018)
- The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show, Gold 104.3, Melbourne, Australia (June 2018 – present)
- The Christian O'Connell Show, Gold 104.3 Melbourne, Gold 101.7 Sydney, KIIS 97.3 Brisbane, Mix 102.3 Adelaide, 96FM Perth (April 2020 – present)
Famous Guests on His Show
Christian has interviewed many interesting people on his radio show.
One time, he interviewed actor Steven Seagal. Christian said it was a very difficult interview!
Actor James Nesbitt has also appeared on his show many times. Even former UK Prime Minister David Cameron was a guest twice in 2009.
Australian comedy stars Hamish and Andy have also joined Christian. They even did a special show together that was broadcast in both the UK and Australia at the same time.
Christian on TV
Christian O'Connell has also appeared on many TV shows. He was a guest on a BBC2 sports show. In 2004, he hosted a trivia show called "Pub Ammo" on Channel 5.
He also appeared on quiz shows like Eggheads and The Weakest Link. In 2015, he hosted a live interview with the presenters of Top Gear on YouTube. In 2019, he even had a small role in the Australian TV show Neighbours. In 2020, he showed off his cooking skills on the BBC series Masterchef.
Awards and Achievements
Christian O'Connell has received many awards for his work in radio:
- 2003 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Best UK Breakfast Show of The Year
- 2004 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for UK DJ of The Year
- 2005 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Entertainment Award
- 2005 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for National Breakfast Show of the Year
- 2005 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award For Best Competition
- 2006 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Sports Programme (Fighting Talk)
- 2007 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for a Competition (Who's Calling Christian?)
- 2010 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award for Best Competition (Who's Calling Christian?)
- 2011 The Arqiva/Triple A Media Commercial Radio National Breakfast Show of the Year
- 2013 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award Music Radio Personality of The Year
- 2013 Sony Radio Academy Gold Award Best Use of Branded Content
- 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards National Presenter of The Year
- 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner Best UK National Breakfast show of The Year
- 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner Best Feature Award the 40 List
- 2014 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Special Achievement Award
- 2016 Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards Gold Winner Best UK National Breakfast Show
- 2018 TRIC Winner Best Radio Programme UK
- 2018 Radio Academy Gold Award
