Doug Mulray
Encyclopedia
Douglas John Mulray is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter.
FM radio station 2MMM
(Triple M
) in the 1980s.
After a break from Triple M, he worked for a brief time in the PM drive time slot on 2SM
with Peter Fitzsimmons before moving to Sydney radio station 2WS
eventually leaving that station in July 1999. He never regained the ratings he enjoyed at his former station Triple M.
Like many in radio, he began his career at a small country station. His first gig on radio was for 2AD in Armidale. In the late 1970s, Doug landed his first permanent Sydney
radio gig with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
's alternative rock
station 2JJ (later Triple J
), where he built up a sizeable following and perfected the format that led to him being poached by the newly established Triple M in 1982. Mulray became the first in a long line of Double Jay / Triple J presenters to gain popularity with the Jays before making the lucrative move to commercial radio, being followed by Stewart Cranney, Club Veg
(Mal Lees & Vic Davies), Jonathon Coleman
and more recently Merrick & Rosso.
Mulray often referred to himself as Uncle Doug, Doctor Dougie, or the Reverend Doctor Doug and typically signed off with the punning catchphrase "Cop you later".
One of the distinctive features of his Triple J / Triple M shows was its cast of fictional characters and comedy skits. One of his best known was Jack Africa, a permanently paranoid chap who was constantly convinced that the chooks (Australian slang for chickens) were out to get him. Also featured were the Prime Mincer, a parody of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke
(which originated on Triple J as a parody of former PM Malcolm Fraser
, voiced by Ken Stirling)), and Gloria, a parody of Sydney AM radio talkback host Alan Jones
. Others included Hymie Fymie, who made an art form of using the phrase "son of a bitch", and Madam Zenda, whose cosmic predictions of the future were accompanied by the punning entreaty "Cross my palm with saliva". (Jack Africa, Gloria and Hymie Fymie were voiced by Dave Gibson.)
During his career behind the microphone, Doug Mulray's shared the microphone with Andrew Denton
and many others including "Miss Lizzie", his real-life girlfriend (and later wife) Liz Muir (sister of then station owner Rod Muir), part-time "barrel girl" Fifi D'Armour, who he called the "exotic lettuce leaf dancer and radio producer extraordinaire".
Doug had his share of infamous moments outside the broadcast studio. He released a record called "You Are Soul" which reached number 34 on the ARIA
singles chart in 1986 but was banned from the air. The B side was the equally notorious "Smoke Two Joints" (described by Mulray as 'The Butcher's Song').
, and hosted the infamous Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
where the show's only episode was pulled from broadcast by furious Nine Network
boss Kerry Packer
; Mulray was fired and banned for life from the Nine Network as a result. On Full Frontal
, this was parodied with a skit of Mulray hosting a lottery draw, making sexual remarks as the balls drop.
He was also the host of the eponymously-titled program Mulray, which ran briefly in the early 1990s on the Seven Network
. He also hosted Beauty and the Beast
on Network Ten
for a brief stint in 2002. In the early '90s Doug was part of the Channel Seven
Australian Touring Car Championship
commentary team headed up by Mike Raymond until Seven lost the rights in 1997.
In August, 2008 Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
was re-aired on the Nine Network
. Mulray reportedly refused requests from Nine management to reappear as the host. One commentator wrote that "it may be that Mulray, a very smart man, knew he would have been open to a few cruel comparisons between the relatively youthful Mulray of 1992 and the solitary Mulray of 2008. The years have not been particularly kind."
Doug has twins (with his wife Liz) named Tom and Rosie.
Singles
Radio career
Mulray was a former host of the breakfast time slot on SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
FM radio station 2MMM
2MMM
2MMM is a radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia. Triple M Sydney is part of the Austereo Triple M network and broadcasts on the 104.9 MHz frequency.-The Early Days:...
(Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
) in the 1980s.
After a break from Triple M, he worked for a brief time in the PM drive time slot on 2SM
2SM
2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, New South Wales, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group...
with Peter Fitzsimmons before moving to Sydney radio station 2WS
2WS
101.7 WSFM is a FM band radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia. Its main content is commercial music, in particular classic hits from the 1960s to the Early 2000s, with a greater focus on the 70's, 80's and 90's...
eventually leaving that station in July 1999. He never regained the ratings he enjoyed at his former station Triple M.
Like many in radio, he began his career at a small country station. His first gig on radio was for 2AD in Armidale. In the late 1970s, Doug landed his first permanent Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
radio gig with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
station 2JJ (later Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
), where he built up a sizeable following and perfected the format that led to him being poached by the newly established Triple M in 1982. Mulray became the first in a long line of Double Jay / Triple J presenters to gain popularity with the Jays before making the lucrative move to commercial radio, being followed by Stewart Cranney, Club Veg
Club Veg
Club Veg was a popular Australian radio show and comedic partnership consisting of Mal Lees and Vic Davies on Triple M.-Career:...
