In 1966 Stilgoe played Benjamin in the West End musical, "Jorrocks". He made his name on the BBC television teatime programme, "Nationwide", followed by Esther Rantzen's "That's Life!", a light-hearted consumer affairs programme for which he wrote comic songs satirising minor domestic misfortunes, often to the tune of "Oh! Mr Porter". One song was a satire on 'officials' who have, in the name of the song, "Statutory Right of Entry to your Home"; with Stilgoe playing and singing, in barber-shop style, all parts himself using trick photography. His ability to write a song from almost any source material and at speed is part of his cabaret act, which includes singing the instructions from a Swedish payphone; a pastiche of the King's Singers listing the kings and queens of England in which he sings all four parts; and composing a song in the interval from words and musical notes called out by the audience. He has also written and presented BBC radio programmes, including "Hamburger Weekend", "Used Notes", "Stilgoe's Around", "Maestro" and "Richard Stilgoe's Traffic Jam Show" on BBC Radio 4.