Michael Bakewell

{{Short description|British television producer (1931–2023)|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = | image = | caption = | birth_name = Michael John Bakewell | birth_date = {{birth date|1931|6|7|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Birmingham, Warwickshire]], England | death_date = {{death date and age|2023|7|11|1931|6|7|df=y}} | death_place = | education = | alma_mater = [[King's College, Cambridge]] | occupation = Radio and television producer, radio dramatist | notable_works = }} '''Michael John Bakewell''' (7 June 1931 – 11 July 2023) was a British radio and television producer.

==Early life and career== Michael John Bakewell was born in [[Birmingham, Warwickshire]], England, on 7 June 1931. His childhood was spent in [[Sutton Coldfield]], where he attended [[Bishop Vesey's Grammar School]]. After completing his [[National Service Act 1948|National Service]] in the [[Royal Air Force]], he studied English literature at [[King's College, Cambridge]]. After graduating from Cambridge in 1954, he was recruited by the BBC's [[Third Programme]].<ref name="obit">{{cite news |last1=Coveney |first1=Michael |author-link=Michael Coveney|title=Michael Bakewell obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/aug/01/michael-bakewell-obituary |access-date=1 August 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=1 August 2023}}</ref>

Bakewell was best known for his work during the 1960s, when he was the first Head of Plays at the BBC, after [[Sydney Newman]] divided the drama department into separate series, serials and plays divisions in 1963.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/joan-bakewell-elevation-is-rather-a-grand-word-isn-t-it-2140313.html|title=Joan Bakewell: 'Elevation is rather a grand word, isn't it?'|date=November 22, 2010|website=The Independent}}</ref> Later, Bakewell produced plays for [[BBC Two|BBC2]]'s ''[[Theatre 625]]'' anthology strand, including [[John Hopkins (screenwriter)|John Hopkins']] highly regarded ''[[Talking to a Stranger]]'' quartet of linked plays.<ref name=bfi/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/499298/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Talking to a Stranger (1966)|website=Screenonline.org.uk}}</ref>

Bakewell also worked in radio drama for the BBC.<ref>Raphael, Caroline (24 August 2023). [https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/aug/24/letter-michael-bakewell-obituary "Letter: Michael Bakewell obituary"], in ''The Guardian''.</ref> He adapted (with [[Brian Sibley]]) ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' into a [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|1981 radio series]], and he adapted 27 of [[Agatha Christie]]'s [[Hercule Poirot (British radio series)|Poirot novels]] for broadcast between 1985 and 2007 – the major omission being ''[[Curtain: Poirot's Last Case]]'', the rights to which proved unobtainable – and all 12 [[Miss Marple (radio series)|''Miss Marple'']] novels, broadcast between 1993 and 2001.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/michaelbakewell.html|title = - DIVERSITY - radio drama - michael bakewell|website=Suttonelms.org.uk}}</ref> He was also the dubbing director for the English versions of the Japanese television series ''[[The Water Margin (1973 TV series)|The Water Margin]]'' and ''[[Monkey (TV series)|Monkey]]'', which were screened by the BBC, among many of [[Manga Video]] UK's dubs (and many dubs for both [[Central Park Media]] and [[Manga Video]] UK), e.g., ''[[Cyber City Oedo]]'', ''[[Devilman]]'', ''[[Dominion (manga)|Dominion Tank Police]]'', ''[[Patlabor]]'' (Manga PAL version - movies 1 and 2), ''[[Tokyo Babylon]]'', ''[[Genocyber]]'', ''[[Roujin Z]]'', ''[[Angel Cop]]'', ''[[Violence Jack]]'' and many others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/753946b05f074b7db86eef57baf0c4be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308145042/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/753946b05f074b7db86eef57baf0c4be|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 March 2022|title=BBC Programme Index|website=Genome.ch.bbc.co.uk|date=12 October 1976 }}</ref><ref name=bfi>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9ee94da9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180521142737/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9ee94da9|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 May 2018|title=Michael Bakewell|website=BFI}}</ref>

==Personal life and death== From 1955 until 1972, Michael Bakewell was the first husband of [[Joan Bakewell]]; the couple had two children, Matthew and Harriet.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/pinter-s-passion-in-love-letters-to-bakewell-7gzfb9wm7|title=Pinter's passion in love letters to Bakewell|first=Jack|last=Malvern|website=[[The Times]]|date=5 February 2018}}</ref> In the 1960s, Joan had an eight-year affair with the playwright [[Harold Pinter]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-04-22/joan-bakewell-tells-her-side-of-the-story-about-her-affair-with-harold-pinter/|title=Joan Bakewell tells her side of the story about her affair with Harold Pinter|website=Radio Times|language=en|first=Elizabeth|last=Day|date=22 April 2017|access-date=2019-09-06}}</ref>

Following their divorce, Michael remarried to Melissa Dundas in 1975. He lived with Melissa in East Sussex until his death on 11 July 2023, at the age of 92. He had [[Alzheimer's disease]] and [[macular degeneration]] in his later years.<ref name="obit"/>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0049052}} *[http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/michaelbakewell.html Michael Bakewell's radio plays]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakewell, Michael}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]] [[Category:BBC radio producers]] [[Category:BBC television producers]] [[Category:British radio writers]] [[Category:British television producers]] [[Category:British voice directors]] [[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England]] [[Category:Deaths from dementia in England]] [[Category:People from Sutton Coldfield]] [[Category:Spouses of life peers]]