Born in a log cabin on the Kamchatka Peninsula during a bitter Russian winter, the youngest in a family of 37, as a baby Mike was exchanged for a carton of Marlboro Reds and a Lada gearbox, and smuggled into Australia in a crate full of diamantes.
Mike quickly managed to conquer the English language after being home schooled by a Carmelite nun, and was then airlifted into the role of office boy at Sydney radio station 2GB.
For a brief time, Mike performed as the 5th Wiggle, wearing a black skivvie and known as "El Wiggle Negro", but an ugly backstage bust-up saw him return to television, where he remains on standby to clean up any coffee spills in the Channel Nine tuckshop, and occasionally providing stories of questionable content for Today.
Mike enjoys long, relaxing walks on the beach, Call of Duty 2, and macrame. Mike can often be found covering himself in whale fat.
