MacAulay's first experience of
stand-up comedy came at Bar Point in the "West End" of
Paisley. He enjoyed vocal support from some close friends as he appeared alongside the established Glasgow comedian Bruce Morton. From there, in 1988 he performed at
Mayfest festival in
Glasgow, which burgeoned into a semi-professional career, including jobs as a warm-up act for TV programmes including
Have I Got News for You and for comedians
Paul Merton and
Rory Bremner. His first on-screen appearance came on
STV's stand-up programme
The Funny Farm. MacAulay became a full-time professional comedian in 1993. He also presented two series of the children's version of
Now You See It in 1994 and 1995 on
Scottish Television. MacAulay has gone on to be a regular performer at the
Edinburgh Fringe and at comedy festivals worldwide. He had presented
BBC Radio Scotland's morning show from 1997 to 2015, and for BBC TV he hosted one series of the talk show
McCoist and MacAulay (with retired footballer
Ally McCoist), two seasons of
Life According to Fred and
BBC Scotland's coverage of
Children in Need with
Hazel Irvine in 1998 and 1999 and
Jackie Bird from 2000 to 2002. He has appeared as a guest on comedy quiz programmes ''
They Think It's All Over, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, The Unbelievable Truth, Just a Minute, QI, The News Quiz and Mock the Week, and made a return to Have I Got News For You'' as an on-screen guest. In 2009 he hosted a
panel game on
BBC Radio 4, ''
I Guess That's Why They Call It The News''. In October 2018 MacAulay appeared in the Scottish episode of
HISTORY's TV series
Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate The English alongside host
Al Murray. In 2020, MacAulay was chosen to host Zoom interviews with Fringe celebrities for the Gilded Balloon's '35th' year. In 2001 he was elected
Rector of the University of Dundee and was formally installed in office on 3 May 2001. In 2007, he competed in
Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and was the seventh to be eliminated. Fred currently hosts a Sunday-morning show on
Clyde 2 from 10 am to 1 pm. The show is produced and broadcast from the station's Clydebank studios in Glasgow and carried on
Greatest Hits Radio's network of locally-branded Scottish stations. The show includes a "top 10 @ 10" feature and music from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s along with special guests. ==References==