Veteran Australian entertainer and radio identity, Doug Mulray, has died aged 71.
While the Sydney radio star made his name by dominating the commercial airwaves in the 1980s with his creativity and stunts, his TV show Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos was famously pulled off air by Channel Nine owner Kerry Packer after just 34 minutes.
In 1992 Packer called his own TV station and said “Get that shit off the air” after he saw clips of animals fornicating and a boy pulling the testicles of a kangaroo, accompanied by Mulray’s commentary. It was replaced by an episode of Cheers and it would be another 10 years before Mulray appeared on Nine again.
Mulray’s family said he passed away on Thursday after a long illness. He is survived by wife Lizzie and three children.
MG recalled a ripping story about the time Uncle Doug 'blessed' the Panthers before the 1991 Grand Final https://t.co/2hQPrnEEZS
— Triple M Sydney 104.9 (@TripleMSydney) March 30, 2023
“He died peacefully yesterday, with his longtime partner Lizzie and business partner Hamish Cameron by his side,” the statement said.
“From the formative years of Triple M, and FM radio … his show’s ratings share grew from 2.6% to over 18%, thrusting Triple M into #1status.
“Doug Mulray was a very private man and since his retirement deliberately kept out of the limelight for the past 20 years.”
Doug Mulray was a giant of Sydney radio. Inspiring many of my colleagues to start a career in broadcasting. Thinking of his family, friends and the team at @TripleMSydney #ripdougmulray #uncledoug pic.twitter.com/LZl6CoqOGv
— Dave Williams (@DangerousDaveW) March 30, 2023
When Mulray, who was from Sydney’s northern beaches, was inducted into the Commercial Radio Australia Hall of Fame in 2019 he quipped “it was about time”.
“A recognition of 15 years of partying really, imagine getting an award for having a good time, remarkable really,” he said.
He got his start in radio in the 1970s working for a regional station in Armidale before moving on to ABC’s Double J.
He was picked up by Triple M in 1982, eventually signing off in 1992.
Comedians Adam Hills and Andrew Denton credited Mulray for inspiring their humour, and in Denton’s case for giving him a start in radio when he hired him as a writer.
Listening to Doug Mulray shaped my comedy more than almost any other person. I still remember listening to his interview with Robin Williams while on my way to Uni - laughing out loud on the bus. I’m genuinely saddened to hear of his loss. He was a giant of Australian radio. https://t.co/UzGlv0bf3R
— Adam Hills (@adamhillscomedy) March 30, 2023
Denton paid tribute to the comedy legend who was affectionately known as “Uncle Doug”, describing him as the “true original”: “if the world is a glass of water – he is a Berocca”.
“It was an incendiary, fantastic cartwheel of a working relationship,” Denton told Sarah Macdonald on ABC Radio Sydney.
“It was really unpredictable, hilariously funny – on and off air.”
“To paraphrase Douglas Adams – he loved rules. He loved the whistling noise as they went by.”
Triple M host Mick Molloy said many in the industry owed him a debt for paving the way.
“It is a terrible morning,” Molloy said. “A huge gaping hole has been left in the landscape of FM radio, particularly in Sydney where Doug Mulray ruled since 1982.
“He was the man, he was a legendary radio performer. For anyone in comedy, particularly going into radio, he was considered the biggest star in the firmament.”
