We are delighted to wish legendary Doctor Who director Michael E. Briant a very Happy 72nd Birthday today!
Michael directed numerous episodes of classic TV series throughout the 1970’s such as Blake’s 7, Secret Army, Warship and most famously Doctor Who. Many of his Who stories including The Sea Devils, The Green Death and The Robots of Death are regarded as all-time greats by fans of the series.
Further to those Doctor Who stories directed by Michael, he also worked on The Crusade, The Power of the Daleks and Fury From The Deep. A total of 46 Doctor Who episodes worked on between 1966-1977.
In his memoir Who is Michael E. Briant? Michael reminisces about his life and work, from his beginnings as a child actor in the 1950’s, followed by a highly successful career working for the BBC and later for Dutch television, right through to his impressive circumnavigation of the world and attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. He includes separate chapters on each of his Doctor Who stories and also shares memories of his early years on the programme in the 1960’s, while he was working his way up in the TV profession, and William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton were at the TARDIS controls.
Making an episode of a modern-day police, medical or domestic drama was nothing compared to imagining how Colony in Space should look and be made. Twenty parts to be cast, locations to be found for two weeks’ filming in a landscape that looked like a foreign planet, a robot to be created… and, and, and… I confess that sometimes, during the preparation period, I would drive home thinking that if I just crashed the car into a concrete wall and injured myself, then I would not have to direct this show…
As well as being available in printed form in the UK, Michael’s book can also be bought in print in the US from CreateSpace and on Kindle.
