Born in Gillingham in 1936, Dick Mills was educated in Kent and Scotland - eventually winning a scholarship to Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical College in Rochester. After leaving school Dick had a job in insurance in the City of London, but National Service intervened and he joined the RAF as a Ground Wireless Mechanic.
After his two years were up he applied for a job in BBC Radio as a Technical Assistant, before moving to the fledgling Radiophonic Workshop (initially as a holiday relief) in 1958 where he stayed until retiring in 1993. His sound design work at the Radiophonic Workshop appeared on many notable broadcasts such as "The Goon Show", "Quatermass and the Pit", and most famously "Doctor Who". However, he also contributed to many other programmes including numerous BBC Schools titles. but also took part in prestigious projects such as Roberto Gerhard's "Collages" (playing the solo tape machine during concerts at the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall), a performance by the Radiophonic Workshop in Concert (again at the Royal Festival Hall), explaining the role of the Workshop to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at BBC Engineering's 50th Anniversary celebration and many others.
In 2008 (ten years after the Radiophonic Workshop closed down) Dick and other RWS members came together as the Radiophonic Workshop Band to play live concerts of the Workshop's music, first at The Roundhouse in Camden, then in festivals in Britain and Europe. These performances have continued over the last few years and Dick appears onstage as the anchorman, complete with white coat and commodore's hat. The Workshop is currently promoting their first new album since the BBC days - "Burials In Several Earths" with upcoming concerts at the Science Museum in London and the Blue Dot Festival at Jodrell Bank.
