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Michael Wood (historian)

January 19, 2024

For other people named Michael Wood, see Michael Wood (disambiguation).

Michael David Wood, OBE FSA (born 23 July 1948) is an English historian and broadcaster. He has presented numerous well-known television documentary series from the late 1970s to the present day. Wood has also written a number of books on English history, including In Search of the Dark Ages, The Domesday Quest, The Story of England, and In Search of Shakespeare.[1][2] He was appointed Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester in 2013.

Michael Wood

OBE
Wood in 2013
Born
Michael David Wood

(1948-07-23) 23 July 1948 (age 75)
Manchester, England
EducationManchester Grammar School
Alma materOriel College, University of Oxford (B A.)
Occupation(s)Historian, broadcaster, documentary filmmaker
Notable workIn Search of the Dark Ages (1979)
Great Railway Journeys (1980)
In Search of the Trojan War (1985)
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1998)
The Story of India (2007)
In Search of Beowulf (2009)
The Story of England (2010)
The Story of China (2016)

Early life and education edit

Wood was born in Moss Side, Manchester, England. He attended Heald Place Primary School in Rusholme. When he was eight, his family moved to Paulden Avenue, Wythenshawe, where he could see historic Baguley Hall from his bedroom window. He went to Benchill Primary School. At Manchester Grammar School, he developed an interest in theatre, playing Grusha in the first British amateur production of Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle and later Hamlet in Shakespeare's Hamlet. He took A-levels in English, French and History.[3]

Wood studied history and English at Oriel College, Oxford, touring the United States for six weeks in his final year, and graduated with a second-class Bachelor of Arts degree. Later, he undertook postgraduate research in Anglo-Saxon history at Oriel. Three years into his research for a DPhil, he left to become a journalist with ITV.[1][3]

Career edit

In the 1970s, Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester. He was first a reporter and then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes before returning to his love of history with his 1979–81 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2.[4] He quickly became popular with female viewers for his blond good looks (he was humorously dubbed "the thinking woman's crumpet" by British newspapers), his deep voice and his habit of wearing tight jeans and a sheepskin jacket.[5] Wood's work is also well known in the United States, where it receives much airplay on PBS and on various cable television networks. The series Legacy (1992) is one of his more frequently broadcast documentaries on US television.

Since 1990, Wood has been a director of independent television production company Maya Vision International. In 2006, he joined the British School of Archaeology in Iraq campaign, the aim of which was to train and encourage new Iraqi archaeologists, and he has lectured on the subject.[6] In 2013, Wood joined the University of Manchester as Professor of Public History.[7]

Wood favours returning artefacts looted during the age of imperialism. He has publicly supported moving the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum back to Attica.[8]

Personal life edit

His girlfriend for ten years, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was the journalist and broadcaster Pattie Coldwell.[9][10] He currently lives in north London with his wife, television producer Rebecca Ysabel Dobbs, and two daughters, Minakshi and Jyoti.[11]

Honours and recognition edit

Wood was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society[1] until 2007.[12][13] In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Sunderland University.[14] This was followed by the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Leicester in 2011 and in 2015 he was awarded the President's Medal by the British Academy.[15]

Having previously been President of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society, in 2017 he accepted the position of Honorary Life Vice President, offered in recognition of his work on the documentary series Michael Wood's Story of England.[16] Wood is currently the president of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, an organization founded in 1965 to promote understanding and friendship between the British and the Chinese people.

Wood was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2008.[17]

Wood was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to public history and broadcasting.[18]

BAFTA-winning broadcaster David Olusoga has said that he was inspired as a teenager to become a historian by having watched Wood on television.[19]

Television series edit

Documentaries edit

  • Darshan: An Indian Journey (1989)
  • Traveller's Tales: The Sacred Way (1991)
  • Saddam's Killing Fields (1993)
  • Secret History: Hitler's Search for the Holy Grail (1999)
  • Gilbert White: Nature Man (2006)
  • Christina: A Medieval Life (2008)
  • Alexander's Greatest Battle (2009)
  • Shakespeare's Mother; The Secret Life of a Tudor Woman (2015)
  • Ovid: The Poet and the Emperor (2017)
  • How China Got Rich (2019)
  • Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet (2020)

