Tim Samuels
Encyclopedia
Tim Samuels is an award-winning British documentary filmmaker and broadcaster. His work is characterised by approaching serious topics in innovative and subversive ways to produce hard-hitting documentaries. Samuels formed older people's rock group The Zimmers
for a BBC documentary and is a regular presenter on BBC television and radio in the UK. He is frequently referred to as a younger British Michael Moore
, but without the political agenda. Samuels has won three Royal Television Society awards and best documentary at the World Television Festival in Banff.
, the son of acclaimed photographer Sefton Samuels
. He attended Manchester Grammar School
and the University of St Andrews
. Samuels' first foray in journalism came at the age of 13 when he interviewed Morrissey
, the former lead singer of The Smiths
. The interview took place at the home of the then teenage Samuels. At the University of St Andrews he rebranded the student newspaper, The Chronicle, as The Saint
, taking it on to win the Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year award. He supports Manchester City
.
Samuels joined the BBC
as a news trainee after university. He spent a number of years as an investigative correspondent for the programme Newsnight
and the main evening news bulletin. Samuels reported from the USA and Northern Ireland
to expose miscarriages of justice on death row
and reveal new forms of racism
in Northern Ireland, and became Young Journalist of the Year.
superbug on an impromptu clean up of ten of the worst hospitals in England. The programme won Best Current Affairs Documentary at the World Television Festival in Banff in 2006. In the same year he also fronted a current affairs travelogue series around Europe.
In 2007, Samuels' series Power To The People aired on BBC Two. Yoko Ono
gave her blessing for the John Lennon song to be used as the title and soundtrack. The series saw him seizing Trafalgar Square
with a platoon of abandoned soldiers, bringing a dying village from Cornwall
to annex London's Islington
and forming a rock group made up of lonely old people - The Zimmers
. The popstar pensioners, with a 90-year-old lead singer, covered The Who
song My Generation
which then broke into the UK charts, received more than 5 million YouTube
hits and saw the band appear on NBC's The Jay Leno Show
alongside George Clooney
. The “Great Granny Chart Invasion won Best Current Affairs documentary at the Royal Television Society awards in 2008.
As part of the BBC’s controversial White Season, Samuels tackled mass immigration into Britain in “The Poles Are Coming” - which examined the influx of Polish immigrants into the Peterborough area of England. In 2009, he presented a BBC Two series, “Hardocore Profits” which revealed the unexpected global human impact of the pornography industry in countries like Ghana – and the industry’s move to the financial mainstream.
Samuels has made a number of documentaries for BBC Radio. His Radio 4 documentaries include “Guerillas of Pop”, “Running Away”, “Find Me a New York Jewish Princess”, “The Name Game” and “Men in Therapy”. For 5 Live he fronted “P45 Politicians” and the men's magazine show "Men's Hour".
The Zimmers
The Zimmers are a British band, thought to have the oldest members of any band in the world. The oldest member claims to have been born in 1906, although some sources indicate he was born in 1913. The former lead singer Alf Carretta died on 29 June 2010, aged 93...
for a BBC documentary and is a regular presenter on BBC television and radio in the UK. He is frequently referred to as a younger British Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, but without the political agenda. Samuels has won three Royal Television Society awards and best documentary at the World Television Festival in Banff.
Biography
Tim Samuels was born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, the son of acclaimed photographer Sefton Samuels
Sefton Samuels
Sefton Samuels is an acclaimed British photographer renowned for his poignant photojournalistic portrayal of northern England. He was described by painter LS Lowry as his favourite photographer. Samuels worked in the mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire and as a professional jazz drummer before...
. He attended Manchester Grammar School
Manchester Grammar School
The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...
and the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
. Samuels' first foray in journalism came at the age of 13 when he interviewed Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, the former lead singer of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
. The interview took place at the home of the then teenage Samuels. At the University of St Andrews he rebranded the student newspaper, The Chronicle, as The Saint
The Saint (UK newspaper)
The Saint is a newspaper written by students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. It is one of only three such newspapers in the UK to enjoy complete financial and editorial independence, as it is not affiliated with the University or Students' Association in any way...
, taking it on to win the Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year award. He supports Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
Samuels joined the BBC
BBC
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...
as a news trainee after university. He spent a number of years as an investigative correspondent for the programme Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
and the main evening news bulletin. Samuels reported from the USA and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
to expose miscarriages of justice on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
and reveal new forms of racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in Northern Ireland, and became Young Journalist of the Year.
Documentaries
Tim Samuels moved from news to documentaries. In A Dirty Weekend in Hospital for the BBC's Mischief strand he led a hundred victims of the MRSAMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It is also called multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus...
superbug on an impromptu clean up of ten of the worst hospitals in England. The programme won Best Current Affairs Documentary at the World Television Festival in Banff in 2006. In the same year he also fronted a current affairs travelogue series around Europe.
In 2007, Samuels' series Power To The People aired on BBC Two. Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
gave her blessing for the John Lennon song to be used as the title and soundtrack. The series saw him seizing Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
with a platoon of abandoned soldiers, bringing a dying village from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
to annex London's Islington
Islington
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...
and forming a rock group made up of lonely old people - The Zimmers
The Zimmers
The Zimmers are a British band, thought to have the oldest members of any band in the world. The oldest member claims to have been born in 1906, although some sources indicate he was born in 1913. The former lead singer Alf Carretta died on 29 June 2010, aged 93...
. The popstar pensioners, with a 90-year-old lead singer, covered The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
song My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
which then broke into the UK charts, received more than 5 million YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
hits and saw the band appear on NBC's The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show
The Jay Leno Show is an American comedy show created by and starring Jay Leno, that aired from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010 on NBC following the May 29, 2009 conclusion of Leno's first tenure as host of The Tonight Show...
alongside George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
. The “Great Granny Chart Invasion won Best Current Affairs documentary at the Royal Television Society awards in 2008.
As part of the BBC’s controversial White Season, Samuels tackled mass immigration into Britain in “The Poles Are Coming” - which examined the influx of Polish immigrants into the Peterborough area of England. In 2009, he presented a BBC Two series, “Hardocore Profits” which revealed the unexpected global human impact of the pornography industry in countries like Ghana – and the industry’s move to the financial mainstream.
Samuels has made a number of documentaries for BBC Radio. His Radio 4 documentaries include “Guerillas of Pop”, “Running Away”, “Find Me a New York Jewish Princess”, “The Name Game” and “Men in Therapy”. For 5 Live he fronted “P45 Politicians” and the men's magazine show "Men's Hour".
Awards
- Royal Television Society: Best Current Affairs Documentary (2008)
- Royal Television Society: Best British News Story (2004)
- Royal Television Society: Young Journalist of the Year (2002)
- Banff World Television Festival: Best Current Affairs Documentary (2006)
- Race In Media Awards: TV Journalist of Year (2005)
- New York Festivals: World Medal (2004)
- Amnesty International commendation (2005)
External Links
- http://unitedagents.co.uk/film/tim-samuels/
- http://www.wolfkettler.co.uk/portfolio/people/timsamuels.html