In 1991 he moved to BBC Radio 1, closely followed by Riley with whom, under the moniker Mark and Lard, he worked for 11 years on the station.

He stayed at the traditional all-male Woolton Hall, Manchester of the university at the Fallowfield Campus, where gowns and suits were worn at meal times, in the late 1970s; there were no exceptions.

He took an interest in music from a young age, playing drums in numerous bands while at school and university and into his working life.

He married Bella Sharp on Saturday 19 April 1997 in Cheshire; his 27 year old wife, from Hampshire, was an assistant at Granada TV.

He later hosted Transmission, an eclectic show playing local and nationally recognised new wave and post-punk bands as well as European avant-garde and electronic music.

Nearly twenty years later, in 2009, he briefly stood in as a presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live, the station that replaced it, to cover Simon Mayo's afternoon show.

Radcliffe's BBC Radio 1 career began in 1983 when he produced sessions at Maida Vale Studios for John Peel's show, and was the head of live music.

Mark and Lard hosted a show of unprecedented variety, incorporating poetry readings from regular guest Ian McMillan, off the wall, irreverent comedy, bizarre quizzes 'Fish or Fowl', 'Bird or Bloke', 'Bard or Blake' (amongst others), and a playlist that rivalled John Peel in eclecticism.

The show also held some of the best sessions from up and coming and alternative bands of the time, including Throwing Muses, Moloko, Nick Cave, Pulp, Cardiacs, The Bluetones, Babybird, The Divine Comedy, Placebo and Mice.

[21] Following Chris Evans' sudden departure from Radio 1 in early 1997, Radcliffe and Riley were moved to a brief and unsuccessful position on the breakfast show.

The new show was reminiscent of the graveyard slot he had previously occupied on BBC Radio 1; with live music and studio guests and ran between 10:30 pm and midnight.

The respect Radcliffe had garnered as a broadcaster was cemented when he scooped a major interview with Kate Bush in late 2005, her first in several years.

Starting on 16 April 2007, Radcliffe joined forces with Stuart Maconie to present a new show on BBC Radio 2 on Mondays to Thursdays from 8 pm to 10 pm to much critical acclaim, including winning the prestigious Sony award for best Radio show of 2009.

In 2009, Radcliffe reunited with Marc Riley to make a series of radio adverts for Manchester City F.C.

In spring 2011, his show with Maconie moved to BBC Radio 6 Music, in the weekday afternoon slot.

[29][30][31] Along with Marc Riley, he presented a music-based quiz programme, Pop Upstairs Downstairs, for the BBC/Flextech digital TV channel UK Play in 1999 and 2000.

[27] The Shirehorses were due to appear in an episode of the sitcom Phoenix Nights as the folk band Half a Shilling, but had concerns about the potentially racist content of the part they were to play.

[39][40] Radcliffe wrote the autobiographical Showbusiness: The Diary of a Rock 'N' Roll Nobody (1999); a critically acclaimed history of his attempts at a career as a musician, including his exploits with Shirehorses.