Mike Robinson
Director of Photography

+44 (0) 7768 096383
mike@manfridayfilms.com
I studied film on the Fine Art course at St Martin’s in the early 1980’s and learned about the power of the moving image. Around the corner in Soho - then the epicentre of film production - the buzz of the editing rooms, camera rental companies and film labs was intoxicating and I knew I wanted to be part of that world.

As a camera assistant I gained experience working on music videos, feature films and documentaries throughout the world learning the importance of collaboration alongside leading film makers - Sally Potter, Ken Loach, Dick Pope and Alexei Rodionov among them.

I got my break as a cameraman on the BBC series Great Railway Journeys in the mid 90’s and I have been shooting documentaries and docu-dramas for British and American television ever since.

I like the unpredictable nature of observational filming, it’s closeness to real life. I strive for realism whether documentary or dramatised, listening and responding to the story unfolding in front of me.


Emmy Photography
Winner 
The Real Mo Farah

Directed by Leo Burley
BBC & Red Bull Studios for BBC 1

The revelatory story behind Mo’s true identity - the journey he made from Somaliland as a young boy, his unhappy years at school here and the long road that led him to winning gold at the Olympics.
The Queen’s Green Planet

Featuring a unique conversation between the Queen and Sir David Attenborough as they walk in the garden at Buckingham Palace this film explores the ambition of a new initiative - a vast network of native forests across Britain and the Commonwealth countries, protected in the Queen’s name.

Directed by Jane Treays
INT Productions for ITV

Monty Don’s Adriatic Gardens

Monty travels to the Adriatic coast, exploring gardens in Venice, Croatia and Greece.

Produced by Alexandra Henderson for BBC 2
3 x 60min

Lucy Worsley Investigates

Lucy unravels the mysteries of some of the most infamous and brutal chapters in British history, finding new witnesses and compelling evidence.

Directed by Emma Frank, Craig Collinson
BBC Studios for BBC 2
4 x 60min


Who Do You Think You Are?
Robert Rinder


Robert Rinder follows the story of his grandfather a Holocaust survivor. Travelling to the town in Poland where he was born, Robert hears first-hand testimony of the horrors of forced labour camps as well as the hope of a new life in Britain.

Directed by David Vincent
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1

The Big C

Sally, a mother of five hopes that a stem cell transplant will finally end her ten year battle with cancer. But with her body exhausted from years of treatment, it is a procedure that brings huge risks.

Directed by Kate Scholefield
Keo Films for BBC1


2023 - Current
My Grandparents’ War - Series 2

Kit Harrington, Toby Jones and Keira Knightly unravel the complex, personal stories of their grandparents’s wartime experience.

Directed by Frank Hanly Wonderhood for
Channel 4
3 x 46 min


The Loch Ness Monster (w/t)

Told through the voices of the people who were involved this series looks at the legends, the science and the social context behind Scotland’s greatest enduring myth.

Directed by Stephen Finnigan
Two Rivers for Channel Five & Paramount
3 x 60 min


India 1947: Partition In Colour

75 years on from one of the 20th century’s greatest catastrophes this two-part series tells the story of the personal rivalries between the key players at the centre of partition and what impact their relationships had on this momentous event.

Directed by Laura Nash Optomen for Channel 4
2 x 46 min


Banged Up Abroad

An episode in this tense, dramatic crime series - a story of the sleazier side of ex-pat life in Goa and things going badly wrong.

Directed by Ben Reid Raw for Nat Geo


Agatha Christie (w/t)

Lucy Worsley shares her research on the writer’s personal letters and papers and uncovers the real Agatha Christie - the story of the person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.

Directed by Rachel Jardine and Ed Moriarty BBC Studios for BBC 2
2 x 60 min


Union with David Olusoga (w/t)

This five-part landmark series seeks to bring a timely understanding of the history lying beneath the fault lines of contemporary Britain.

Directed by Susie Painter Uplands Television for BBC 2
5 x 60 min

2022
The Real Mo Farah

The revelatory story behind Mo’s true identity - the journey he made from Somaliland as a young boy, his unhappy years at school here and the subsequent leap that led him to winning gold at the Olympics.

Directed by Leo Burley
BBC & Red Bull Studios for BBC 1


The Crown Jewels

In the Platinum Jubilee year Clive Marie examines the highly prized objects and glittering stones that symbolise the Queen’s rule and reveal the complicated story of our Island’s history.

Directed by Harvey Lilley Atlantic Productions for BBC 1


Monty Don’s Adriatic Gardens

Monty travels to the Adriatic coast, exploring gardens in Venice, Croatia and Greece.

Produced by Alexandra Henderson AHA for BBC 2
3 x 60min


Lucy Worsley Investigates

Lucy unravels the mysteries of some of the most infamous and brutal chapters in British history, finding new witnesses and compelling evidence.

Directed by Emma Frank, Craig Collinson BBC Studios for BBC 2
4 x 60min

2021
Gold Rush

The story of the build up to the 2012 Olympics told be the athletes, organisers and politicians as they reflect back on that fleeting moment of national glory.

Directed by Stephen Finnigan BBC Studios for BBC 1
4 x 60min


Lucy Worsley’s Blitz

Based on the diaries of five Londoners living through the Blitz, Lucy Worsley debunks the myths and gets closer to the reality of what it was really like in this dramatised series.

Directed by Emma Frank
Brook Lapping for BBC 1


Long Lost Family - Born Without a Trace series 2

More extraordinary and moving stories of babies abandoned decades ago finally reunited with their birth family.

