Few British radio voices are as tied to the 1980s as the one that woke the nation on BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast Show. Mike Read went from that breakfast-time fame to a county court bankruptcy order in February 2009, then rebuilt a quieter career on local stations — while a surprising number of personal questions stayed unanswered. The verified record is thinner, and stranger, than the gossip suggests.

Born: ·
Career start: 1976 ·
Known for: BBC Radio 1, Top of the Pops ·
Bankruptcy: February 2009 ·
Children: 1 daughter

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

Mike Read: Key Facts

Eight rows, one pattern: the public record is built on career dates and financial events, while the private column stays mostly empty.

Detail Record
Full name Michael David Kenneth Read
Born 1 March 1947, Bury, near Manchester (IMDb (entertainment database))
Occupation Disc jockey, television presenter, writer, journalist
Known for BBC Radio 1, Top of the Pops
Career start March 1976, Radio 210, Reading (ChiswickW4 (local community profile))
BBC Radio 1 Late 1978 to 1991
Bankruptcy February 2009; second insolvency order (Bob Lethaby (music industry blog))
Children One daughter (career summaries)

The pattern: the confirmed facts are almost all professional. The personal column — marriage, children, hair — depends on sources that rarely agree.

Does DJ Mike Read Wear a Wig?

The question follows Read through comment sections and radio forums, but the answer is not in any of the standard reference points.

Common speculation about Mike Read’s hair

  • Read’s public look changed visibly across five decades of television and press photographs, which keeps the question alive.
  • Fans point to changing hair colour, density and hairline between the 1970s and the 2010s.
  • The major reference points used for this profile — Wikipedia, IMDb and the national press coverage — contain no mention of a wig, a toupee or any hairpiece.

Evidence from photos and interviews

  • Broadcast photographs from the 1980s show a fuller head of dark hair; recent photographs show thinning grey hair. That is a description of age, not evidence of a wig.
  • Read has never publicly discussed his hair in any located interview, so there is no primary source to settle the argument.
The catch

A question that has followed a public broadcaster for decades has no documented answer. Treat any confident “yes” or “no” as speculation, not reporting.

What Age Is DJ Mike Read?

Read’s birth record is consistent across authoritative sources.

Mike Read’s birth date and year

  • Born 1 March 1947 in Bury, near Manchester, England (IMDb (entertainment database); Wikipedia (community-maintained biography))
  • Full name: Michael David Kenneth Read (Wikipedia (community-maintained biography))

Current age calculation

  • As of 2025, Read is 77 years old.
  • The date is not disputed across any of the biographical records examined.
Read’s age (77 in 2025) is one of the few personal data points that all sources agree on.

Is DJ Mike Read Married?

The marriage record is thin and contradictory.

Mike Read’s marital history

  • Major profiles contain no confirmed marriage details.
  • Some biography websites claim Read is married to a woman named Eileen, with the marriage occurring in 2001 (Pressorbit (celebrity biography site)).
  • No reliable national press source has confirmed this or any other marriage.

Current relationship status

  • No verifiable public statement from Read about his current relationship status exists.
  • Wikipedia, IMDb, and national newspaper profiles do not list a spouse.
What this means

Marital status is one of the unanswered personal questions. Unverified claims from secondary biography sites should not be treated as fact.

Does Mike Read Have Any Children?

The public record here is sparse but consistent.

Number of children

  • Read has one daughter, according to career summaries and biographical notes.
  • Her name and other identifying details have not been published in any mainstream profile reviewed.

Names and public appearances

  • She does not appear in Read’s public biographical materials or press coverage.
  • The daughter’s privacy appears to have been maintained throughout Read’s public career.
Read has one daughter, but her identity and life remain private — a pattern of personal obscurity that defines much of his off-air life.

What Is Mike Read Doing Now?

After the bankruptcy, Read returned to radio on smaller stations and continues writing.

Current radio shows

  • Read has presented on local stations including KCFM in Hull and Star 107.5 in Gloucestershire (Wikipedia (community-maintained biography)).
  • He continues to work in broadcasting and music-related projects.

Recent public appearances

  • Read has maintained a lower profile since leaving national radio, with occasional appearances and writing work.

Bankruptcy aftermath

  • February 2009: declared bankrupt at Colchester County Court (The Telegraph (UK national newspaper)).
  • His record collection — estimated at 120,000 vinyl records and valued at at least £1 million — was auctioned to pay creditors (ChiswickW4 (local community profile)).
  • Read had been declared insolvent twice; a first order in 2008 was annulled after payment of council debt (The Telegraph (UK national newspaper)).
The pattern

Read rebuilt professionally after financial collapse, but the personal questions — wig, marriage, family — remain unanswered in any verified source.

Related reading: **Nik Kershaw: Biography, Hits, and Where He Is Now** · **Bruno Tonioli: Why He Left BGT and Strictly**

Additional sources

civicinsight.uk, thecolorawesome.com, opiniondesk.uk, imdb.com, xn--uutisnkym-02ad.fi

For a deeper look into his life and the wig rumors, Mike Reads biography provides comprehensive details.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mike Read

What TV shows did Mike Read host besides Top of the Pops?

Read hosted the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show and appeared on various television music programmes, but Top of the Pops is his most prominent TV credit. Specific other TV hosting roles are not consistently documented in the profiles reviewed.

Did Mike Read write any songs?

Read wrote and performed music, including the 1986 single “The Loveliest Night of the Year” and co-writing the UK 1986 Eurovision entry. His songwriting credits are listed on Wikipedia.

What caused Mike Read’s bankruptcy?

The precise cause of the bankruptcy has not been detailed in public sources. The Telegraph reported that Read was declared bankrupt in February 2009 and had been insolvent twice, with a first order in 2008 annulled after paying a council debt.

Is Mike Read still active on radio?

Yes, Read continues to present on local radio stations, including past work on KCFM and Star 107.5, and pursues writing and music projects.

Where did Mike Read grow up?

Read was born in Bury, near Manchester, and was described as the only child of a publican, according to Wikipedia.

Did Mike Read have any siblings?

Wikipedia describes Read as the only child of a publican, indicating he had no siblings.

What is Mike Read doing now and what is his current career?

Read continues to work in local radio, writing, and music projects, maintaining a lower profile than in his BBC Radio 1 days.