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 Doolan worked at BRMB Birmingham's first commercial radio station, then moved to BBC WM in 1982. Doolan 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, Doolan 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.
Doolan 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. Doolan 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 Doolan co-presented the live and local TV talk show Central Weekend Live but prefers radio to television. Famous people Doolan 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.
Doolan 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.
Read more about this topic: Ed Doolan
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“It is a great many years since at the outset of my career I had to think seriously what life had to offer that was worth having. I came to the conclusion that the chief good for me was freedom to learn, think, and say what I pleased, when I pleased. I have acted on that conviction... and though strongly, and perhaps wisely, warned that I should probably come to grief, I am entirely satisfied with the results of the line of action I have adopted.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“I’ve been in the twilight of my career longer than most people have had their career.”
—Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)
“What exacerbates the strain in the working class is the absence of money to pay for services they need, economic insecurity, poor daycare, and lack of dignity and boredom in each partner’s job. What exacerbates it in upper-middle class is the instability of paid help and the enormous demands of the career system in which both partners become willing believers. But the tug between traditional and egalitarian models of marriage runs from top to bottom of the class ladder.”
—Arlie Hochschild (20th century)