Born and bred in Manchester, Mark Riley flew through the halls of Mancunian academia and in the summer of 1978 left the hallowed halls of St Gregory's Grammar School (ex-Borstal in the Ardwick area) and straight into showbusiness. The specific mode of transport into showbusiness was none other than the professional Northern Miserable bastards, The Fall. It was in this successful ensemble that Riley played Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, and eventually, Kazoo. After nearly five years and a couple of fist fights, Riley flew that particular nest and formed a band that would go on to change the face of music as we know it...that band was The Creepers. Having changed the face of music, Riley disbanded the Creepers in 1989 and became a PR bod for the likes of 4AD and Factory Records, helping along the likes of Happy Mondays, The Pixies, and the Cocteau Twins.
 
    It was in this role as a shameless record plugger that Riley was allowed into the BBC North building through the back door. And once in, Riley quite simply refused to leave. Having manacled himself to the Parker-Knowles recliner of the great radio pioneer Frank Mansfield (editor of the newly unleashed Radio 5) Riley was eventually allowed on the medium air waves via 'Hit The North' where his wit, charm, and knowledge of the music biz saw his fortnightly gossip slot upped to a weekly appearance then as top flight researcher cum on air contributor to, quite rightly, eventually reaching the dizzy heights of Producer and hapless side-kick!
 
    Being dead clever and stuff, newly appointed Radio 1 big cheese Roger Bannister heard 'Hit The North' and employed Mark Radcliffe to fill Nicky Brambles graveyard slot. Realising Riley's (now re-christened the hapless boy-lard) importance in the scheme of things, Radcliffe made sure Riley was employed as a Sidekick and Biscuit Monitor.
 
    The rest, as they say, is history. To this day Radcliffe is regarded as one of the wittiest raconteurs on the wireless, and Lard is regarded as a right royal pain in the arse by all those unlucky enough to be subjected to his relentless arsenal of half-baked catch phrases... Fancy a Brew?... Cod, Fish, Battered, Balls,... Arse... Ho!... That's The Bunny...