Mike Molloy

About

Mike Molloy was born in Hertfordshire on 22 December 1940. He was educated at Ealing Junior School and Ealing School of Art. He joined the Sunday Pictorial in 1956, and in 1959 moved to the Daily Sketch, where he also drew cartoons - including a single-panel series called "The Ravers." In 1962 he joined the Daily Mirror as a journalist, and continued contributing cartoons - including the pocket series "Insiders."

In 1973 Molloy received the Mirror Group's Cudlipp Award, and in 1975 he became editor of the Daily Mirror. During his editorship the Daily Mirror was voted Newspaper of the Year in 1981, but it lost a million copies in circulation. In 1984 Mirror Group Newspapers was bought by Robert Maxwell, and in the following year he moved Molloy to became editor-in-chief of the Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People, with special responsibility for the introduction of colour printing. From 1986 to 1988 Molloy also edited the Sunday Mirror.

In 1990 Molloy left Mirror Group Newspapers. For some time he had been interested in buying the failing Punch, and in 1996 was commissioned to buy it for £500,000 on behalf of Mohammed Al Fayed, who remained anonymous during the negotiations. Molloy helped to found Al Fayed's Liberty Publishing, and was made deputy editor of Punch under Peter McKay. The magazine was relaunched in September 1996, but Molloy left after only six issues had been published.

As well as being a journalist Molloy has also written a number of successful novels.