Bibliography edit

  • In Search of the Dark Ages (BBC Books, 1981)
  • In Search of the Trojan War (1985)
  • Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England (1988)
  • Legacy: A Search for the Origins of Civilization (1992), London: Network Books/BBCbooks/London BCA.
  • The Smile of Murugan: A South Indian Journey (1995)
  • In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great (1997)
  • In Search of England: Journeys into the English Past (1999)
  • Conquistadors (2000)
  • In Search of Shakespeare (2003)
  • In Search of Myths and Heroes (2005)
  • India: An Epic Journey Across the Subcontinent (2007)
  • The Story of England (2010)
  • The Story of China (2020)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Michael Wood Biography Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
  2. ^ Michael Wood visits the HP Visual and Spatial Technology Centre 20 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, University of Birmingham.
  3. ^ a b Jonathan Sale, "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Michael Wood, television historian", The Independent, 30 August 2007.
  4. ^ In Search of the Dark Ages (Revised Edition, 2001).
  5. ^ Andrew Davies (17 November 2003). "The cudgels are out". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  6. ^ . The Institute of Field Archaeologists article. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
  7. ^ "People's historian becomes Manchester Professor | The University of Manchester". manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Michael Wood on the future of the Parthenon Sculptures". HistoryExtra. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  9. ^ Pattie Coldwell: Courageous crusader, BBC News, 18 October 2002
  10. ^ Anthony Hayward, , The Independent, 19 October 2002
  11. ^ My Favourite Things: Michael Wood, Daily Express, 4 July 2008[dead link]
  12. ^ According to Sue Carr, Executive Secretary of the Royal Historical Society Michael Wood ceased to be a Fellow of the RHS in 2007.
  13. ^ . Royal Historical Society. 2012. Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  14. ^ Celebs awarded honorary degrees Shields Gazette, 17 July 2009.
  15. ^ "The British Academy President's Medal". British Academy. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  16. ^ Minutes of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society committee meeting (3 May 2017).
  17. ^ "Mr Michael Wood". Society of Antiquaries of London. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  18. ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N15.
  19. ^ Nadia Khomami (19 November 2022). "David Olusoga to receive Bafta special award for contribution to TV". The Guardian.

External links edit

Writings
  • The Story of the Conquistadors
  • In Search of Shakespeare
  • In Search of Myths and Heroes
  • "The Life of an Anglo-Saxon Princess". The Guardian, 2010
Interview
  • 2012 video interview

