Doug Mulray

Radio career Mulray started his early years as a salesman traveling in Europe before his father, a lawyer, suggested a career in broadcasting. Mulray began his radio career at 2AD in Armidale in September 1975, after taking a broadcasting course at the Digamae (Rod Muir's) Radio School. After six months he moved to Central Coast station 2GO in Gosford. During the mid-1970s he worked on 3AW Melbourne with a program called "Mulray & The Man". Mulray served as breakfast host, which lifted the ratings share from 2.6 per cent to a staggering 18 per cent. He was known for his fictional characters, including Madam Zenda, who made outlandish comedic predictions about the future; Jack Africa, a man permanently paranoid who was convinced that chooks were out to get him; the Prime Mincer, a parody of the then Australian PM Bob Hawke; and Gloria, who was based on rival broadcaster Alan Jones.

Television career In 1992, he hosted the infamous Australia's Funniest Home Videos spin-off Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos; however, just halfway though one episode (which itself claimed to be "one off special" as in "off-colour"), it was pulled from broadcast by Nine Network by owner Kerry Packer after 34 minutes, who infamously called the station to "get that shit off the air!". Mulray was fired and banned for life from the Nine Network as a result. The program's timeslot was replaced by re-runs of American sitcom Cheers. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Mulray was part of the Channel Seven Australian Touring Car Championship and Bathurst 1000 commentary team headed up by Mike Raymond and Neil Crompton 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."

Honours In 2019, Mulray was inducted into the Commercial Radio Hall of Fame.

Personal life and death Mulray was married to Lizzie Muir. He died from liver cancer in Sydney on 30 March 2023, at age 71. Tributes were given by radio and media personalities such as Andrew Denton, Peter Switzer and Ben Fordham.

Discography Studio albums + List of albums, with selected details and chart positions Title Album details Peak chartpositions AUS What a Rude Album Released: 1982 Format: LP, cassette Label: OZ Records (OZS 1015) 22 2 Rude Released: 1983 Format: LP, cassette Label: OZ Records (OZS.1020) 24 Nice Legs Shame About the Fez Released: November 1993 Format: CD, cassette Label: Columbia (4755642) 32

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions

2004 – Kurt Elling: Live at the Basement (TV Movie documentary) (executive producer) 2003 – Steve Poltz: Live at the Basement (Video documentary) (executive producer) 2000 – The Basement (TV series) (director, also executive producer of one episode) 2000 – The Breakfast Show (executive producer)

As actor: