Michael Houldey
Executive and Series Producer, Producer and Director, Tutor and Mentor
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER – My Beautiful Broken Brain Documentary feature (84 min). Director Sophie Robinson. Acquired by Netflix. NOMINATED FOR EMMY 2017. Winner of prestigious DOCU award and Best Director, 'The Female Gaze', at International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, November 2014. Best Film, Iranian Science Film Festival. Also shown at Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Istanbul Festival and Zagreb Dox. USA premiere at South By South West Festival in Austin Texas 2016
VISITING TUTOR/MENTOR – LONDON FILM SCHOOL since 2010 (also NFTS, DV Talent, BBC Elstree)
PREVIOUS CREDITS (SERIES PRODUCER)
MY HOLIDAY HOSTAGE HELL Prospect Pictures for Virgin 6 x 60
Drama documentary series about British travellers kidnapped in India, Bolivia, Chile, Iran, West Papua, Liberia. Also directed the film made in Bolivia
TRAWLERMEN Series Two BBC-1 5 x 30
Narrator Peter Capaldi. TX at 7.00pm on five consecutive evenings Trawlermen 2 was seen by an audience averaging over 4 million. All five films featured in the Broadcast Top Ten Factual programmes and the series scored a BBC A.I. of 82.5%
‘Brilliantly made and fascinating’ ‘Compelling to watch, undoubtedly hellish to actually experience’
The Guardian
Nominated for Maritime Foundation Media Award and Royal Television Society Midland Centre Best Documentary Award, 2007
SOLDIER HUSBAND DAUGHTER DAD BBC1 8 x 30
Narrator Damian Lewis. Unique access to a British Army Regiment on active duty in Basra and their wives and families at home. A series which uncompromisingly illustrates the human stories of life and death which lie behind the political decisions.
‘A side of the war most of us don’t see much – small picture, not big picture. Gunner Samantha’s war, not Tony Blair’s war. I wonder if an insurgent sniper with Sam in his sights would have pulled the trigger if he had watched this programme’ Sam Wollaston, The Guardian
'In the way of the best observational documentary, the film accumulates striking scenes and speech… a great example of what the longer, slower view can add to news coverage' Mark Lawson
YOUR LIFE IN THEIR HANDS BBC1 3 x 60
Narrator Barbara Flynn. Three of Britain’s top surgeons undertake groundbreaking and life saving operations. The series was made with the full collaboration of patients and their families often facing agonising decisions.
It’s hard to imagine this stunning medical series won’t sweep every factual-documentary award going this year’ The Independent
‘This is programme making of the highest order’ Sunday Telegraph
Winner, Royal Television Society Award
MICHAEL HOULDEY
PREVIOUS SERIES PRODUCER CREDITS
AIRPORT BBC1 26 x 30'
A ‘facelift’ for the high rating series, introducing graduate cinematographers from the National Film School, original music by a new young composer, single stories and filming abroad.
HARROW – THE SCHOOL ON THE HILL ITV-Carlton 8 x 30'
Everyday life and challenges in one of Britain’s most famous public schools, featuring the Headmaster and staff, 12 year old new boys and 18 year old seniors and their parents.
GIVING UP FOR GOOD BBC1 4 x 40'
Alcoholics and nicotine addicts allow the camera team and the audience to share their attempts to break the habit. The series features first time access to The Priory’s clinic in Nottingham.
ZOO BBC1 26 x 30'
Intimate and visually powerful series about the obsessions of zookeepers and the fascinating and sometimes eccentric behaviour of the animals in their care.
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL (Alder Hey, Liverpool) BBC1 40 x 30'
Long term access to the doctors and surgeons and to the young patients and their families at Alder Hey resulted in a loyal audience and high primetime viewing figures, leading to regular re-commissions
Nominated Winner, Best Factual Series, Television and Radio Industries Club Award
Best Factual Series, National Television Awards and TV Quick Awards
SELECTED PRODUCER / DIRECTOR CREDITS
DOCUMENTARIES
THE SEARCH Channel 4
First programme in a seven part ‘Cultural Treasure Hunt’ presented by Jamie Theakston.
