Robert Dougall: Difference between revisions

Robert Dougall
MBE
Robert Dougall MBE
	Robert Dougall
Born	Robert Neill Dougall; 27 November 1913; Croydon, Surrey, England
Died	18 December 1999 (aged 86); Southwold, Suffolk, England
Occupation(s)	Broadcaster; Ornithologist
Years active	1934–1999
Spouse	Nan Byram (m. 1947)
Children	2
Relatives	Rose Elinor Dougall (granddaughter)

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Robert Neill Dougall MBE (27 November 1913 – 18 December 1999) was an English broadcaster and ornithologist, mainly known as a newsreader and announcer. He started his career in the BBC's accounts department before moving on to become a radio announcer for the BBC Empire Service in 1934. Dougall covered the first three years of the Second World War for the corporation, before resigning in 1942 to join the Royal Naval Volunteer Service.

Dougall returned to the BBC after demobilisation, first for the Far Eastern Service in Singapore and then for the BBC Light Programme in London. He started his career in television as a newsreader in the 1950s and retired in December 1973. Dougall served as president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) for five years, from 1970 to 1975, during which time the charity's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000. He was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1965 Birthday Honours.

Early life

Dougall was born on 27 November 1913 in South Croydon, Surrey.^[1]^[2] He was the son of a City of London worker from Glasgow, Scotland.^[3]^[4] Dougall had two older sisters,^[5] and moved frequently in his childhood before settling in the seaside town of Brighton because he had asthma.^[3] From 1923 to 1931,^[6] he attended Whitgift School in Surrey;^[7] he did not carry on to university despite having some talent in languages, specifically French and German.^[1]^[5]

Dougall left Whitgift School at the age of 16 when work became scarce during the Great Depression.^[8]^[9] Through his father's contacts in the city,^[8] he was recruited as an accounts clerk by the Deloitte firm of accountants that were responsible for auditing the BBC.^[1]^[5]^[2] Dougall discovered that accounting was not for him, so he joined the BBC's Accounts Departments after a friend recommended it to him while he was conducting an audit.^[3]^[8]

Career

On his 21st birthday in 1934, his bilingualism landed him a position as a radio announcer for the BBC Empire Service (the forerunner of the BBC World Service),^[3]^[8] becoming the youngest BBC staff announcer.^[2]^[4] Dougall also worked for the BBC European Service, where he conducted a number of interviews that were broadcast across Europe.^[7] He worked six days on and three days off before transitioning to outside broadcasts with a focus on the London scene.^[5]

By 1939, Dougall had advanced to the position of associate editor, and he announced the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany when Germany invaded Poland that September.^[5]^[7] He had broadcast a message as a "anonymous" Englishman (although speaking in German, which was translated by a member of the German Service), pleading with Germany to withdraw its forces and avert the impending war.^[1]^[8] Dougall was "indefinitely reserved" for duty as a radio war correspondent and commentator for outside events by the BBC during the early years of the Second World War.^[5]^[8] As he informed the world and the British Empire about the events of the war,^[3] he reported on The Blitz in London and Plymouth,^[9] decamped with the BBC Overseas Service at Abbey Manor in Evesham, reported for Radio Newsreel and interviewed commonwealth leaders.^[5]

In 1942, Dougall resigned from the BBC following the corporation's recruitment of Irish playwright Douglas Johnston as its Middle East air correspondent.^[5] He signed up to train with the Royal Naval Volunteer Service that same year.^[5]^[10] Dougall took a short course in Russian in Harwich, where he completed his basic training, after learning that volunteers were needed for special duties at a Northern Russia base.^[1]^[5] He sailed with convoys carrying supplies from Britain and the United States between Murmansk, at the end of the Russian portion of the Arctic convoy route, and the United Kingdom.^[1]^[3]^[11]

Following demobilisation, Dougall returned to the BBC as an announcer and newsreader for the BBC Home Service.^[8] In 1947, Dougall was appointed Programme Manager of the BBC's Far Eastern Service by the Foreign Office, a position which required him to move to Singapore.^[1]^[9] He was responsible for relaying Russian broadcasts to London until the Far Eastern Service became redundant soon after and went on to become a presenter of the BBC Light Programme shows Serenade for Sleep, Music for Midnight and Family Favourites. Dougall also presented the 10pm news bulletin from February 1951.^[5]^[12]

Dougall began working as a television newsreader in 1954,^[13] and is thought to have been the only person from the BBC's early radio service who had an enduring career in television. He and other BBC newsreaders such as Kenneth Kendall and Richard Baker were not visible until the September 1955 debut of ITN led Chief News Editor Tahu Hole to agree to broadcast their faces but not their names on-screen.^[5]^[8] As part of an effort to make television less trivial, news headline evening bulletins were broadcast every hour from 6 to 11 p.m., and Dougall was appointed to be a member of the news reading team on 1 October 1957.^[8]^[14] It was then that he and other newsreaders could be named.^[5]

According to Leonard Miall of The Independent and his obituarist in The Times, Dougall became popular with the television audience with his straightforwardness.^[1]^[8] He announced the fall of Nikita Khrushchev and the results of the 1964 United Kingdom general election.^[3] Dougall was selected to present News Review for the Hard of Hearing when BBC2 was launched in 1964,^[5] and worked as a news reading training adviser for radio and television personnel of the Voice of Kenya in late 1968.^[15] He was the first person to present the long-running BBC Nine O'Clock News in 1970, continuing in this role until his retirement from the newsroom on 31 December 1973. Dougall's autobiography, In and Out of the Box, was published in October 1973 and has been reprinted six times.^[1] He was the subject of This is Your Life on 2 January 1974.^[16]

