After leaving school he went to work as a reporter on the South London
Observer where he shared an office with a young Kelvin Mackenzie, future editor
of The Sun, teaching the budding journalist to type.
He was a longstanding member of The Actor's Church Union, based at the actor's church, St Paul's in Convent Garden, London. He also served on the union's committee.
In 1968 he co-wrote, with Chris Shaw, A Pictorial History of Female Impersonation. In pantomime, Oates was a well known pantomime dame and 'ugly sister'.
In the 1970s he appeared with Fiona Richmond in the long running Paul Raymond revue, Pajama Tops, at London's Whitehall Theatre. He was reputedly Paul Raymond's favorite comedian.