Mike is an in demand published writer. His credits include short films and features, published news articles and short stories. He holds an MA [Distinction] in Radio and TV Scriptwriting.
Screenplays
Whitewash (see sidebar)
There is an organisation that makes the problems of rich and powerful people vanish – at a cost. Iona Shreeves and Scanlan Brown are tasked with bringing this organisation down. An action packed reinvention of the conspiracy thriller genre.
Sim
Bionic hoodies! In the middle of a youth riot Simone Wright discovers that she has some extraordinary abilities. This pilot episode is laced with action and dark humour as the secrets that surround Sim begin to come into the light.
Elizabeth, Laurie and Maybe Ann
A one-act play. LS Lowry must choose between his art or his dying mother.
Caligula Towers
Caligula Towers is a council tower block in South Manchester. In this pilot episode (written for radio) local busybody Cyril Nicholls set about kiboshing the council’s trendy urban regeneration plans. Devised by Mike, seven more episodes were written by other writers.
Hostel Kid
Inspired by the Childrens’ Film Foundation adventures of yesteryear. Billy’s father is a youth hostel manager in a busy city but when they are relocated to the countryside they find themselves in a race against nature to save their own lives.
The Demoniac
Returning from the Great War, Calder must confront his own demons. He must decide to kill a friend or allow a monster to destroy the world he fought for. A big budget, action packed rewrite of No Man’s Land.
No Man’s Land
In an England seemingly untouched by World War I, a returning soldier seeks closure on the supernatural events that still haunt his memory of the War.
The Lermontov Edition
In present day Whitehall a thrilling end game is played out over the ownership of a Cold War code book.
I Was a Fifty Foot Fuhrer
After fifty years hiding beneath a scout hut, the Fourth Reich unleashes a gigantic clone of their former boss. His mission: to destroy all memories of the 1966 World Cup.
Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Misguided Idealist
The great detective is up against a time travelling beatnik armed with a laser-sighted blowpipe and atomic letterbombs.
Scanlan Brown: A Child Alone (pilot)
Scanlan Brown, ghost hunter, investigates the death of a schoolboy. Who is the mysterious singing girl?
News Articles
BlastingNewsUK [Opens external website]
Read Mike’s thought provoking articles on topics as varied as the economy, education and the media.
Short Stories
Tagstones
A young couple come to terms with a pandemic of alien tagging devices while their private world falls apart.
The Reluctant Chinaman
A stage magician finally cracks up under the relentless pessimism of his daily life.
Waiting for a Train
Bound to railway tracks, a man struggles to escape as a train’s headlamps approach.
The Crazy Man
Is a local tramp really a time traveler or is he – as many say – crazy?
The Great Unfinished Novels
The Ninth Carriage
1907: The Trans-Siberian Express filled with Romanov dissidents intent on a coup, thunders towards Moscow. What is their secret weapon, held captive in the ninth carriage?
Camp 679
German POWs are hunted through their concentration camp by an ancient and hostile force.
Academic Essays
Media: The Critical Political Economy
Does the media put too much power in the hands of a select few whilst exploiting the many?
Art: Juxtaposition, Displacement, Simultaneity and Montage
Post-WWI both artists and politicians seemed to be striving to create a modern Utopia. But as economic reality hit the politicians vision, artists continued to seek theirs.
Art: Conception and Realisation (1960s /1970s)
Abstract Expressionism elevated the status of the art object leading many to conclude that art had disconnected from society.
Ed Wood: A Life on the Hollywood Fringe
Just for fun… Mike’s 1996 A-Level essay on the great Edward D Wood Jr.