Post-retirement

From 1970 to 1975, he was president of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB),^[6] and became its honorary vice-president in 1979,^[17] having been a member of the organisation since 1949.^[18] The RSPB's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000 during Dougall's presidency,^[1] and took responsibility for land-management at Minsmere and exporting the RSPB's expertise abroad to reserves such as Spain's Coto de Donana and Malta's Ghadira Pool.^[19] He was the narrator of two of RSPB's wildlife films and raised money for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People through television appeals.^[19] In 1975, he appeared as a guest on The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show, where he danced.^[7]^[10] Dougall also appeared on television programmes and films such as The Generation Game, Russell Harty Show, Celebrity Squares,^[13] Nationwide, Going for a Song, Yes Minister, Danger Tomorrow and The End of Arthur's Marriage.^[10]^[20] He appeared in an advertising campaign for the jewellers Prestons of Bolton in the 1980s.^[21]

Dougall was a member of the Royal Society of Literature between 1975 and 1983 as well as the Garrick Club.^[6] He also presented seven series of Channel 4's over-60s programme Years Ahead over four years and two series of the ITV programme Stars on Sunday in the mid-1970s.^[3]^[7] In mid-1995, Dougall was removed as president of the Association of Retired Persons Over 50, a role he had held since the anti-ageist association was founded seven years earlier.^[22] He was replaced by newsreader Martyn Lewis.^[23] Dougall was a contributor to newspapers and magazines such as The Sunday Telegraph Magazine, the Daily Mail, The Spectator and High Life.^[6] He wrote the books Now for the Good News (1976), A Celebration of Birds (1978), The Ladybird Book Of British Birds, Basil Ede's Birds (1980) and Birdwatch Round Britain (1982).^[6]

Personal life

Dougall married BBC studio manager Nan Bryam (née Lockhart) on 7 June 1947. The couple had a son and he was stepfather to her daughter from a previous marriage.^[1]^[5]^[6] Dougall's granddaughter Rose and grandson Tom are musicians.^[24] He was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1965 Birthday Honours.^[25] Dougall died in his sleep in Southwold, Suffolk on 18 December 1999.^[1]^[26]

Legacy

A bromide print portrait of Dougall taken by Anthony Buckley in 1969 was bequeathed to the National Portrait Gallery, London and put on public display in 2002.^[27]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Miall, Leonard (21 December 1999). "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Flett, Al (5 November 1973). "He's a bit of a rip—in the nicest way". Leicester Mercury. p. 17. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Barker, Dennis (20 December 1999). "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b Horsburgh, Frances (8 November 1973). "Exit Bob, the fireside friend..." Reading Evening Post. p. 5. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 December 1999. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cummings, David; Jacobson, Tanjam, eds. (1995). "Dougall, Robert Neill". The International Authors and Writers Who's Who (Fourteenth ed.). Cambridge, England: International Biographical Centre. p. 158. ISBN 0-948875-81-X – via Internet Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Steven, Alasdair (20 December 1999). "Robert Dougall". The Scotsman. p. 13. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Gale OneFile: News.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Robert Dougall". The Times. 20 December 1999. p. 19. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gowers, Michael (19 June 1965). "Front Man of the B.B.C. News". Liverpool Echo. p. 6. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b ^c Evans, Jeff (2011) [2001]. "Dougall, Robert". The Penguin TV Companion (Fourth ed.). London, England: Penguin Books. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-241-95291-7 – via Internet Archive.
^ "Robert Dougall". Birmingham Post. 3 November 1973. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Campey, George (1 February 1951). "Here is the news". Evening Standard. London. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b Curthoys, Alan; Doyle, John, eds. (1980). "Dougall, Robert MBE". Who's Who on Television: A Fully Illustrated Guide to 1,000 Best Known Faces on British Television. London, England: Independent Television Books. p. 74. ISBN 0-900727-71-3 – via Internet Archive.
^ "More news". Daily Herald. 3 September 1957. p. 5. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Reading the news in Kenya". Cheddar Valley Gazette. 18 October 1968. p. 18. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "News Reader's 'Life' Top TV Programme". The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 January 1974. p. 16 January 1974. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Authors turn up to aid publishers' sales drive". Loughborough News. 21 June 1982. p. 7. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Utting, David (5 May 1982). "Dougall snaps at dreaded twitchers". Daily Post. p. 19. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ ^a ^b Samstag, Tony (1988). For Love of Birds: The Story of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: 1889–1988. Sandy, Bedfordshire: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. p. 133. ISBN 0-903138-28-X – via Internet Archive.
^ "Robert Dougall". Mubi. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ "Diamonds are their friends". Manchester Evening News. 25 July 1984. p. 25. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Pierce, Andrew (8 September 1995). "Anti-ageist body dumps too-old head; Robert Dougall". The Times. No. 65367. p. 3. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.
^ "The costly cult of youth". The Observer Review. 10 September 1995. p. 3. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Walters, Sarah (17 April 2007). "Pipettes bring touch of class to Academy". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ "No. 43667". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1965. p. 5486.
^ "BBC newsreader Dougall dies". BBC News. 19 December 1999. Archived from the original on 28 October 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
^ "Robert Dougall". National Portrait Gallery, London. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

External links

Robert Dougall at IMDb

[IndyObit-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Miall, Leonard (21 December 1999). "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

[Leicester1973-2] Flett, Al (5 November 1973). "He's a bit of a rip—in the nicest way". Leicester Mercury. p. 17. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[GuardianObit-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Barker, Dennis (20 December 1999). "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

[REP1973-4] Horsburgh, Frances (8 November 1973). "Exit Bob, the fireside friend..." Reading Evening Post. p. 5. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[DTObit-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o "Obituary: Robert Dougall". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 December 1999. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[AuthorsWhosWho-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cummings, David; Jacobson, Tanjam, eds. (1995). "Dougall, Robert Neill". The International Authors and Writers Who's Who (Fourteenth ed.). Cambridge, England: International Biographical Centre. p. 158. ISBN 0-948875-81-X – via Internet Archive.

