Dickin started out as a musician in the 1960s: he was a bass player and singer who found he preferred playing records to making them when he joined the BBC in 1970 as the first presenter on air at Radio Oxford.

[4][5] The same year, Dickin moved to Australia where he worked for Sydney's biggest radio station, 2UE.

During a phone-in on religion in late 2005, a caller mentioned Scientology, to which Dickin replied sardonically: "Ah, yes.

Typical discussions on his show included crime, cars, trains, taxis, the problems of young people, the downfall of Britain, the incompetence of people in the service industry, speed cameras, parking tickets, and call centres.

Mike Dickin was killed in a car crash while driving on the A30 near his home in Cornwall, on 18 December 2006, at the age of 63.