Robert Dougall MBE (27 November 1913 - 19 December 1999) was a British broadcaster and ornithologist, mainly known as a newsreader and announcer.

Early life and radio broadcasting

Robert Dougall was one of the first BBC television news readers (shown here in the 1960s).

"I got the first page with about three minutes to go. Then, the red light came on and it was up to me. It was an intensely dramatic script and most of the pages were fed to me at the microphone, so I had to get it right first time. God knows I put my heart into it."

Dougall worked as a radio reporter during the early part of the Second World War, but also served with the Royal Navy from 1942. He resumed his broadcasting work after demobilisation in 1946 as an announcer and newsreader for the BBC Home Service. In 1947, Dougall was appointed Programme Manager for the BBC's Far Eastern Service, a position which required him to move to Singapore.

Television news

Dougall's radio work took a back seat when he returned to London in 1951 to work as a television newsreader (he is thought to be the only person from the BBC's early radio service who had an enduring career in television.) Between 1946 and 1955, the BBC news was merely voiced over a photograph of Big Ben, a measure sanctioned by Chief News Editor Tahu Hole to reinforce the absolute impartiality the Corporation was renowned for. However, the arrival of ITN in 1955 prompted the BBC to have its newsreaders perform to camera - indeed, they began this approach only three weeks before ITN began transmission. Dougall was among the first of these newsreaders to appear in-vision in 1955 (the others were his contemporaries Kenneth Kendall, Michael Aspel and Richard Baker with Kendall being the very first).

Robert Dougall presented the first BBC Nine O'Clock News in 1970.

Post-retirement

Like Peter Woods, Dougall was considered an archetypal newsreader and frequently appeared as himself in comedy programmes of the 1970s and early 1980s, including The Goodies and Yes Minister. He also presented seven series of Channel 4's over-60s programme, Years Ahead over four years and appeared in an advertising campaign for the jewellers Preston's of Bolton during the 1980s.

Dougall was also known for his love of animals and birds and he was president of the RSPB for a five-year period. He wrote several books about birds in the 1970s and an autobiography, In and Out of the Box, in 1973. Robert lived in Walberswick in Suffolk though his main home for many years was in Hampstead in London.

Family

Dougall's granddaughter Rose is a singer/songwriter, formerly with Brighton band The Pipettes. Dougall's grandson Tom Dougall is a guitarist with Brighton band Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong.

Bibliography

• In and out of the box (1973) ISBN 000272703x
• Now for the good news (1976) ISBN 0264663799
• A Celebration of Birds, Collins and Harvill Press (1978) ISBN 0002621134
• The Ladybird Book Of British Birds
• Basil Ede's Birds, Severn House (1980) ISBN 0727820052
  • foreword by The Duke of Edinburgh
• Birdwatch Round Britain with Herbert Axell, Collins and Harvill (1982) ISBN 0002622564
  • foreword by Ian Prestt

Contributions

• An Introduction To Bird and Wildlife Photography In Still and Movie, Marchington, John and Clay, Anthony, Faber & Faber (1974) - Foreword.

Sources

External links

• BBC obituary