[ScotsmanObit-7] Steven, Alasdair (20 December 1999). "Robert Dougall". The Scotsman. p. 13. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Gale OneFile: News.

[TimesObit-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "Robert Dougall". The Times. 20 December 1999. p. 19. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.

[LiverpoolEcho1965-9] Gowers, Michael (19 June 1965). "Front Man of the B.B.C. News". Liverpool Echo. p. 6. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[PenguinTV-10] Evans, Jeff (2011) [2001]. "Dougall, Robert". The Penguin TV Companion (Fourth ed.). London, England: Penguin Books. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-241-95291-7 – via Internet Archive.

[11] "Robert Dougall". Birmingham Post. 3 November 1973. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[12] Campey, George (1 February 1951). "Here is the news". Evening Standard. London. p. 1. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[TVWhosWho-13] Curthoys, Alan; Doyle, John, eds. (1980). "Dougall, Robert MBE". Who's Who on Television: A Fully Illustrated Guide to 1,000 Best Known Faces on British Television. London, England: Independent Television Books. p. 74. ISBN 0-900727-71-3 – via Internet Archive.

[14] "More news". Daily Herald. 3 September 1957. p. 5. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[15] "Reading the news in Kenya". Cheddar Valley Gazette. 18 October 1968. p. 18. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[16] "News Reader's 'Life' Top TV Programme". The Daily Telegraph. London. 16 January 1974. p. 16 January 1974. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[17] "Authors turn up to aid publishers' sales drive". Loughborough News. 21 June 1982. p. 7. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[18] Utting, David (5 May 1982). "Dougall snaps at dreaded twitchers". Daily Post. p. 19. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[RSPB-19] Samstag, Tony (1988). For Love of Birds: The Story of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: 1889–1988. Sandy, Bedfordshire: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. p. 133. ISBN 0-903138-28-X – via Internet Archive.

[20] "Robert Dougall". Mubi. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

[21] "Diamonds are their friends". Manchester Evening News. 25 July 1984. p. 25. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[22] Pierce, Andrew (8 September 1995). "Anti-ageist body dumps too-old head; Robert Dougall". The Times. No. 65367. p. 3. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via The Times Digital Archive.

[23] "The costly cult of youth". The Observer Review. 10 September 1995. p. 3. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com .

[24] Walters, Sarah (17 April 2007). "Pipettes bring touch of class to Academy". Manchester Evening News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

[25] "No. 43667". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1965. p. 5486.

[26] "BBC newsreader Dougall dies". BBC News. 19 December 1999. Archived from the original on 28 October 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2023.

