 He was an estate agent for a while, and recorded under various names including Mickey Manchester.Read's professional broadcasting career began in March 1976 at Reading's Radio 210, where he co-hosted a show with Steve Wright - entitled "Read and Wright" – before joining Radio Luxembourg late in 1977.He joined Radio 1 in November 1978 and was soon presenting the nighttime programme before John Peel's show, where he championed new groups and featured live sessions.