In the 1970s, Miles, while he was working at PUNCH, Miles emerged as a broadcaster, popular with both producers and the audience. His first break was a discussion programme on television with an intense French pianist where, he said, he smoked like a chimney and made an ass of himself. But it led to other offers, including a regular guest spot on Call My Bluff.
Radio Three invited him to present a programme on a writer of his choice, the more obscure the better. He chose to promote Alphonse Allais, an unknown nineteenth century French humorist. He wasn’t sure if anyone listened to the programme but it did result in a publishing deal, and was, for him, the beginning of a long and successful career as a radio personality.