His studies for a degree at Trinity College, Dublin, where he read French and German Literature, were interrupted when he joined the British Army and served in the Irish Guards between 1944 and 1948.
[2] He first joined the BBC's Third Programme in 1952 discovering his job was "simply a mouth opening and shutting in this tiny little studio in the double basement of Broadcasting House".
He left in 1960, but returned in 1964 when attitudes were changing; the Third's announcers were now sharing office space with broadcasters from the Light Programme.
[4] On another occasion, when the Greenwich Time Signal was accidentally heard over The Hebrides overture (aka, Fingal's Cave) he commented: "I do hope the Mendelssohn didn't spoil your enjoyment of the pips".
Later he worked for the South African Broadcasting Corporation where he presented a classical music programme for three months each year.