Michael Samuels

Director

Biography

Michael Samuels is British television director, producer and writer

Filmography

The Vice

The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Unit. Spanning five short series from 1999 and 2003, it follows the London Metropolitan police force's vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and such organised crime are regular occurrences. Most episodes end where the main villain is caught but often not in a 'naturally' concluded way expected from other TV dramas, and often ending with more unanswered questions than answered. Leader DI Pat Chappel struggles to manage the balance between his private and professional lives — as do the rest of the team. Working in the seedy underworld leads to a continual dilemma — the tension between the Vice Squad and vice-related crimes runs throughout the series and gives the show a rich viewing experience. The line of the team staying on the right side of the law is often blurred, as almost every member at different points submits briefly or permanently to the dubious temptations, sometimes with drastic consequences.

7.5

Man in an Orange Shirt

A love story in two films charts the very different challenges to happiness for Michael and Thomas in the aftermath of World War 2, and to Adam and Steve in the present day.

6.4

Any Human Heart

Logan Mountstuart, writer and adventurer, narrates his life, from the Paris of the twenties to the eighties in London, passing through the New York of the fifties.

6.4

The Fear

Former gang boss turned respected businessman, Richie Beckett pledge money to help rebuild a pier. But Richie's mind is deteriorating, and the other outfit he runs with his sons is under attack by a vicious rival gang.

5.5

The Last Days of Lehman Brothers

The heads of Wall Street's biggest investment banks were summoned to an evening meeting by the US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to discuss the plight of another - Lehman Brothers. After six months' turmoil in the world's financial markets, Lehman Brothers was on life support and the government was about to pull the plug. Lehman CEO, Dick Fuld, recently sidelined in a boardroom coup, spends the weekend desperately trying to resuscitate his beloved company through a merger with Bank of America or UK-based Barclays. But without the financial support of Paulson and Lehman's fiercest competitors, Fuld's empire - and with it, the stability of the world economy - teeters on the verge of extinction.

7.4

The Windermere Children

The story of the pioneering project to rehabilitate child survivors of the Holocaust on the shores of Lake Windermere.

4.0

Mrs Mandela

How Winnie Mandela went from innocent country girl to a fighter against apartheid.

7.0

The Falklands Play

The Falklands Play is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had increasingly come to specialise in dramatic reconstructions of history. It was originally commissioned by the BBC in 1983, for production and broadcast in 1986, but was subsequently shelved by Controller of BBC One Michael Grade due to its alleged pro-Margaret Thatcher stance and jingoistic tone. This prompted a press furore over media bias and censorship.The play was not staged until 2002, when it was broadcast in separate adaptations on BBC Television and Radio.

7.0

The Trial

In 2035, a new law holds parents responsible for their children’s crimes. Set in the United Kingdom, Dione and David Sinclair are thrust into a nightmarish legal battle when their teenage daughter, Teah, commits a serious crime.

5.7

Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards

Docudrama following the downfall of BBC Presenter Huw Edwards.

5.8

The Curse of Steptoe

In the early 1960s aspiring stage actor Harry H. Corbett jumps at the chance to play junk-dealer Harold Steptoe in a television comedy show 'Steptoe and Son'. However, the show's success proves to be a poisoned chalice for him, type-casting him and thwarting his stage ambitions. Wilfrid Brambell, the actor playing his father, is marginalized in a different way. He is a gay man in an England where homosexuality is still illegal.

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