Michael Imison
Encyclopedia
Michael Imison is a British
retired television director
and literary agent
, one of the original directors of the Doctor Who
series.
working for the Script Department. Initial successes included directing 'Magnyfcence' by John Skelton
at the Tower Theatre
, Canonbury
in May 1963.
In 1966 he became one of the directors of the Doctor Who
series. Directing the Doctor Who series The Ark
, Imison is believed to have helped create the Monoids. The Ark was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 to 26 March 1966. The story is set in the 57th "Segment of Time", which the Doctor
calculates to be approximately AD 10,000,000.
Talking in an interview back in 1974 Imison said:
Later in 1966, he acted as Story Editor on the second series of anthology series Out of the Unknown
.
, North London
that Michael concentrated on promoting authors and poets from the former Eastern Bloc
. His contacts at the Almeida Theatre
, where lesser-known writers were promoted, proved invaluable during this period.
and he now spends much of his time with his family at their country retreat in Southwold
, Suffolk
. Apart from chairing the Noel Coward
Society and working for the British Humanist Association
, he has on occasions worked as a Salman Rushdie look-alike
for the London based, "Splitting Images" agency.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
retired television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and literary agent
Literary agent
A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwriters and major non-fiction writers...
, one of the original directors of the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
series.
BBC career
Imison started his career at the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
working for the Script Department. Initial successes included directing 'Magnyfcence' by John Skelton
John Skelton
John Skelton, also known as John Shelton , possibly born in Diss, Norfolk, was an English poet.-Education:...
at the Tower Theatre
Tower Theatre
Tower Theatre or Tower Theater may refer to:* Tower Theatre * Tower Theatre * Tower Theater * Tower Theatre * Tower Theater...
, Canonbury
Canonbury
Canonbury is a residential district in the London Borough of Islington in the north of London. It is roughly in the area between Essex Road, Upper Street and Cross Street and either side of St Paul's Road....
in May 1963.
In 1966 he became one of the directors of the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
series. Directing the Doctor Who series The Ark
The Ark (Doctor Who)
The Ark is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 March to 26 March 1966...
, Imison is believed to have helped create the Monoids. The Ark was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 to 26 March 1966. The story is set in the 57th "Segment of Time", which the Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
calculates to be approximately AD 10,000,000.
Talking in an interview back in 1974 Imison said:
"The Monoids were my idea. I can't remember what they were called originally. They were fairly indefinite creatures, but I had this idea, which I thought was brilliant, of having actors with ping-pong balls in their mouths so that they could play these one-eyed creatures, which would appear to have a living eye. I thought this would be a great thing for BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Enterprises to market, but of course it was a total damp squib! I don't remember what else I got them to change. Having worked quite a lot as a script editor I was quite happy to get people to rewrite".http://www.shillpages.com/howe/b-h1.htm
Later in 1966, he acted as Story Editor on the second series of anthology series Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
.
Literary agent
Later in his career Imison became a literary agent. His company has now been incorporated into Alan Brodie Representation Ltd. However it was whilst based in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
that Michael concentrated on promoting authors and poets from the former Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
. His contacts at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
, where lesser-known writers were promoted, proved invaluable during this period.
Personal life
Imison is married to the prominent educator Tamsyn ImisonTamsyn Imison
Dame Tamsyn Imison, DBE was a prominent British educator and 'educational strategist' whose first career was as a scientific illustrator....
and he now spends much of his time with his family at their country retreat in Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. Apart from chairing the Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
Society and working for the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
, he has on occasions worked as a Salman Rushdie look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
for the London based, "Splitting Images" agency.
External links
- http://www.shillpages.com/howe/b-h1.htm
- http://www.bbccharterreview.org.uk/first_phase_responses/I/imison_michael.rtf
- http://shannonsullivan.com/drwho/serials/x.html
- http://www.clubdesmonstres.com/monoids.jpg
- http://www.humanism.org.uk/site/cms/contentviewarticle.asp?article=1160
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/