I shed a few tears when I got my letter
Uni honour for musician and broadcaster
Deacon Blue drummer and celebrated broadcaster Dougie Vipond has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Stirling.
Dougie received the award at Stirling’s spring graduation ceremony, which took place on Friday. He was recognised for his outstanding contribution to music, broadcasting, and community.
Dougie is one of the founders of the internationally successful Scottish pop rock band, Deacon Blue, and is now a celebrated broadcaster.
He received the award alongside hundreds of Stirling students at a ceremony on campus.
Dougie said: “I am flattered and humbled by this award. I shed a few tears when I opened the letter and discovered I was to be given an Honorary Doctorate.
“The University of Stirling is an extraordinary centre of excellence and for them to think I’m worthy of this is unbelievable. I would like to thank the university for this recognition.”
Dougie is a former student of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He was playing drums with Deacon Blue while studying classical music at the world-renowned centre of excellence for the performing arts.
In 1987, Deacon Blue’s first single, Dignity, propelled them to stardom and the band has since made 10 studio albums and sold more than seven million records, with their first three albums going platinum.
The band split in 1994, when Dougie was only 27, and he decided to change direction pursuing a career as a television presenter.
Dougie began his career in broadcasting at Scottish Television, presenting NB, the award-winning arts listings programme. He went on to front the extreme sports series The Adventure Show for the
BBC, taking part in a variety of thrilling outdoor sports and competitions.
His love of sport is reflected in the myriad of roles he took on for the BBC – he was an anchor for Reporting Scotland and BBC Scotland’s flagship football programme, Sportscene; and a presenter of a plethora of other sports including rugby, curling and athletics. He was the first Scottish presenter of rugby for Premier Sports and Viaplay and even enjoyed a short stint as cohost of ITV’S This Morning.
Dougie is currently the presenter of long-running farming and countryside programme, Landward, reporting on rural issues. In 2022, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society presented Dougie with an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his television presenting work.
Dougie still finds time to tour with Deacon Blue, which reformed in 1999, and support numerous charities and community groups. He has been integrally involved
I am flattered and humbled by this award Dougie Vipond
in fundraising for the My Name’s Doddie Foundation, participating in a cycle from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in 2022.
Originally from Renfrewshire, Dougie now lives in Bridge of Allan and is a strong advocate for the university and its elite athletes. He is a regular on campus and is often spotted with his University of Stirling Sport water bottle when on tour with Deacon Blue.
Professor Sir Gerry Mccormac, principal and vicechancellor of the University of Stirling, said: “Dougie Vipond’s achievements in music and broadcasting are inspiring.
“His success with Deacon
Blue and as a versatile broadcaster makes him a fantastic role model for our students. Everyone at the university enjoyed celebrating with Dougie, our latest cohort of graduands, and their families and friends.”
The ceremony is the first in a series of planned graduations this year.
University of Stirling’s local graduates were:
Doctor of Philosophy - Zita Babarczi
Bachelor of Arts with Honours Professional Education (Primary) with specialism in Literacy - Nicola Carroll
Bachelor of Arts with Honours Professional Education (Primary) with specialism in Modern Languages - Samantha-mae Hill
Bachelor of Science Nursing - Chanchali Maharjan; Shannonwalshe
Diploma of Higher Education - Beth Currie; Siannon Raeside.