Michael Keillor
Writer/Director
Film, TV & Theatre
Film, TV & Theatre
Michael is a director drawn to bold, ambitious storytelling and has collaborated with some of the UK’s most celebrated writers, including Jack Thorne, Lucy Kirkwood, David Hare, Peter Moffat, Andrew Davies and Jed Mercurio. His work is defined by a shared appetite for pushing boundaries and delivering gripping, emotionally resonant drama.
In recent years, Michael has focused on mini‑series that explore human stories under intense political pressure. His work includes CHIMERICA, Lucy Kirkwood’s Olivier Award‑winning play reimagined for television against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and David Hare’s ROADKILL, charting the rise of a corrupt, self‑serving politician played with ruthless charm by Hugh Laurie.
He directed Jack Thorne’s BEST INTERESTS, navigating the raw emotion of a family facing impossible decisions, and most recently took audiences through the labyrinthine ten‑year pursuit of justice following the Lockerbie bombing in THE BOMBING OF PAN AM 103.
Michael began his career directing commercials, pop promos and short films before moving into a run of much‑loved British series including SHAMELESS, MR SELFRIDGE and SILK. He went on to direct the award‑winning third season of LINE OF DUTY and launched the long‑running detective series STRIKE for BBC One.
Alongside his directing work, Michael writes and develops long‑form projects with the same energy, originality and drive that define his filmmaking.
He is represented in the US by attorney Michael Schenkman.
THE BOMBING OF PAN AM 103
“A police procedural, then, but also a tribute to the Lockerbie community and the care its residents showed towards the victims.” Anita Singh, Daily Telegraph
"a superior telling of the story, poignant and fascinating in equal measure." Rachel Cooke, The New Stateman
"the 12-year police and FBI investigation to find out who murdered 270 people on a cold night in December 1988, which is retold with sensitivity in this brilliant drama" ***** The Sun
LINE OF DUTY
“It’s stomach-clenchingly tense, visceral, shocking – television best watched in body armour” Sam Wollaston, The Guardian
BEST INTERESTS
*****Guardian *****Daily Mail *****Times
****Telegraph ****Metro ****Independent
****Radio Times ****The Financial Times
“Beautifully directed by Michael Keillor, and the first-rate performances create a viewing experience that is far from easy but entirely absorbing.”
“Scriptwriter Jack Thorne’s stellar reputation for creating believable and poignant dramas from thorny social issues has only been enhanced by this four-part drama which ends with riveting court scenes and a conclusion that will hit you hard in the guts. Stunning.” Ben Dowell, The Times
“One of the best (although not jolliest) TV dramas of the year.” James Walton, The Spectator
“In one scene Nicci puts make-up on Marnie’s 11-year-old face — mad, absurd Instagram make-up — so she can go on her first and only date, to the cinema with a boy who fancies her and is also soon to die, so they can sit at opposite ends of a row (for fire safety reasons) in their respective wheelchairs, and love it. There are no words I can write to convey how beautiful a scene it is. It made me gasp. None of this is mawkish. What skill, from Thorne, from Horgan, from Moriarty, from all of them, to set up what they are about to lose, all the better to have us appreciate the unspeakable pain of losing it.” Hugo Rifkind, The Times
ROADKILL
“Good to be reminded of the enduring truths that power corrupts that charisma tells us nothing of a man or woman, that political ambition is rarely purely a craving to serve the public.” Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
STRIKE: THE CUCKOO’S CALLING.
"Vintage and modern, highly watchable and brilliantly cast, Strike is a sure hit" Matt Baylis, The Express
CHIMERICA
“A strikingly intelligent drama, capturing big ideas without sacrificing story or character, and making the personal political and back again – particularly in the scenes set in China.” Lucy Mangan, The Guardian
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
THE BOMBING OF PAN AM 103 2023 - 2025 | BBC / Netflix | Director and Executive Producer. |
2022 - 2023 | BBC 1/ Chapter One Pictures | Director and Executive Producer. |
2020 | The Forge/PBS/BBC 1 | Director and Executive Producer |
2018 - 2019 | Playground Entertainment/Channel 4 | Director |
2017 | BBC/HBO/Bronte | Lead Director. |
2015 | BBC2/World Productions | Lead Director. |
CRITICAL 2014 | Sky One/Hat Trick | Director. |
SILK III 2013 | BBC 1 | Director. |
MR SELFRIDGE 2012 | ITV Studios | Director. |
YOUNG JAMES HERRIOT 2011 | BBC 1/KoCo Media | 3 part series about the life of the young Vet. |
SHAMELESS VIII 2011 | Company Television/C4 | |
HOLBY CITY 2011 | BBC 1 | |
EASTENDERS: E20 2010 | BBC 3 | * Rose D'Or Nominee, 2010. |
THE BILL 2009 | ITV 1 | |
EASTENDERS 2008 | BBC 1 | |
DOCTORS 2007 | BBC 1 | |
DREAM TEAM 2006 | Sky |
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
TIGHTROPE 2020 | STV/BBC | Executive Producer: Sarah Brown |
TOO FAR NORTH 2020 | WILD MERCURY/BBC | Executive Producer: Derek Wax |
Short Films
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
2014 | Warp Films/BFI | Writer and Director. Love on the run with a girl and a gun. |
2010 | BBC, Scottish Screen & Lighthouse Arts | Writer and Director. 15'. Father and son lost in the Highlands. |
2009 | UK Film Council, Scottish Screen & Digicult | 15'. Life, for a young man and an old soul. |
2006 | Channel 4 'Coming Up' 2005 | Writer and Director. 23'. Gang rivalry tears a friendship apart. |