[27] "Robert Dougall". National Portrait Gallery, London. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2023.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|English broadcaster and ornithologist}}
+{{Short description|English broadcaster and ornithologist (1913–1999)}}
 {{for|the footballer|Robert Dougall (footballer)}}
 {{Use British English|date=June 2015}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
 {{Infobox person
 | name               = Robert Dougall
@@ Line 9: / Line 8: @@
 | image              = Robert Dougall Signed Photo.jpg
 | caption            = Robert Dougall
-| birth_name         =
+| birth_name         = Robert Neill Dougall
 | birth_date         = {{Birth date|1913|11|27|df=yes}}
 | birth_place        = [[Croydon]], [[Surrey]], England
@@ Line 21: / Line 20: @@
 }}
-'''Robert Neill Dougall''' {{Post-nominals|country=UK|MBE}} (27 November 1913 – 18 December 1999) was an English broadcaster and [[ornithology|ornithologist]], mainly known as a newsreader and announcer. He started his career in the BBC's accounts department before moving on to become a radio announcer for the [[BBC World Service|BBC Empire Service]] in 1934. Dougall covered the first three years of the [[Second World War]] for the corporation before resigning in 1942 to join the [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval Volunteer Service]].
+'''Robert Neill Dougall''' {{Post-nominals|country=UK|MBE}} (27 November 1913 – 18 December 1999) was an English broadcaster and [[ornithology|ornithologist]], mainly known as a newsreader and announcer. He started his career in the BBC's accounts department before moving on to become a radio announcer for the [[BBC World Service|BBC Empire Service]] in 1934. Dougall covered the first three years of the [[Second World War]] for the corporation, before resigning in 1942 to join the [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval Volunteer Service]].
-Dougall returned to the BBC after demobilization, first for the Far Eastern Service in Singapore and then for the [[BBC Light Programme]] in London. He started his career in television as a newsreader in the 1950s and retired in December 1973. Dougall served as president of the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) for five years, from 1970 to 1975, during which time the charity's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000. He was appointed [[Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours]].
+Dougall returned to the BBC after demobilisation, first for the Far Eastern Service in Singapore and then for the [[BBC Light Programme]] in London. He started his career in television as a newsreader in the 1950s and retired in December 1973. Dougall served as president of the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) for five years, from 1970 to 1975, during which time the charity's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000. He was appointed [[Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours]].
 ==Early life==
-Dougall was born on 27 December 1913 in [[South Croydon]], Surrey<!--The London Borough of Croydon did not come into existence until 1965, long after Dougall's birth. Do not change-->.<ref name=IndyObit>{{cite news |last=Miall |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Miall |date=21 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-robert-dougall-1133861.html |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="Leicester1973">{{cite news |last=Flett |first=Al |date=5 November 1973 |title=He's a bit of a rip—in the nicest way |page=17 |work=[[Leicester Mercury]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122194720/robert-dougall-leicester-mercury-5/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He was the son of a [[City of London]] worker from Glasgow, Scotland.<ref name="GuardianObit">{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |date=20 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/dec/20/guardianobituaries |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="REP1973">{{cite news |last=Horsburgh |first=Frances |date=8 November 1973 |title=Exit Bob, the fireside friend... |page=5 |work=[[Reading Evening Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122195702/robert-dougall-reading-evening-post/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> Dougall had two older sisters,<ref name="DTObit">{{cite news |date=20 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122191670/robert-dougall-obituary-the-daily/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> and moved frequently in his childhood before settling in the seaside town of Brighton because he had asthma.<ref name="GuardianObit" /> From 1923 to 1931,<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/internationalaut0000unse_k5d7/ |title=The International Authors and Writers Who's Who |publisher=International Biographical Centre |year=1995 |isbn=0-948875-81-X |editor1-last=Cummings |editor1-first=David |edition=Fourteenth |location=Cambridge, England |page=158 |chapter=Dougall, Robert Neill |editor2-last=Jacobson |editor2-first=Tanjam |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> he attended [[Whitgift School]] in Surrey;<ref name="ScotsmanObit">{{cite news |last=Steven |first=Alasdair |date=20 December 1999 |title=Robert Dougall |page=13 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url=https://link-gale-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A82996454/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=3bd468b7 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=Gale OneFile: News}}</ref> he did not carry on to university despite having some talent in languages, specifically French and German.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" />
+Dougall was born on 27 November 1913 in [[South Croydon]], Surrey<!--The London Borough of Croydon did not come into existence until 1965, long after Dougall's birth. Do not change-->.<ref name=IndyObit>{{cite news |last=Miall |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Miall |date=21 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-robert-dougall-1133861.html |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=24 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324114441/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-robert-dougall-1133861.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Leicester1973">{{cite news |last=Flett |first=Al |date=5 November 1973 |title=He's a bit of a rip—in the nicest way |page=17 |work=[[Leicester Mercury]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122194720/robert-dougall-leicester-mercury-5/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403175140/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122194720/robert-dougall-leicester-mercury-5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the son of a [[City of London]] worker from Glasgow, Scotland.<ref name="GuardianObit">{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |date=20 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/dec/20/guardianobituaries |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403172335/https://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/dec/20/guardianobituaries |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="REP1973">{{cite news |last=Horsburgh |first=Frances |date=8 November 1973 |title=Exit Bob, the fireside friend... |page=5 |work=[[Reading Evening Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122195702/robert-dougall-reading-evening-post/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403172339/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122195702/robert-dougall-reading-evening-post/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Dougall had two older sisters,<ref name="DTObit">{{cite news |date=20 December 1999 |title=Obituary: Robert Dougall |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122191670/robert-dougall-obituary-the-daily/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403175108/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122191670/robert-dougall-obituary-the-daily/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and moved frequently in his childhood before settling in the seaside town of Brighton because he had asthma.