Filmed in Italy
HOPE FOR HELEN QED Special, BBC1
Sports broadcaster Helen Rollason’s fight against cancer
GULF BABIES Panorama, BBC1
Investigation into children damaged by Gulf War Syndrome
GIRL FRIDAY BBC1
Joanna Lumley as a castaway on an island off Madagascar
WAR ARTIST Forty Minutes, BBC2
Glasgow artist Peter Howson’s adventures in Bosnia
MOSCOW GOLD Forty Minutes, BBC2
British businessmen are trapped during the siege of The White House
ONE FAMILY, TWO LANGUAGES BBC2
Footballer (now manager) Ian Holloway and his three deaf children
BUS STOP Channel 4
Day and night portrait of Victoria Coach Station
MICHAEL HOULDEY
SELECTED PRODUCER/DIRECTOR CREDITS
SANTOS TO SANTA CRUZ Great Railway Journeys BBC2 Author St Aubin de Teran travels from Brazil to Bolivia
THE HO CHI MINH TRAIL Great Journeys, BBC2
Photographer Philip Jones Griffiths returns to Vietnam
SILVER TRACKS Great Journeys, BBC2
Billy Bragg and Andy Kershaw on a musical journey from Bolivia to Chile
THE SACRED WAY Travellers Tales, Channel 4
Michael Wood takes an historical walk from Athens
RETURN TO THE CAMPS and RETURN TO GAZA Granada for ITV
British surgeon Dr Pauline Cutting revisits Palestinian camps in Lebanon and patients in Gaza
WELCOME TO BIRMINGHAM Central for ITV
Caribbean born writer Caryl Phillips visits Birmingham, Alabama
THE MIAMI DRUGS WAR Thames for ITV
Drug Enforcement Agents track and arrest cocaine and marijuana smugglers
THE ONLY IN AMERICA TRILOGY Thames for ITV
Detectives (Nominated, US International Emmy Award) - made in the South Bronx
Cowboy - made in Texas. Going Home – made in Boston and Alabama
THE CHRISTIANS Granada for ITV
The history of Christianity around the world, presented by Bamber Gascoigne
A YEAR IN THE LIFE – (Winner, SFTA Best Doc Series) BBC2
DRAMA
MY HOLIDAY HOSTAGE HELL Prospect Pictures for Virgin 1
Filmed in Bolivia. True story of mother and daughter kidnapped.
OUT OF LOVE (with Juliet Stevenson) Screenplay, BBC2
A love story with a tragic ending set in the hills of North Wales, based on fact
CHALKFACE (created by John Godber) BBC2
Series about teachers and their pupils in a Birmingham comprehensive
TROUBLEMAKERS (with Brenda Fricker and David Calder) ITV
Drama and documentary about truancy
MUSIC AND ARTS
WORKING CLASS HERO EMI-DVD,BBC,Worldwide TV
90 minute film about John Lennon to commemorate his 65th birthday
DARKER THAN BLUE Omnibus, BBC1
Film about singer/composer Curtis Mayfield made before he died. Writer: Caryl Phillips
IN SEARCH OF CABARET and THE ILLUSIONS CONCERT Granada for ITV
Singer Ute Lemper visits Berlin and Paris and performs songs of Dietrich and Piaf
BEETHOVEN’S TENTH Granada for ITV
The recently discovered manuscript is performed by the Liverpool Philharmonic
MICHAEL HOULDEY
SELECTED PRODUCER/DIRECTOR CREDITS
BOLSHOI BALLET SCHOOL Granada for ITV
Young dancers from Moscow visit and perform in Manchester
THE BOLSHOI BALLET (Nominated, BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award) Omnibus, BBC1
Two hour special – with dancers of yesterday, today and tomorrow and rare archive
SONDHEIM’S FOLLIES (Nominated, BAFTA Huw Wheldon Award) Omnibus, BBC1
A remarkable stellar cast rehearse and perform a concert version of the cult musical
JUNO AND AVOS Channel 4
A bold and controversial musical performed in Russian in a Moscow theatre
ELKIE AND CO Thames for ITV
Singer Elkie Brooks provides a behind the scenes insight into the world of music promotion
MARDI GRAS FUNK Central for ITV
Film about the famous New Orleans Carnival featuring Dr John and the Neville Brothers
BEJART + BOULEZ = BALLET Omnibus,BBC1
Choreographer Maurice Bejart takes his ballet company from Brussels to perform at La Scala Milan
BETWEEN TODAY AND YESTERDAY Omnibus, BBC1
Singer/composer Alan Price creates a new album based on his Jarrow homeland
IMPRESSIONS OF GARLAND
(BAFTA nomination representing OMNIBUS) Omnibus, BBC1
Judy Garland’s story, with Liza Minnelli, Mickey Rooney and others
LIFE IS FOR THE LIVING Omnibus,BBC1
Humphrey Bogart recalled by Lauren Bacall, John Huston and others
I REGRET NOTHING
(Nominated, BAFTA Best Arts Documentary) Omnibus, BBC1
The life and songs of Edith Piaf, featuring Charles Aznavour and others
