Ed Doolan
Encyclopedia
Edwin Myer Doolan is an Australian born naturalised British
radio presenter who is a twenty-eight year veteran of the BBC and was awarded the MBE in 1998. He currently presents a weekday talks show from noon until 2pm on BBC WM
and "The Other Side Of", aired on Sunday lunchtime at 1pm.He has been honoured by the British Radio Academy, earning a place in the Radio Hall of Fame. He has been presented with Honorary Doctorates from Birmingham's three universities and was the first person to have ever achieved that honour.
On Ed's lunchtime show of the 22nd February 2011, he announced he was cutting down on amount of shows he would be presenting, stating he could no longer "continue the current work schedule"; his lunchtime show will be on a Friday only from September 9th 2011, and he will present a new 9am-12 noon Sunday show from September 11th 2011.
From 1974 until 1982 Ed worked at BRMB
Birmingham's first commercial radio station, then moved to BBC WM in 1982. Ed began his current consumer programme on BBC WM in 1988. Well known for pioneering social action broadcasting, tackling dishonest and cavalier traders on behalf of the consumer, Ed also takes on the big utilities, the councils of the West Midlands and even areas of national government if an injustice has been done. There has been approaching 7000 programmes over the past 20 years or so, and the programme continues to be one of the most listened-to in the region. He is also a writer and a TV presenter who has featured on news programmes BBC Midlands Today
and wrote 950 weekly columns for the Birmingham Mail
.
Ed aims to 'make a difference' to the less fortunate and in his radio and charity work he can proudly claim to have had great success, being heavily involved in the many charities carrying his name. Ed also has a huge collection of radio and television programmes on cassette, reel to reel, VHS, CD and DVD. He recently discovered a 1968 "Christmas Night with the Stars" containing a ten minute lost segment of Dads Army.
In 1993 Ed co-presented the live and local TV talk show Central Weekend Live but prefers radio to television. Famous people Ed has interviewed include: Telly Savalas
, Rolf Harris
, Leonard Nimoy
(from his BRMB days), Slim Dusty (deceased), Jim Davidson (live studio guest), Ian Smith (Harold from Neighbours), Princess Anne, and all high-profile West Midland politicians since 1974.
Other memorable moments were with Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela, Prince Edward, Charlton Heston, Bob Monkhouse and Barry Humphries.
Ed has also interviewed every British Prime Minister (except Harold Wilson) since Sir Alec Douglas Home.
Many of these interviews can now be heard in the UK as repeat and compilation shows on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Brother George was a character on Ed's show in the 90s. Ed would talk to his "brother" George "live" from Australia on the phone. There was some speculation on the true identity of brother George as Ed only has a sister. Before the days of digital, Ed pre-recorded George and "talked" with him live by running the tape on an open fader.
Ed's lunchtime show is transmitted without the usual nine-second delay; this has resulted in occasional embarrassing moments where his callers have used expletives.
Ed presents a weekly programme called "The Other Side Of" every Sunday lunchtime at 1pm. when he interviews a well known figure for an hour, playing their favourite music.
Ed gives Dove Awards to people or companies who have done good things. He plays the sound of doves cooing. Ed gives Turkey Awards to people or companies who have done bad things. He plays the sound of turkeys gobbling. Ed has carried a manbag around for 20 years or more. It contains his heart medication. If something in it bleeps it is usually time to make his way around to the studio for his show.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
radio presenter who is a twenty-eight year veteran of the BBC and was awarded the MBE in 1998. He currently presents a weekday talks show from noon until 2pm on BBC WM
BBC WM
BBC WM is the BBC Local Radio service for the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, north Worcestershire and north Warwickshire, operated by BBC Birmingham. Launched on 9 November 1970 as BBC Radio Birmingham, it broadcasts from central Birmingham on 95.6 FM, DAB and on the internet...
and "The Other Side Of", aired on Sunday lunchtime at 1pm.He has been honoured by the British Radio Academy, earning a place in the Radio Hall of Fame. He has been presented with Honorary Doctorates from Birmingham's three universities and was the first person to have ever achieved that honour.