<ref name="GuardianObit" /> From 1923 to 1931,<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/internationalaut0000unse_k5d7/ |title=The International Authors and Writers Who's Who |publisher=International Biographical Centre |year=1995 |isbn=0-948875-81-X |editor1-last=Cummings |editor1-first=David |edition=Fourteenth |location=Cambridge, England |page=158 |chapter=Dougall, Robert Neill |editor2-last=Jacobson |editor2-first=Tanjam |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> he attended [[Whitgift School]] in Surrey;<ref name="ScotsmanObit">{{cite news |last=Steven |first=Alasdair |date=20 December 1999 |title=Robert Dougall |page=13 |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A82996454/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=3bd468b7 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=Gale OneFile: News |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404112124/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLmdhbGUuY29tL2FwcHMvZG9jL0E4Mjk5NjQ1NC9HUFM.dT13aWtpcGVkaWEmc2lkPWJvb2ttYXJrLUdQUyZ4aWQ9M2JkNDY4Yjc- |url-status=live }}</ref> he did not carry on to university despite having some talent in languages, specifically French and German.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" />
-Dougall left Whitgift School at the age of 16 when work became scarce during the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|Great Depression]].<ref name="TimesObit">{{cite news |date=20 December 1999 |title=Robert Dougall |page=19 |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://link-gale-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/IF0501313963/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=d7dde665 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=The Times Digital Archive}}</ref><ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965>{{Cite news |last=Gowers |first=Michael |date=19 June 1965 |title=Front Man of the B.B.C. News |page=6 |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206958/front-man-of-the-bbc-news-liverpool/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> Through his father's contacts in the city,<ref name="TimesObit" /> he was recruited as an accounts clerk by the [[Deloitte]] firm of accountants that were responsible for auditing the [[BBC World Service|BBC]].<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="Leicester1973" /> Dougall discovered that accounting was not for him, so he joined the BBC's Accounts Departments after a friend recommended it to him while he was conducting an audit.<ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" />
+Dougall left Whitgift School at the age of 16 when work became scarce during the [[Great Depression in the United Kingdom|Great Depression]].<ref name="TimesObit">{{cite news |date=20 December 1999 |title=Robert Dougall |page=19 |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0501313963/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=d7dde665 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=The Times Digital Archive}}</ref><ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965>{{Cite news |last=Gowers |first=Michael |date=19 June 1965 |title=Front Man of the B.B.C. News |page=6 |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206958/front-man-of-the-bbc-news-liverpool/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403183509/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206958/front-man-of-the-bbc-news-liverpool/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Through his father's contacts in the city,<ref name="TimesObit" /> he was recruited as an accounts clerk by the [[Deloitte]] firm of accountants that were responsible for auditing the [[BBC World Service|BBC]].<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="Leicester1973" /> Dougall discovered that accounting was not for him, so he joined the BBC's Accounts Departments after a friend recommended it to him while he was conducting an audit.<ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" />
 == Career ==
 On his 21st birthday in 1934, his bilingualism landed him a position as a radio announcer for the [[BBC World Service|BBC Empire Service]] (the forerunner of the BBC World Service),<ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" /> becoming the youngest BBC staff announcer.<ref name="Leicester1973" /><ref name="REP1973" /> Dougall also worked for the BBC European Service, where he conducted a number of interviews that were broadcast across Europe.<ref name="ScotsmanObit" /> He worked six days on and three days off before transitioning to outside broadcasts with a focus on the London scene.<ref name="DTObit" />
-By 1939, Dougall had advanced to the position of associate editor, and he announced the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany when Germany invaded Poland that September.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="ScotsmanObit" /> He had broadcast a message as a "anonymous" Englishman (although speaking in German, which was translated by a member of the German Service), pleading with Germany to withdraw its forces and avert the impending war.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="TimesObit" /> Dougall was "indefinitely reserved" for duty as a radio war correspondent and commentator for outside events by the BBC during the early years of the [[Second world war]].<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" /> As he informed the world and the British Empire about the events of the war,<ref name="GuardianObit" /> he reported on [[The Blitz]] in London and Plymouth,<ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965/> decamped with the BBC Overseas Service at Abbey Manor in [[Evesham]], reported for ''Radio Newsreel'' and interviewed commonwealth leaders.<ref name="DTObit" />
+By 1939, Dougall had advanced to the position of associate editor, and he announced the United Kingdom's declaration of war on Germany when Germany invaded Poland that September.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="ScotsmanObit" /> He had broadcast a message as a "anonymous" Englishman (although speaking in German, which was translated by a member of the German Service), pleading with Germany to withdraw its forces and avert the impending war.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="TimesObit" /> Dougall was "indefinitely reserved" for duty as a radio war correspondent and commentator for outside events by the BBC during the early years of the [[Second World War]].<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" /> As he informed the world and the British Empire about the events of the war,<ref name="GuardianObit" /> he reported on [[The Blitz]] in London and Plymouth,<ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965/> decamped with the BBC Overseas Service at Abbey Manor in [[Evesham]], reported for ''Radio Newsreel'' and interviewed commonwealth leaders.<ref name="DTObit" />
-In 1942, Dougall resigned from the BBC following the corporation's recruitment of Irish playwright Douglas Johnston as its Middle East air correspondent.<ref name="DTObit" /> He signed up to train with the [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval Volunteer Service]] that same year.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="PenguinTV">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/penguintvcompani0000evan_p3t5/ |title=The Penguin TV Companion |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-241-95291-7 |edition=Fourth |location=London, England |page=288 |chapter=Dougall, Robert |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]] |orig-year=2001}}</ref> Dougall took a short course in Russian in [[Harwich]], where he completed his basic training, after learning that volunteers were needed for special duties at a Northern Russia base.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /> He sailed with convoys carrying supplies from Britain and the United States between [[Murmansk]], at the end of the Russian portion of the Arctic convoy route, and the United Kingdom.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 November 1973 |title=Robert Dougall |page=1 |work=[[Birmingham Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202650/robert-dougall-the-birmingham-post/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
