Knowles began as a runner in television production, before moving into presenting. Knowles was a reporter for TVS in the South East, reporting on the nightly news programme "Coast To Coast", mostly covering upbeat reports, until TVS lost its contract in 1992. In the early 1990s, he presented a show called "Ridge Riders" for ITV. This featured a celebrity and another one or two guests riding classic motorcycles along off-road tracks around the UK. The viewer was treated to historic and local information about the locality as well as informal chats with the celebrity. Knowles appeared as a member of Channel 5's chat show "5's Company" between 1997 and 1999.