Dougie Vipond

Dougie Vipond
Born
Douglas Vipond

(1966-10-15) 15 October 1966 (age 60)
OriginInchinnan, Renfrewshire, Scotland
GenresPop, alternative rock
OccupationsBroadcaster, musician
InstrumentsDrums, vocals
Years active1985–present
Member ofDeacon Blue

Douglas Vipond (born 15 October 1966) is a Scottish broadcaster and musician, best known as the drummer of Scottish pop rock band Deacon Blue.

Early life

Vipond was brought up in Inchinnan and attended Park Mains High School in Erskine, choosing to go there because of the reputation of the music department. After school, he enrolled at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music to study orchestral percussion.

Deacon Blue

Vipond was one of the founding members of pop band Deacon Blue alongside Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh. Their 1988 hit "Real Gone Kid" peaked at number 8 in the UK singles chart. They have had 12 UK Top 40 singles and two number-1 albums. He remains an active recording and touring member of the group alongside his broadcasting career.

Television career

On television and radio, Vipond has fronted sport, travel and rural affairs programmes. He has presented a range of sporting events including Scottish Cup Finals, International Rugby, Melrose 7s, World Championship Mountain Biking, Three-Day Eventing and Bowls World Championship. He can also be seen covering Scotland's nightly sports news on BBC Reporting Scotland.

He was one of the BBC's presenters for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, presenting daytime coverage of events for BBC Three, but was unable to present the closing ceremony as Deacon Blue were performing as part of it.

Vipond was also a guest presenter for the BBC Radio 4 programme Ramblings in 2013, walking a stretch of the Coast to Coast Walk.

He also presents BBC Scotland's The Adventure Show and the rural affairs series Landward. He has also been a presenter on BBC One's Holiday among others, and stood in for Richard Madeley on ITV's This Morning. He co-hosted the BBC show The Great Food Guys, showcasing Scottish food and produce with Nick Nairn.

Awards

In 2022, Vipond was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Perth-based Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

In March 2024, Vipond was the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Stirling.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dougie Knows The Score". Glasgow Skyline. Daily Record. 26 August 2000. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Margaret Taylor (23 February 2020). "Race to save music in schools: Deacon Blue star Dougie Vipond speaks out". The Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  3. ↑ "Deacon Blue". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Deacon Blue". Deacon Blue. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Our People Dougie Vipond". David John Associates. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Glasgow 2014: No bias at BBC, insists Inverdale". The Scotsman. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "Glasgow 2014: Closing ceremony marks Games end". BBC News. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Ramblings - Series 25 - Newbiggin on Lune to Kirkby Stephen - BBC Sounds". BBC. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Adventure Show". BB. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "Landward". BBC. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  12. ↑ Alexander, Michael (23 December 2022). "Deacon Blue drummer Dougie Vipond 'humbled and delighted' to receive prestigious RSGS award in Perth". The Courier. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Deacon Blue drummer and broadcaster Dougie Vipond to receive honorary degree from the University of Stirling | About". University of Stirling. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.