He made his operatic debut after the end of WWII with the New London Opera Company. He was a regular at the Glyndebourne Festival.
He studied law but never practiced it.
He appeared 500 times on the long-running BBC radio quiz show "My Music".
Perhaps best known for his performance of the "Hippopotamus" song ("Mud, mud, glorious mud"). His concerts typically included songs by Flanders and Swann.