Michael Wood

Michael Wood is a BAFTA winner and acclaimed historical film documentary writer and presenter with over 80 TV films that have been seen worldwide. His passion is in popularising history through television and has worked as a journalist, broadcaster and film maker throughout his career.

The Honorary Award of DUniv was bestowed in recognition of his services to the field of History and especially bringing it to a wider audience.

Known to television audiences as a writer and presenter of many critically acclaimed series, Michael Wood is author of over 80 TV films that have been seen worldwide.

Educated at Manchester Grammar School, he then went on to Oriel College, Oxford, where he did postgraduate research in Anglo-Saxon history. He had ambitions to be a medieval historian but was drawn away by television and the possibilities of popularising history, which has always been his great passion. Since then he has worked as a journalist, broadcaster and film maker.

Michael’s films have centred on history, such as ‘In Search of Shakespeare’ and ‘Art of the Western World’, but have also included travel, such as the BAFTA winning ‘River Journeys; The Sacred Way’.  Politics and Cultural History have also been the subject of some of this award winning television series.

One of Michael’s special interests is in Greece which he hitched around in his teens and slept on the mountainsides of Mycenae, Mistra and Crete. He has made 15 films in Greece and written a number of publications which have been translated into various European languages. Among Michael’s films on medieval England was an observational documentary for BBC2 on the Stafford Castle project, covering the excavation and consolidation of the castle, ending with its opening to the public.

Indian civilisation has also long been of special interest to Michael. Over the years he has made many visits to the subcontinent and has written articles and books on South India. He recently finalised a 6 hour television series and book on Indian history for BBC2 - ‘The Story of India’ aired this autumn.

Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Governor of The Royal Shakespeare Company. He lives in North London with his wife Rebecca, an award winning film producer and recently appointed Visiting Professor at Staffordshire University, and their 2 daughters.