Michael Simpson
, 1930? - 2007
Michael Simpson was a theatre (Birmingham Repertory Theatre) and television (BBC) director and producer, married to the actress Jane Freeman (1935–2017) best known for her role of café owner in the long-lived series Last of the Summer Wine (1973–2010). At the BBC, Simpson started directing the program For Schools and Colleges: Drama; he wrote, produced, and directed The Remarkable Case of Mr. Bruhl in 1955; in 1965 he adapted Jaroslav Hašek’s famous novel and directed the TV-movie The Good Soldier Schweik; directed 4 episodes of the series Scene from 1968 to 1976, 4 in the Play for Today: The Fishing Party (1972), Three for the Fancy (1974), The Other Woman (1976), Scully’s New Year's Eve (1978). In 1977, he directed a 5-part mini-series For the Love of Albert, as well as 4 out of 6 episodes of the mini-series adaptation of Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth (Frontier Fort, Esca, Across the Frontier, The Lost Legion). In 1977, he directed the 7-part mini-series Prince Regent. In 1982, episodes 1, 4, 5 of Agatha Christie’s Hour were directed by Simpson. His directing and producing career at the BBC continued with dozens of productions until 2002 and included such titles as Driving Ambition and A Taste of Honey (1984), Theatre Night (1985–1988), A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery (1987), and 26 episodes of the longstanding police procedural The Bill (1990–2002). Simpson died in London in 2007.
Source:
Lewsen, Charles, “Jane Freeman Obituary”, The Guardian, April 17, 2017 (accessed: November 21, 2022).
Michael Simpson (I) at IMDb (accessed: November 21, 2022).
Bio prepared by Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
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