Doug Graham (Winners & Losers)
Doug Graham is a fictional character in the Australian Channel Seven drama series Winners & Losers, played by Tom Wren. Doug made his debut screen appearance in the pilot episode "Covert Aggression in Netball", which was broadcast on 22 March 2011. Doug is one of the show's regular male characters. Wren was cast in the show after only working as a guest artist on other shows. Actor Stephen Phillips also auditioned for the role but he was cast as Doug's friend Zach Armstrong. Doug works a registrar at a local hospital. He is characterised as a caring and patient individual with a high sense of morality. He shares a close on-screen friendship with Sophie Wong (Melanie Vallejo). But Doug is also in love with her. Their "will they, won't they?" story arc has spanned throughout the character's tenure. Though Doug also has relationships with Bec Gilbert (Zoe Tuckwell-Smith) and Carla Hughes (Sibylla Budd).
| Doug Graham | |
|---|---|
| Winners & Losers character | |
| First appearance | "Covert Aggression in Netball" 22 March 2011 |
| Last appearance | "Happy Endings" 8 September 2015 |
| Created by | Bevan Lee |
| Portrayed by | Tom Wren |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Doctor Emergency Medicine Registrar |
| Spouse | Carla Hughes (2014–) |
| Significant other | Sophie Wong Bec Gilbert |
| Children | Harrison Graham |
Doug has been centric to a number of the shows pregnancy storylines. His encounter with Bec results in her giving birth to his son Harrison Graham. It proved complicated and occurred while he was in a relationship with Sophie. The latter also becomes pregnant but has an abortion. While Carla becomes pregnant and suffers a miscarriage. Doug has also been involved in a topical storyline involving Cat Johnson's (Peta Sergeant) euthanasia. The show concluded Doug romantic involvement with Sophie when he chooses to marry Carla. Wren believed that his character had not been fully developed during season one. But the following season saw Doug being explored to a greater extent. Wren believed his character had become "fully flesher-out".
The actor gained a "Most Popular New Talent" Logie Awards nomination for his portrayal. Guy David (The Newcastle Herald) believed the character was sidelined by other characters. While his colleague branded him the show's "resident nice guy". An Illawarra Mercury writer believed that Doug's serious car accident marked Winners & Losers' transition into "darker territory".