Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Miles left school to become a broadcaster after persuading his local station to hire him.
[citation needed] He then travelled to Australia, before moving on to Singapore as a newsreader, leaving only days before the island was invaded by the Japanese Army during the Second World War.
Take Your Pick, which was masterminded by Miles (who was reputed to earn the phenomenal sum of £20,000 a year) relied on public participation and was a ratings success.
[citation needed] The show was cancelled in 1968, when producers Associated Rediffusion were forced to become Thames Television in the ITV franchise reshuffle.
[3] Miles and Take Your Pick were parodied in a Monty Python sketch (titled "Spot the Brain Cell" in its LP version), in which John Cleese as a quizmaster called Michael cheerfully mocks the stupidity of a female contestant played by Terry Jones.