Donnelly was born in
Glasgow, where he began his career with
Radio Clyde in the 1970s, until 1992. He also presented a "Dougie Donnelly File" show on Sunday evenings from 1987 to August 1988 which reviewed a famous musician/band each week. He was twice voted Scottish Radio Personality of the Year. Towards the end of his time, he mostly presented on
Clyde 1 and occasionally presented on
Clyde 2. He joined
BBC Scotland's Sports Department in 1978, which involved travelling to around 20 tournaments a year around the world. Donnelly was known outside Scotland by his involvement in the BBC's networked output of
golf,
darts,
snooker and
bowls. He is also an after-dinner speaker and awards host. ==Personal life==