+In 1942, Dougall resigned from the BBC following the corporation's recruitment of Irish playwright Douglas Johnston as its Middle East air correspondent.<ref name="DTObit" /> He signed up to train with the [[Royal Navy|Royal Naval Volunteer Service]] that same year.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="PenguinTV">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/penguintvcompani0000evan_p3t5/ |title=The Penguin TV Companion |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-241-95291-7 |edition=Fourth |location=London, England |page=288 |chapter=Dougall, Robert |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]] |orig-year=2001}}</ref> Dougall took a short course in Russian in [[Harwich]], where he completed his basic training, after learning that volunteers were needed for special duties at a Northern Russia base.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /> He sailed with convoys carrying supplies from Britain and the United States between [[Murmansk]], at the end of the Russian portion of the Arctic convoy route, and the United Kingdom.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 November 1973 |title=Robert Dougall |page=1 |work=[[Birmingham Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202650/robert-dougall-the-birmingham-post/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403175109/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202650/robert-dougall-the-birmingham-post/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-Following demobilisation, Dougall returned to the BBC as an announcer and newsreader for the [[BBC Home Service]].<ref name="TimesObit" /> In 1947, Dougall was appointed Programme Manager of the BBC's Far Eastern Service by the [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|Foreign Office]], a position which required him to move to [[Singapore]].<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965/> He was responsible for relaying Russian broadcasts to London until the Far Eastern Service became redundant soon after and went on to become a presenter of the [[BBC Light Programme]] shows ''Serenade for Sleep'', ''Music for Midnight'' and ''Family Favourites''. Dougall also presented the 10pm news bulletin from February 1951.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Campey |first=George |date=1 February 1951 |title=Here is the news |page=1 |work=[[London Evening Standard]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206692/here-is-the-news-london-evening/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
+Following demobilisation, Dougall returned to the BBC as an announcer and newsreader for the [[BBC Home Service]].<ref name="TimesObit" /> In 1947, Dougall was appointed Programme Manager of the BBC's Far Eastern Service by the [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|Foreign Office]], a position which required him to move to [[Singapore]].<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name=LiverpoolEcho1965/> He was responsible for relaying Russian broadcasts to London until the Far Eastern Service became redundant soon after and went on to become a presenter of the [[BBC Light Programme]] shows ''Serenade for Sleep'', ''Music for Midnight'' and ''Family Favourites''. Dougall also presented the 10pm news bulletin from February 1951.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Campey |first=George |date=1 February 1951 |title=Here is the news |page=1 |work=[[Evening Standard]]|location=London |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206692/here-is-the-news-london-evening/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403181946/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122206692/here-is-the-news-london-evening/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-Dougall began working as a television newsreader in 1954,<ref name=TVWhosWho>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoontelevis0000unse_o7m8/ |title=Who's Who on Television: A Fully Illustrated Guide to 1,000 Best Known Faces on British Television |publisher=Independent Television Books |year=1980 |isbn=0-900727-71-3 |editor-last=Curthoys |editor-first=Alan |location=London, England |page=74 |chapter=Dougall, Robert MBE |editor-last2=Doyle |editor-first2=John |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> and is thought to have been the only person from the BBC's early radio service who had an enduring career in television. He and other BBC newsreaders such as [[Kenneth Kendall]] and [[Richard Baker (broadcaster)|Richard Baker]] were not visible until the September 1955 debut of [[ITN]] led Chief News Editor [[Tahu Hole]] to agree to broadcast their faces but not their names on-screen.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" /> As part of an effort to make television less trivial, news headline evening bulletins were broadcast every hour from 6 to 11 p.m., and Dougall was appointed to be a member of the news reading team on 1 October 1957.<ref name="TimesObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 September 1957 |title=More news |page=5 |work=[[Daily Herald (United Kingdom)|Daily Herald]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205709/more-news-daily-herald-3-september/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> It was then that he and other newsreaders could be named.<ref name="DTObit" />
+Dougall began working as a television newsreader in 1954,<ref name=TVWhosWho>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoontelevis0000unse_o7m8/ |title=Who's Who on Television: A Fully Illustrated Guide to 1,000 Best Known Faces on British Television |publisher=Independent Television Books |year=1980 |isbn=0-900727-71-3 |editor-last=Curthoys |editor-first=Alan |location=London, England |page=74 |chapter=Dougall, Robert MBE |editor-last2=Doyle |editor-first2=John |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> and is thought to have been the only person from the BBC's early radio service who had an enduring career in television. He and other BBC newsreaders such as [[Kenneth Kendall]] and [[Richard Baker (broadcaster)|Richard Baker]] were not visible until the September 1955 debut of [[ITN]] led Chief News Editor [[Tahu Hole]] to agree to broadcast their faces but not their names on-screen.<ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="TimesObit" /> As part of an effort to make television less trivial, news headline evening bulletins were broadcast every hour from 6 to 11 p.m., and Dougall was appointed to be a member of the news reading team on 1 October 1957.<ref name="TimesObit" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=3 September 1957 |title=More news |page=5 |work=[[Daily Herald (United Kingdom)|Daily Herald]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205709/more-news-daily-herald-3-september/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403181947/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205709/more-news-daily-herald-3-september/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was then that he and other newsreaders could be named.<ref name="DTObit" />
-<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:BBC Nine O'Clock News 1970.jpg|thumb|right|Robert Dougall presented the first [[BBC Nine O'Clock News]] in 1970.{{FFDC|1=BBC Nine O'Clock News 1970.jpg|log=28 March 2010|date=May 2012}}]] -->According to [[Leonard Miall]] of ''[[The Independent]]'' and his obituarist in ''[[The Times]]'', Dougall became popular with the television audience with his straightforwardness.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="TimesObit" /> He announced the fall of [[Nikita Khrushchev]] and the results of the [[1964 United Kingdom general election]].<ref name="GuardianObit" /> Dougall was selected to present ''News Review for the Hard of Hearing'' when [[BBC Two|BBC2]] was launched in 1964,<ref name="DTObit" /> and worked as a news reading training adviser for radio and television personnel of the [[Kenya Broadcasting Corporation|Voice of Kenya]] in late 1968.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 October 1968 |title=Reading the news in Kenya |page=18 |work=Cheddar Valley Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205954/robert-dougall-kenya-the-cheddar/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> He was the first person to present the long-running ''[[BBC Nine O'Clock News]]'' in 1970, continuing in this role until his retirement from the newsroom on 31 December 1973. Dougall's autobiography, ''In and Out of the Box'', was published in October 1973 and has been reprinted six times.<ref name=IndyObit/> He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This is Your Life]]'' on 2 January 1974.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 1974 |title=News Reader's 'Life' Top TV Programme |page=16 January 1974 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122207888/this-is-your-life-robert-dougall-the/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