On Ed's lunchtime show of the 22nd February 2011, he announced he was cutting down on amount of shows he would be presenting, stating he could no longer "continue the current work schedule"; his lunchtime show will be on a Friday only from September 9th 2011, and he will present a new 9am-12 noon Sunday show from September 11th 2011.
Career
After a ten year career as a school teacher in Sydney, Edinburgh and London, he moved to Cologne, taking his first step into broadcasting with Radio Deutsche Welle, the German World Service, in August 1970.From 1974 until 1982 Ed worked at BRMB
Brmb
brmb is a local radio station based in Birmingham, UK, owned and operated by Orion Media. The station broadcasts on 96.4 FM, DAB Digital Radio in the West Midlands and online...
Birmingham's first commercial radio station, then moved to BBC WM in 1982. Ed began his current consumer programme on BBC WM in 1988. Well known for pioneering social action broadcasting, tackling dishonest and cavalier traders on behalf of the consumer, Ed also takes on the big utilities, the councils of the West Midlands and even areas of national government if an injustice has been done. There has been approaching 7000 programmes over the past 20 years or so, and the programme continues to be one of the most listened-to in the region. He is also a writer and a TV presenter who has featured on news programmes BBC Midlands Today
Midlands Today
Midlands Today is the BBC's regional television news programme for the West Midlands region, which covers the north of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands county...
and wrote 950 weekly columns for the Birmingham Mail
Birmingham Mail
The Birmingham Mail is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, UK but distributed around Birmingham, The Black Country, Solihull, Warwickshire and parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The newspaper, which was re-branded from the Birmingham Evening Mail in October 2005, is one of the biggest...
.
Ed aims to 'make a difference' to the less fortunate and in his radio and charity work he can proudly claim to have had great success, being heavily involved in the many charities carrying his name. Ed also has a huge collection of radio and television programmes on cassette, reel to reel, VHS, CD and DVD. He recently discovered a 1968 "Christmas Night with the Stars" containing a ten minute lost segment of Dads Army.
In 1993 Ed co-presented the live and local TV talk show Central Weekend Live but prefers radio to television. Famous people Ed has interviewed include: Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas
Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
, Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
, Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
(from his BRMB days), Slim Dusty (deceased), Jim Davidson (live studio guest), Ian Smith (Harold from Neighbours), Princess Anne, and all high-profile West Midland politicians since 1974.
Other memorable moments were with Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela, Prince Edward, Charlton Heston, Bob Monkhouse and Barry Humphries.
Ed has also interviewed every British Prime Minister (except Harold Wilson) since Sir Alec Douglas Home.
Many of these interviews can now be heard in the UK as repeat and compilation shows on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Programmes
Ed is famous for his live broadcasts from UK and abroad. Notable programmes have come from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hong Kong, the world's oldest radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, Birmingham Symphony Hall and the newly refurbished Town Hall. On his 60th and 65th birthday, Ed broadcast his show live from Weston Super Mare with bus loads of BBC WM listeners. On one occaasion an escaped prisoner rang up his show to put his side of things. Ed handled this chap with dignity and maturity, persuading the chap to hand himself in to the police. Ed didn't know where the Police Station was - but the prisoner directed him.Brother George was a character on Ed's show in the 90s. Ed would talk to his "brother" George "live" from Australia on the phone. There was some speculation on the true identity of brother George as Ed only has a sister. Before the days of digital, Ed pre-recorded George and "talked" with him live by running the tape on an open fader.
Ed's lunchtime show is transmitted without the usual nine-second delay; this has resulted in occasional embarrassing moments where his callers have used expletives.
Ed presents a weekly programme called "The Other Side Of" every Sunday lunchtime at 1pm. when he interviews a well known figure for an hour, playing their favourite music.
Ed gives Dove Awards to people or companies who have done good things. He plays the sound of doves cooing. Ed gives Turkey Awards to people or companies who have done bad things. He plays the sound of turkeys gobbling. Ed has carried a manbag around for 20 years or more. It contains his heart medication. If something in it bleeps it is usually time to make his way around to the studio for his show.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2006/03/13/ed_doolan_feature.shtml
- BBC Radio WM
- BRMB History Highlights or radio history including "now iconic broadcaster Ed Doolan."
- BBC