Christian started The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show in 1998, on weekday mornings at a local station in Bournemouth, England; he moved to local stations in larger cities until it became a national show on Virgin Radio in March 2006, which became Absolute Radio in September 2008.
38 Facts About Christian O'Connell
2.
Christian O'Connell won a record-breaking number of radio awards, including 11 Sony Radio Academy Gold awards, the Radio Academy Gold Award in May 2018, and runner-up in the Crabbie's Ginger Wine Grand National in 2014.
3.
Christian O'Connell has performed three sold-out tours of the International Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Festival in 2013,2014, and 2015.
4.
Christian O'Connell has collaborated with European, Australian, and US radio shows as a guest speaker.
5.
Christian O'Connell hosted the MacMillan Cancer comedy show at the London Palladium in 2016 and the Stand Up to Cancer show at the London Palladium in November 2017.
6.
Christian O'Connell hosted the Q Awards between 2013 and 2017.
7.
In February 2018, Christian O'Connell announced he would leave Absolute Radio and emigrate to Australia to host the Gold 104.3 breakfast programme in Melbourne.
8.
Christian O'Connell did his last broadcast of the UK's The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on 18 May 2018, before starting the new breakfast show on Gold 104.3 on 4 June 2018, featuring his long-running quiz 'Yay or Neigh.
9.
Christian O'Connell was born in Winchester, England, where he was raised on a council estate.
10.
Christian O'Connell's father, of Irish origin, was a foreman for Ford at Southampton, and his mother was an NHS nurse.
11.
Christian O'Connell attended the Henry Beaufort School and Peter Symonds College before studying at Nottingham Trent University.
12.
Christian O'Connell later moved to Juice FM in Liverpool in 2000.
13.
Christian O'Connell hosted the Breakfast Show on indie music station XFM London from January 2001 to October 2005, where he was particularly fond of playing The Sugarcubes.
14.
Christian O'Connell joined the Virgin Radio team making his first broadcast on 23 January 2006.
15.
Christian O'Connell celebrated his 10th year at Virgin by giving his listeners free tins of food.
16.
Christian O'Connell has long been a fan of Hollywood action man Steven Seagal, who he had mentioned several times on radio, and remarked that he would love to meet.
17.
In October 2010, Tennant co-hosted with Christian O'Connell and acted out Copacabana with some of the Breakfast Show team to discover "just who shot who", something that had been debated for a few days prior to this.
18.
In September 2011, Tennant again co-hosted with Christian O'Connell and experienced a fish-facing with a trout, as well as a tennis ball challenge outside the Absolute Radio studios.
19.
James Nesbitt, another friend of Christian O'Connell's, has appeared on the show several times.
20.
Christian O'Connell appeared before he moved to Virgin Radio, with a guest appearance on O'Connell's XFM show in 2004.
21.
Christian O'Connell's listener lost and had to endure a return flight to the UK with no holiday.
22.
Christian O'Connell appeared again on their show in August 2017 promoting his book Radio Boy.
23.
On 7 August 2004, Christian O'Connell became the second person to host the BBC Radio 5 Live show Fighting Talk, following the departure of Johnny Vaughan.
24.
Christian O'Connell returned to the FT presenter's chair on 12 January 2013, filling in for his successor Colin Murray.
25.
In September 2008, Christian O'Connell published The Men Commandments which included a foreword by Nesbitt.
26.
Christian O'Connell has appeared as a guest on a BBC2 sports show with Dickie Davies as one of the fellow guests.
27.
In 2003, Christian O'Connell replaced Chris Moyles on Channel 5's Live With.
28.
In May 2006, Christian O'Connell fronted Sunday Service; a Chris Evans style Sunday evening show on Sky One.
29.
In June 2006, Christian O'Connell started his own world cup show, World Cuppa on ITV4.
30.
Christian O'Connell admitted on his breakfast show that he went out in the 3rd round after being voted off by his fellow contestants.
31.
Christian O'Connell appeared as a guest in a September 2008 episode of Loose Women and Ready Steady Cook to promote his book, and was reminded of his previous Weakest Link ordeal by Zoe Tyler.
32.
Christian O'Connell later appeared a second time on a Radio DJ special in mid-2009, but fared much better, being voted off in Round 7.
33.
In February 2010, Christian O'Connell appeared as a presenter, commentator and interviewer for the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, in a similar role to the UFC's Joe Rogan.
34.
Christian O'Connell then went on to host BT Sports Beyond the Octagon.
35.
Christian O'Connell has appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcoks, 5th Gear, MTV Countdown, Pointless, Win Lose or Draw.
36.
Christian O'Connell was the inspiration behind the character Jed Maxwell, the crazed fan in an episode of I'm Alan Partridge.
37.
On 18 January 2015, Christian O'Connell hosted An Evening with Top Gear live on the official Top Gear YouTube channel where he interviewed James May, Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson about their then-upcoming 22nd series of the show.
38.
On 17 October 2017, Christian O'Connell took part on The Chase, but failed to make it past the first round before being eliminated from the game.