SEVEN SUMMERS
Born in the London suburb of Tolworth, Michael’s parents were Iris and Philip.
Iris was a sales assistant and Philip worked in the wholesale fish industry.
Michael went to Raynes Park Grammar School. He was one of the first children to benefit from the 1944 Education Act (introduced by Rab Butler), which gave provision for children from poorer backgrounds to get free places at grammar schools.
Michael’s first job was in a paint spraying factory, followed by a miserable spell in a stockbroker’s office.
In 1960, Michael joined ATV at Elstree, to train as a cameraman. He qualified two years later.
From there, he moved to Teddington Studios, working for ABC Weekend TV before switching to Thames TV. He worked on well-known programmes such as The Avengers, Armchair Theatre, Opportunity Knocks and the Sooty Show.
In 1965, Michael married Mary Miller. They had four children: James, Sally, John and Mark.
Michael worked as a cameraman for twelve years, but in 1974, he applied for a grant from Kingston Council to enable him to take a Social Science diploma at Ruskin College in Oxford.
His application was rejected. Grants for mature students were discretionary.
Michael contacted his local MP, who fought his case – and won. The MP was Norman Lamont.
After Michael completed his diploma, he went on to take a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College.
Michael then went freelance and spent the rest of his career as a self-employed filmmaker.
His real passion was cricket. He thoroughly understood the game and its history. As a passionate supporter of Surrey County Cricket Club, Michael was appointed their official historian. He also coached some of their youth teams.
He played cricket for Malden Wanderers for years and was a member of the MCC – although often a thorn in the side of the establishment leadership.
Michael made a series of films on the sport he loved – a history of Surrey and one about Yorkshire CCC.
He produced a film about every tour the England team did in the 1950s, and also a seminal documentary about the domestic cricket scene throughout the 1960s.
This led to him writing three books. The last one was entitled ‘Seven Summers’. It was about the Surrey CCC, who won the county championship seven consecutive years from 1952 to 1958. It was unprecedented – and is a record that still stands.
This Surrey team included Alec Bedser, Jim Laker, Tony Lock, Ken Barrington and Peter May – all now regarded amongst the greatest English players, ever.
Michael also made a film about the history of the F.A.Cup. He was a fanatical Chelsea fan and regarded Roy Bentley as his greatest hero (Captain of the league winning Chelsea side in 1955).
Michael was commissioned to make promotional films by Shell, the International Transport Workers Federation, Princess Alice Hospice and the Royal Star and Garter Home.
In his leisure time, he ran both the London and New York marathons. He was an avid reader and was particularly fond of the works of Charles Dickens.
Michael also mentored children at a local primary school.
He once worked as an election agent for the local Labour Party, ironically standing against Norman Lamont.
Michael was a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party and was devastated about their defeat by the Conservatives in the 2019 election.
He expressed a wish that he would live long enough to see another Labour government, so was delighted with the 2024 landslide victory.
After Michael’s death, he was described as a ‘loyal, decent, honest man who believed in fair play’.
RIP – Remembering Impressive Performances
