Played flute with the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra and was asked to take over as conductor in the early 1960s when Alyn Ainsworth left. About the same time, the BBC asked him to take on board the rise of the rock and pop industry. He did so with great professionalism with shows like "Pop North" and "Here We Go With The NDO", a show in which the Beatles made their radio debut in 1962. Confusion reigned when the American
Bernard Herrmann arrived to take up residence in England. These two musicians with identical names were often confused. A lot of people made the mistake - even newspapers and the BBC itself often confused the two men.