After Dinner Speakers: Sacha Distel, Benedict Allen, Eamonn Holmes

b. 28 January 1933, Paris, France. This scion of a well-heeled show business family studied piano at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud School and was a professional jazz guitarist at the age of 16, often sitting in with distinguished Americans visiting Parisian clubland. Distel was recognized as one of his country's foremost jazz instrumentalists by the mid-50s. He played with the Martial Solal Trio and recorded with pianist Raymond Le Senechal, vibraphonist Sadi, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He also gained publicity for his liaisons with Brigitte Bardot and beatnik icon Juliette Gr‚co, while becoming a businessman with interests in music publishing. Having been a Frank Sinatra fan for many years, he started singing in the late 50s with the encouragement of the arranger Bill Byers. In 1959, his debut single "Scoubidou" made the French hit parade. His marriage to skiing champion Francie Breaud in 1963, and the birth of their son, Laurent, did not affect the growth of a following that had extended beyond France to North America, where he starred in his own television spectacular. He continued recording a French-language version (with cover girl Johanna Shimus) of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra's "Somethin' Stupid" in 1967. Distel's prolific songwriting talent gave birth to such standards as "The Good Life", but his biggest moment on disc remains "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". This Oscar-winning number from the movie Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, which outsold the B.J. Thomas original in the UK chart, where it peaked at number 10 in January 1970, making no less than three re-entries throughout that year. An attendant album sold well in Britain and the USA, and set Distel up as a top cabaret draw throughout the world. The multi-lingual singer has hosted many television and radio shows throughout the world, and also appeared in several movies. In 1993, he co-starred with the television hostess and compŠre, Rosemarie Ford, on the UK tour of Golden Songs Of The Silver Screen. The same year he set up the 18-piece dance band, the Coll‚giens, to record an album of jazz classics by his uncle Ray Ventura, whose own Coll‚giens had enjoyed great success in 1930s France. In 1995, Distel and the Coll‚giens recorded a set of new songs in the Ventura style. Two years later Distel was awarded the Chevalier de la L‚gion d'Honneur for his contribution to French music. In October 2000, he joined the London cast of the hit musical Chicago, playing the role of slippery lawyer Billy Flynn.