+<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:BBC Nine O'Clock News 1970.jpg|thumb|right|Robert Dougall presented the first [[BBC Nine O'Clock News]] in 1970.{{FFDC|1=BBC Nine O'Clock News 1970.jpg|log=28 March 2010|date=May 2012}}]] -->According to [[Leonard Miall]] of ''[[The Independent]]'' and his obituarist in ''[[The Times]]'', Dougall became popular with the television audience with his straightforwardness.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="TimesObit" /> He announced the fall of [[Nikita Khrushchev]] and the results of the [[1964 United Kingdom general election]].<ref name="GuardianObit" /> Dougall was selected to present ''News Review for the Hard of Hearing'' when [[BBC Two|BBC2]] was launched in 1964,<ref name="DTObit" /> and worked as a news reading training adviser for radio and television personnel of the [[Kenya Broadcasting Corporation|Voice of Kenya]] in late 1968.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 October 1968 |title=Reading the news in Kenya |page=18 |work=Cheddar Valley Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205954/robert-dougall-kenya-the-cheddar/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403182000/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122205954/robert-dougall-kenya-the-cheddar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the first person to present the long-running ''[[BBC Nine O'Clock News]]'' in 1970, continuing in this role until his retirement from the newsroom on 31 December 1973. Dougall's autobiography, ''In and Out of the Box'', was published in October 1973 and has been reprinted six times.<ref name=IndyObit/> He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This is Your Life]]'' on 2 January 1974.<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 January 1974 |title=News Reader's 'Life' Top TV Programme |page=16 January 1974 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122207888/this-is-your-life-robert-dougall-the/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403183455/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122207888/this-is-your-life-robert-dougall-the/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ==Post-retirement==
-From 1970 to 1975, he was president of the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB),<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" />  and became its honorary vice-president in 1979,<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 June 1982 |title=Authors turn up to aid publishers' sales drive |page=7 |work=Loughborough News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203409/authors-sales-drive-loughborough-news/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> having been a member of the organisation since 1949.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Utting |first=David |date=5 May 1982 |title=Dougall snaps at dreaded twitchers |page=19 |work=[[Daily Post (North Wales)|Daily Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203303/robert-dougall-dreaded-twitchers/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> The RSPB's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000 during Dougall's presidency.<ref name=IndyObit/> In 1975, he appeared as a guest on ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show]]'', where he danced.<ref name="ScotsmanObit" /><ref name="PenguinTV" /> Dougall also appeared on television programmes and films such as [[The Generation Game|''The Generation Game'']], ''Russell Harty Show'', ''[[Celebrity Squares]]'',<ref name=TVWhosWho/> [[Nationwide (TV programme)|''Nationwide'']], [[Going for a Song|''Going for a Song'']], [[Yes Minister|''Yes Minister'']], [[Danger Tomorrow|''Danger Tomorrow'']] and [[The End of Arthur's Marriage|''The End of Arthur's Marriage'']].<ref name="PenguinTV" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Dougall |url=https://mubi.com/cast/robert-dougall |access-date=3 April 2023 |publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]]}}</ref> He appeared in an advertising campaign for the jewellers Prestons of Bolton in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 July 1984 |title=Diamonds are their friends |page=25 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202240/prestons-of-bolton-campaign/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref>
+From 1970 to 1975, he was president of the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB),<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> and became its honorary vice-president in 1979,<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 June 1982 |title=Authors turn up to aid publishers' sales drive |page=7 |work=Loughborough News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203409/authors-sales-drive-loughborough-news/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403173833/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203409/authors-sales-drive-loughborough-news/ |url-status=live }}</ref> having been a member of the organisation since 1949.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Utting |first=David |date=5 May 1982 |title=Dougall snaps at dreaded twitchers |page=19 |work=[[Daily Post (North Wales)|Daily Post]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203303/robert-dougall-dreaded-twitchers/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403173841/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122203303/robert-dougall-dreaded-twitchers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The RSPB's membership increased from 50,000 to 250,000 during Dougall's presidency,<ref name=IndyObit/> and took responsibility for land-management at [[Minsmere River|Minsmere]] and exporting the RSPB's expertise abroad to reserves such as Spain's [[Coto de Donana]] and Malta's [[Ghadira Pool]].<ref name="RSPB">{{cite book |last=Samstag |first=Tony |url=https://archive.org/details/forloveofbirds0000roya/ |title=For Love of Birds: The Story of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: 1889–1988 |publisher=[[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] |year=1988 |isbn=0-903138-28-X |location=[[Sandy, Bedfordshire]] |page=133 |url-access=registration |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> He was the narrator of two of RSPB's wildlife films and raised money for the [[Royal National Institute for Deaf People]] through television appeals.<ref name="RSPB" /> In 1975, he appeared as a guest on ''[[The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968 TV series)|The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show]]'', where he danced.<ref name="ScotsmanObit" /><ref name="PenguinTV" /> Dougall also appeared on television programmes and films such as ''[[The Generation Game]]'', ''Russell Harty Show'', ''[[Celebrity Squares]]'',<ref name=TVWhosWho/> [[Nationwide (TV programme)|''Nationwide'']], ''[[Going for a Song]]'', ''[[Yes Minister]]'', ''[[Danger Tomorrow]]'' and ''[[The End of Arthur's Marriage]]''.