January 19, 2024
michael, wood, historian, other, people, named, michael, wood, michael, wood, disambiguation, michael, david, wood, born, july, 1948, english, historian, broadcaster, presented, numerous, well, known, television, documentary, series, from, late, 1970s, present. For other people named Michael Wood see Michael Wood disambiguation Michael David Wood OBE FSA born 23 July 1948 is an English historian and broadcaster He has presented numerous well known television documentary series from the late 1970s to the present day Wood has also written a number of books on English history including In Search of the Dark Ages The Domesday Quest The Story of England and In Search of Shakespeare 1 2 He was appointed Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester in 2013 Michael WoodOBEWood in 2013BornMichael David Wood 1948 07 23 23 July 1948 age 75 Manchester EnglandEducationManchester Grammar SchoolAlma materOriel College University of Oxford B A Occupation s Historian broadcaster documentary filmmakerNotable workIn Search of the Dark Ages 1979 Great Railway Journeys 1980 In Search of the Trojan War 1985 In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great 1998 The Story of India 2007 In Search of Beowulf 2009 The Story of England 2010 The Story of China 2016 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Honours and recognition 5 Television series 6 Documentaries 7 Bibliography 8 References 9 External linksEarly life and education editWood was born in Moss Side Manchester England He attended Heald Place Primary School in Rusholme When he was eight his family moved to Paulden Avenue Wythenshawe where he could see historic Baguley Hall from his bedroom window He went to Benchill Primary School At Manchester Grammar School he developed an interest in theatre playing Grusha in the first British amateur production of Brecht s The Caucasian Chalk Circle and later Hamlet in Shakespeare s Hamlet He took A levels in English French and History 3 Wood studied history and English at Oriel College Oxford touring the United States for six weeks in his final year and graduated with a second class Bachelor of Arts degree Later he undertook postgraduate research in Anglo Saxon history at Oriel Three years into his research for a DPhil he left to become a journalist with ITV 1 3 Career editIn the 1970s Wood worked for the BBC in Manchester He was first a reporter and then an assistant producer on current affairs programmes before returning to his love of history with his 1979 81 series In Search of the Dark Ages for BBC2 4 He quickly became popular with female viewers for his blond good looks he was humorously dubbed the thinking woman s crumpet by British newspapers his deep voice and his habit of wearing tight jeans and a sheepskin jacket 5 Wood s work is also well known in the United States where it receives much airplay on PBS and on various cable television networks The series Legacy 1992 is one of his more frequently broadcast documentaries on US television Since 1990 Wood has been a director of independent television production company Maya Vision International In 2006 he joined the British School of Archaeology in Iraq campaign the aim of which was to train and encourage new Iraqi archaeologists and he has lectured on the subject 6 In 2013 Wood joined the University of Manchester as Professor of Public History 7 Wood favours returning artefacts looted during the age of imperialism He has publicly supported moving the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum back to Attica 8 Personal life editHis girlfriend for ten years in the late 1970s and early 1980s was the journalist and broadcaster Pattie Coldwell 9 10 He currently lives in north London with his wife television producer Rebecca Ysabel Dobbs and two daughters Minakshi and Jyoti 11 Honours and recognition editWood was a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society 1 until 2007 12 13 In 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by Sunderland University 14 This was followed by the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Leicester in 2011 and in 2015 he was awarded the President s Medal by the British Academy 15 Having previously been President of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society in 2017 he accepted the position of Honorary Life Vice President offered in recognition of his work on the documentary series Michael Wood s Story of England 16 Wood is currently the president of the Society for Anglo Chinese Understanding an organization founded in 1965 to promote understanding and friendship between the British and the Chinese people Wood was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2008 17 Wood was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to public history and broadcasting 18 BAFTA winning broadcaster David Olusoga has said that he was inspired as a teenager to become a historian by having watched Wood on television 19 Television series editIn Search of the Dark Ages 1979 81 Great Railway Journeys Zambezi Express 1980 Great Little Railways episode 3 Slow Train to Olympia 1983 In Search of the Trojan War 1985 Domesday A Search for the Roots of England 1986 Greece The Hidden War 1986 Art of the Western World 1989 Legacy A Search for the Origins of Civilisation 1992 Lifeboat 1993 In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great 1997 Conquistadors 2000 In Search of Shakespeare 2003 In Search of Myths and Heroes 2005 The Story of India 2007 Christina A Medieval Life 2008 In Search of Beowulf 2009 a k a Michael Wood on Beowulf Michael Wood s Story of England 2010 The Great British Story A People s History 2012 King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons 2013 The Story of China 2016 Documentaries editDarshan An Indian Journey 1989 Traveller s Tales The Sacred Way 1991 Saddam s Killing Fields 1993 Secret History Hitler s Search for the Holy Grail 1999 Gilbert White Nature Man 2006 Christina A Medieval Life 2008 Alexander s Greatest Battle 2009 Shakespeare s Mother The Secret Life of a Tudor Woman 2015 Ovid The Poet and the Emperor 2017 How China Got Rich 2019 Du Fu China s Greatest Poet 2020 Bibliography editIn Search of the Dark Ages BBC Books 1981 In Search of the Trojan War 1985 Domesday A Search for the Roots of England 1988 Legacy A Search for the Origins of Civilization 1992 London Network Books BBCbooks London BCA The Smile of Murugan A South Indian Journey 1995 In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great 1997 In Search of England Journeys into the English Past 1999 Conquistadors 2000 In Search of Shakespeare 2003 In Search of Myths and Heroes 2005 India An Epic Journey Across the Subcontinent 2007 The Story of England 2010 The Story of China 2020 References edit a b c Michael Wood Biography Public Broadcasting Service PBS Michael Wood visits the HP Visual and Spatial Technology Centre Archived 20 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity University of Birmingham a b Jonathan Sale Passed Failed An education in the life of Michael Wood television historian The Independent 30 August 2007 In Search of the Dark Ages Revised Edition 2001 Andrew Davies 17 November 2003 The cudgels are out The Guardian Retrieved 2 June 2016 Archaeology News Iraq Michael Wood lecture at British Museum The Institute of Field Archaeologists article Archived from the original on 27 September 2007 Retrieved 3 April 2007 People s historian becomes Manchester Professor The University of Manchester manchester ac uk Retrieved 20 September 2014 Michael Wood on the future of the Parthenon Sculptures HistoryExtra 4 January 2022 Retrieved 18 September 2023 Pattie Coldwell Courageous crusader BBC News 18 October 2002 Anthony Hayward Pattie Coldwell Obituary The Independent 19 October 2002 My Favourite Things Michael Wood Daily Express 4 July 2008 dead link According to Sue Carr Executive Secretary of the Royal Historical Society Michael Wood ceased to be a Fellow of the RHS in 2007 Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Royal Historical Society 2012 Archived from the original on 27 August 2012 Retrieved 20 July 2012 Celebs awarded honorary degrees Shields Gazette 17 July 2009 The British Academy President s Medal British Academy Retrieved 23 July 2017 Minutes of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society committee meeting 3 May 2017 Mr Michael Wood Society of Antiquaries of London Retrieved 4 January 2022 No 63218 The London Gazette Supplement 31 December 2020 p N15 Nadia Khomami 19 November 2022 David Olusoga to receive Bafta special award for contribution to TV The Guardian External links editMichael Wood at IMDb Michael Wood at the British Film Institute In the Footsteps of Alexander The Great at the Wayback Machine archived 18 March 2008 WritingsThe Story of the Conquistadors In Search of Shakespeare In Search of Myths and Heroes The Life of an Anglo Saxon Princess The Guardian 2010Interview2012 video interview Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Michael Wood historian amp oldid 1194947158, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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