Robert Dougall

Robert Neill Dougall (born November 27, 1913 in Croydon , Surrey , United Kingdom , † December 18, 1999 in Southwold , Suffolk , United Kingdom) was a radio journalist (broadcaster) - known as a news anchor at the BBC - and ornithologist .

Life

Robert Dougall was born and raised in Croydon, Surrey. He attended Whitgift School and although he was very talented at foreign languages ​​- especially French and German - he was forced to drop out of school at the age of 16 due to financial difficulties in his family. Through a contact from his father, he got a job of 25 shillings a week with an accounting firm. With his better-off colleagues, however, he also got social perks, including dance teas in the Savoy, where his good looks soon made him a popular dance partner. However, Dougall quickly realized that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life doing bookkeeping, and when a colleague suggested he try the BBC, he got the first job he was offered there - and it was in, of all places the accounting department of the BBC. In his free time he played in a theater group, which suited his taste better than his everyday work.

His knowledge of French, German and Italian then helped him on November 27, 1934 - his 21st birthday - to a job at the BBC Empire Service, the newscast that has been broadcasting since 1932 and the predecessor of the BBC World Service . On September 3, 1939 - at this point Dougall was already a senior newscaster - it was his voice who announced the British declaration of war on Germany after the British-French ultimatum of September 2 (see British-French guarantee ). At the beginning of the Second World War , Dougall initially worked as a radio reporter, covering " The Blitz " and keeping Great Britain and the world informed about the war. In 1942 he joined the Royal Navy and drove with the Northern Sea Convoys that brought militarily important goods from Great Britain and the USA to the Soviet Union . Later he was stationed as an interpreter in the north of the Soviet Union.

After his retirement at the end of World War II, he returned to the BBC and initially worked as an announcer / newscaster for the BBC Overseas Service, BBC Light Program and BBC Home Service (from 1967: BBC Radio 4). Television News Until 1955, BBC news on television was read only in front of a photo of Big Ben, a measure ordered by the editor-in-chief, Tahu Hole, to ensure the absolute impartiality for which the BBC was known. However, the advent of commercial television and the creation of ITN ( Independent Television News ) prompted the BBC to have its newscasters appear on camera in September 1955. Dougall was one of the first of those newscasters to appear in-vision in 1955 (the other newscasters were Kenneth Kendall and Richard Baker - the BBC's "Big Three"). Robert Dougall presented the BBC News and the Newsroom Program in the 1960s. In 1965 he was awarded The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire . An award he received on the same day as the Beatles. He was the first to present the BBC Nine O'Clock News (broadcast until 2000) in 1970, and he continued to do so until he left the BBC at the end of 1973.

At the end of his last television broadcast on December 31, 1973, Robert Dougall said goodbye to his viewers with the following words:

"Well ... that's the way it is tonight. The news will be back as usual tomorrow; but for me this last day of the old year is my last news. Today is the day I retire from the BBC staff. I first read the news nearly forty years ago now - that was to the countries of the British Empire, in the days when there still was one; and I've been doing it ever since, more or less, except of course in the Navy during the war. And as you know I've been reading BBC Television News almost since it began nearly twenty years ago. I'm now looking forward to joining the Nationwide program doing films about nature. So I won't be entirely on your side of the screen just yet. Good night then and despite the gloomy news may I wish a very Happy New Year to you all ... and thank you and the BBC for those forty stimulating years. "

( "Well, this is what it looks like tonight. The news will be on again tomorrow as usual; but for me this last day of the old year is my last news. Today is the day I say goodbye to the BBC staff. I first read the News almost forty years ago - that was for the countries of the British Empire back when they were; and I've done that since then, except of course when I was in the Navy during the war . And as you know, I've read the BBC Television News almost since it began nearly twenty years ago. Now I'm looking forward to doing the Nationwide program and making films about nature. So I'm not quite on your side of the Changed screens. So good night and despite the gloomy news, I wish you all a Happy New Year ... and thank you and the BBC for these forty exciting years. " )

Retired

Dougall was known for his love for animals, especially birds, and he was president of the RSPB ( Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ) for five years . He authored several books on birds in the 1970s and his autobiography In and Out of the Box (1973), a hilarious depiction of life on the BBC, which he joined as the youngest newscaster on his 21st birthday in 1934. In old age he lived in Walberswick, Suffolk, although his main residence was for many years in Hampstead, London.

Private

Dougall met his wife Nan (cie) Byam (née Lockhart) shortly after the end of World War II and was married to her from 1947 until his death. The couple had a son, Alastair. Nancie Byam had brought a daughter into the marriage from her first marriage.

Dougall's granddaughter, Rose Elinor Dougall, is a singer and songwriter who previously appeared with Brighton band The Pipettes . Dougall's grandson Tom Dougall was the lead guitarist of the Brighton band Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong before he left that band to form Toy , who were signed to Heavenly Recordings .

bibliography

• In and out of the box (1973)
• A Lively Retirement (1974)
• Now for the good news (1976)
• A Celebration of Birds (1978)
• Basil Ede's Birds (1980)
• Birdwatch Round Britain (1982)
• British Birds (1982)
• The Ladybird Book Of British Birds (1982)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ BBC December 19, 1999: BBC newsreader Dougall dies
2. ↑ The Guardian December 20, 1999: Robert Dougall (obituary)
3. ^ The Independent December 21, 1999: Obituary: Robert Dougall
4. ^ Showreel: Robert Dougall
5. ↑ BBC July 4, 2014: BBC Television News celebrates 60 years
6. ↑ Express November 22, 2018: Golden age of TV newsreaders
7. ^ Showreel: Robert Dougall