(Mal Lees & Vic Davies), Jonathon Coleman
Jonathon Coleman
Jonathon Robert Coleman is an English artist and sculptor.-Career:Coleman studied Fine Art and Art History at Goldsmith's College, University of London, graduating in 1991. During this period of study he earned his Certificate in Anatomy and Human Dissection at the Slade School of Art...
and more recently Merrick & Rosso.
Mulray often referred to himself as Uncle Doug, Doctor Dougie, or the Reverend Doctor Doug and typically signed off with the punning catchphrase "Cop you later".
One of the distinctive features of his Triple J / Triple M shows was its cast of fictional characters and comedy skits. One of his best known was Jack Africa, a permanently paranoid chap who was constantly convinced that the chooks (Australian slang for chickens) were out to get him. Also featured were the Prime Mincer, a parody of Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
(which originated on Triple J as a parody of former PM Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
, voiced by Ken Stirling)), and Gloria, a parody of Sydney AM radio talkback host Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
. Others included Hymie Fymie, who made an art form of using the phrase "son of a bitch", and Madam Zenda, whose cosmic predictions of the future were accompanied by the punning entreaty "Cross my palm with saliva". (Jack Africa, Gloria and Hymie Fymie were voiced by Dave Gibson.)
During his career behind the microphone, Doug Mulray's shared the microphone with Andrew Denton
Andrew Denton
Andrew Christopher Denton is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique...
and many others including "Miss Lizzie", his real-life girlfriend (and later wife) Liz Muir (sister of then station owner Rod Muir), part-time "barrel girl" Fifi D'Armour, who he called the "exotic lettuce leaf dancer and radio producer extraordinaire".
Doug had his share of infamous moments outside the broadcast studio. He released a record called "You Are Soul" which reached number 34 on the ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
singles chart in 1986 but was banned from the air. The B side was the equally notorious "Smoke Two Joints" (described by Mulray as 'The Butcher's Song').
Television career
Outside of radio, Doug Mulray has also featured on Australian TV shows such as Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast (talk show)
Beauty and the Beast is an Australian panel television show that has appeared in numerous versions since the early days of Australian television. The first version began in 1963 on the Seven Network with host Eric Baume as the "Beast". Baume was later replaced by presenters including John Laws,...
, and hosted the infamous Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos is a controversial Australian television comedy program which was broadcast on Nine Network on 4 September 1992. It was a one-off special spin-off of Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, depicting videos of sexual situations and other sexually explicit content...
where the show's only episode was pulled from broadcast by furious Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
boss Kerry Packer
Kerry Packer
Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
; Mulray was fired and banned for life from the Nine Network as a result. On Full Frontal
Full Frontal
Full Frontal may refer to:* Full Frontal , an Australian sketch comedy series which debuted in 1993* Full Frontal , a 2001 film by Kyle Schickner* Full Frontal , a 2002 film by Steven Soderbergh...
, this was parodied with a skit of Mulray hosting a lottery draw, making sexual remarks as the balls drop.
He was also the host of the eponymously-titled program Mulray, which ran briefly in the early 1990s on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
. He also hosted Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (talk show)
Beauty and the Beast is an Australian panel television show that has appeared in numerous versions since the early days of Australian television. The first version began in 1963 on the Seven Network with host Eric Baume as the "Beast". Baume was later replaced by presenters including John Laws,...
on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
for a brief stint in 2002. In the early '90s Doug was part of the Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
Australian Touring Car Championship
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
commentary team headed up by Mike Raymond until Seven lost the rights in 1997.
In August, 2008 Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos is a controversial Australian television comedy program which was broadcast on Nine Network on 4 September 1992. It was a one-off special spin-off of Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, depicting videos of sexual situations and other sexually explicit content...
was re-aired on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. Mulray reportedly refused requests from Nine management to reappear as the host. One commentator wrote that "it may be that Mulray, a very smart man, knew he would have been open to a few cruel comparisons between the relatively youthful Mulray of 1992 and the solitary Mulray of 2008. The years have not been particularly kind."
Doug has twins (with his wife Liz) named Tom and Rosie.
Discography
Albums- 1982 - What a Rude Album
- 1984 - Too Rude (aka 2 Rude)
- 1993 - Nice Legs, Shame About the Fez
Singles
- 1982 - I'm a Punk / Doug's Dub [as The Rude Band]
- 1986 - You Are Soul / Smoke Two Joints
- 1993 - Werewolf