<ref name="PenguinTV" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Dougall |url=https://mubi.com/cast/robert-dougall |access-date=3 April 2023 |publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403172339/https://mubi.com/cast/robert-dougall |url-status=live }}</ref> He appeared in an advertising campaign for the jewellers Prestons of Bolton in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 July 1984 |title=Diamonds are their friends |page=25 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202240/prestons-of-bolton-campaign/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403173835/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122202240/prestons-of-bolton-campaign/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-Dougall was a member of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] between 1975 and 1983 as well as the [[Garrick Club]].<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> He also presented seven series of [[Channel 4|Channel 4's]] over-60s programme ''Years Ahead'' over four years and two series of the ITV programme ''[[Stars on Sunday (TV series)|Stars on Sunday]]'' in the mid-1970s.<ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref name="ScotsmanObit" /> In mid-1995, Dougall was removed as president of the Association of Retired Persons Over 50, a role he had held since the anti-ageist association was founded seven years earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Pierce |date=8 September 1995 |title=Anti-ageist body dumps too-old head; Robert Dougall |page=3 |work=[[The Times]] |issue=65367 |url=https://link-gale-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/IF0502143485/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=7d622858 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=The Times Digital Archive}}</ref> He was replaced by newsreader [[Martyn Lewis]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 1995 |title=The costly cult of youth |page=3 |work=[[The Observer|The Observer Review]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122187494/the-costly-cult-of-youth-the-observer/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}}}}</ref> Dougall was a contributor to newspapers and magazines such as ''[[The Sunday Telegraph|The Sunday Telegraph Magazine]]'', the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', ''[[The Spectator]]'' and ''High Life''.<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> He wrote the books ''Now for the Good News'' (1976), ''A Celebration of Birds'' (1978),  ''The Ladybird Book Of British Birds'', ''Basil Ede's Birds'' (1980) and ''Birdwatch Round Britain'' (1982).<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" />
+Dougall was a member of the [[Royal Society of Literature]] between 1975 and 1983 as well as the [[Garrick Club]].<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> He also presented seven series of [[Channel 4|Channel 4's]] over-60s programme ''Years Ahead'' over four years and two series of the ITV programme ''[[Stars on Sunday (TV series)|Stars on Sunday]]'' in the mid-1970s.<ref name="GuardianObit" /><ref name="ScotsmanObit" /> In mid-1995, Dougall was removed as president of the Association of Retired Persons Over 50, a role he had held since the anti-ageist association was founded seven years earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Pierce |date=8 September 1995 |title=Anti-ageist body dumps too-old head; Robert Dougall |page=3 |work=[[The Times]] |issue=65367 |url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/IF0502143485/TTDA?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=7d622858 |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=The Times Digital Archive |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404112133/https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/?next_url=/ezproxy/r/ezp.2aHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLmdhbGUuY29tL2FwcHMvZG9jL0lGMDUwMjE0MzQ4NS9UVERBP3U9d2lraXBlZGlhJnNpZD1ib29rbWFyay1UVERBJnhpZD03ZDYyMjg1OA-- |url-status=live }}</ref> He was replaced by newsreader [[Martyn Lewis]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 1995 |title=The costly cult of youth |page=3 |work=[[The Observer|The Observer Review]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122187494/the-costly-cult-of-youth-the-observer/ |access-date=3 April 2023 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403075402/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/122187494/the-costly-cult-of-youth-the-observer/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Dougall was a contributor to newspapers and magazines such as ''[[The Sunday Telegraph|The Sunday Telegraph Magazine]]'', the ''[[Daily Mail]]'', ''[[The Spectator]]'' and ''High Life''.<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> He wrote the books ''Now for the Good News'' (1976), ''A Celebration of Birds'' (1978),  ''The Ladybird Book Of British Birds'', ''Basil Ede's Birds'' (1980) and ''Birdwatch Round Britain'' (1982).<ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" />
 ==Personal life==
-Dougall married BBC studio manager Nan Bryam ({{Nee|Lockhart}}) on 7 June 1947. The couple had a son and he was stepfather to her daughter from a previous marriage.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> Dougall's granddaughter [[Rose Elinor Dougall|Rose]] and grandson Tom are musicians.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Sarah |date=17 April 2007 |title=Pipettes bring touch of class to Academy |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/pipettes-bring-touch-of-class-to-academy-988611 |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref> He was appointed [[Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette
+Dougall married BBC studio manager Nan Bryam ({{Nee|Lockhart}}) on 7 June 1947. The couple had a son and he was stepfather to her daughter from a previous marriage.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref name="DTObit" /><ref name="AuthorsWhosWho" /> Dougall's granddaughter [[Rose Elinor Dougall|Rose]] and grandson Tom are musicians.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Sarah |date=17 April 2007 |title=Pipettes bring touch of class to Academy |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/pipettes-bring-touch-of-class-to-academy-988611 |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=3 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230403182007/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/pipettes-bring-touch-of-class-to-academy-988611 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was appointed [[Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1965 Birthday Honours]].<ref>{{London Gazette
 | issue = 43667
 | date = 12 June 1965
 | page = 5486
+| supp = y}}</ref> Dougall died in his sleep in [[Southwold]], [[Suffolk]] on 18 December 1999.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 1999 |title=BBC newsreader Dougall dies |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/571732.stm |access-date=3 April 2023 |archive-date=28 October 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021028112114/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/571732.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
-| pages =
-| supp = y}}</ref> Dougall died in his sleep in [[Southwold]], [[Suffolk]] on 18 December 1999.<ref name=IndyObit/><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 1999 |title=BBC newsreader Dougall dies |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/571732.stm |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>
+== Legacy ==
+A bromide print portrait of Dougall taken by Anthony Buckley in 1969 was bequeathed to the [[National Portrait Gallery, London]] and put on public display in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Robert Dougall |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw50263/Robert-Dougall?LinkID=mp55795&role=sit&rNo=0 |access-date=4 April 2023 |publisher=[[National Portrait Gallery, London]] |archive-date=25 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825074031/http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw50263/Robert-Dougall?LinkID=mp55795&role=sit&rNo=0 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ==References==
-{{reflist|2}}
+{{reflist}}
 ==External links==
 *{{IMDb name}}
@@ Line 72: / Line 74: @@
 [[Category:People from Croydon]]
 [[Category:People from Walberswick]]
-[[Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds people]]
+[[Category:Presidents of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]]
 [[Category:Birdwatchers]]