Directed by Rosie Schellenberg
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1


Who Do You Think You Are? - Series 17

Comedian Joe Lycett goes against the grain tracking down his ancestors.

Directed by David Vincent
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1


Secret Cities

What lies beneath - the less explored London and Berlin revealed.

Directed by Duncan Bulling
Bigger Bang Productions for the Smithsonian Channel

2020
Scandal and Beauty : Mark Gatiss on Aubrey Beardsley

Mark Gatiss explores the life and career of an artist outrageously adroit as his pen. Mark shows how Beardsley was a technological innovator whose uncompromising attitude still feels remarkably modern.


Directed by Matt Thomas
Academy 7 for BBC 4

Monty Don's American Gardens

From New York through the deep south, prairie and desert to the west coast Monty crosses the American continent learning about the history and culture of the people he meets and their gardens, occasionally lending a hand.

Directed by Alexandra Henderson
AHA for BBC 2
2019
A Berry Royal Christmas

Offering a unique look into the charities that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge support, Mary Berry accompanies them on their visits meeting inspiring people who's lives have been changed.

Directed by Lana Salah
Shine for BBC 1

My Grandparents' War

Kristen Scott Thomas uncovers the story of how her grandfather saved thousands of lives at Dunkirk and went on to endure what Churchill called "the worst journey in the world".
And Helena Bonham Carter relates how her grandfather defied orders by helping Jewish families escape the Holocaust while her grandmother volunteered as an air raid warden and campaigned for women's rights.

Directed by Laura Nash & Frank Hanley
Wild Pictures for Channel Four

Charles : Fifty Years A Prince

A celebration of Wales through the eyes of the Prince who has made the role his own over fifty years.

Directed by Marion Milne
Yeti for ITV 1

The Cameron Years

For the first time the former Prime Minister speaks candidly about his memoirs and his time in power.

Directed by Denys Blakeway & Ian Lease
Menace Productions for BBC 1

Long Lost Family - Series 9

Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell present the documentary series which aims to reunite family members after years of separation and offers a life-line for people desperate to trace long lost relatives.

Directed by Clare Bradbury & Mark Usher
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1

Thatcher : A Very British Revolution : Enemies - BAFTA nominated 2020

The irresistible rise and dramatic downfall of the Iron Lady - her inner circle reveal how a political outsider won power and dominated British life through a turbulent decade.

Directed by Stephen Finnigan
BBC Studios for BBC 2

Monty Don's Japanese Gardens

Monty immerses himself in all things Japanese learning, through the changing seasons how climate, art & philosophy have shaped Japanese garden design.

Directed by Alexandra Henderson
Lion Television for BBC 2

Catching Britain's Killers : The Crimes That Changed Us

A series looking at three notorious crimes in recent history and their subsequent court cases that changed criminal law & legal history forever.

Directed by Emma Frank & Karen McGann 3 x 60 mins
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 2

Icons : Sports Stars

Celebrating the achievements of the greatest figures of the 20th century. Clare Balding explores the legacies of sports stars Pele, Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King and Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Directed by David Vincent
72 Films for BBC2

Britain At Low Tide - Series 3

Tori Herridge explores more of Britain's coastline revealing intriguing industrial and maritime history when the tide goes out.

Directed by Michael Waterhouse
Tern Television for Channel Four

The Next Pompeii?

Naples is a beautiful, vibrant city - it is also a dangerous place to live. This film for Nova investigates what lies beneath.

Directed by Duncan Bulling 
Lion Television for Nova

Cricket Fever

An eight-part Netflix co-production following Mumbai’s home cricket team as they attempt to win the Indian Premier League for a record fourth time.

Directed by Jeremy Finn 
Conde-Nast for Netflix
Steve Robinson
Director of Photography

+44 (0) 7768 738237
stephen@manfridayfilms.com
Studying Fine Art taught me the value and power of images, providing the basis for an eclectic visual vocabulary with which to communicate ideas.

My path into filmmaking developed from an interest in photography that was largely self taught. Gaining experience on the job initially as a camera assistant and then cameraman, I have worked on documentaries in diverse environments and landscapes throughout the world.

I enjoy the collaboration of film making particularly observational filming; the intimate relationship between the camera and the subject, responding intuitively to what I see in front of me with a fresh and authentic eye.

BAFTA Factual Photography
Winner 2013
Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol

Directed by Francis Welch
Uplands TV for BBC Two

This film follows Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, as he and the city respond to the extraordinary events which followed the toppling of the Colston Statue in the summer of 2020.
Bridget Riley: Painting the Line

A rare glimpse into the world of Bridget Riley at work in her Cornish studio and accomanying her on a cliff-top walk in the landscape she finds so inspiring.

Directed by Jill Nicholls & Sophie Deveson
BBC Studios for BBC 2

Prue Leith: Journey With My Daughter

Forty-five years ago, just before Pol Pot's genocide in Cambodia, Prue Leith adopted her daughter Li-Da and brought her to the UK to be raised. Now, Prue and Li-Da return to Cambodia in search of her biological family and to learn of the hundreds of other adopted children who also left.

Directed by Lottie Gammon
Bright Button Productions for Channel 4

Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace

BAFTA Winner 2021
Best Television Feature

The incredible true story of a man left on the front seat of a car in Northern Ireland and a woman abandoned six years later in a telephone box in the Republic of Ireland.

Directed by Rosie Schellenberg
Wall to Wall Media for BBC1


My Grandparent's War

Helena Bonham Carter relates how her grandmother volunteered as an air raid warden and campaigned for women's rights and her grandfather defied orders by helping Jewish people escape the Holocaust.

Directed by Frank Hanley
and Chris Walker 
Wild Pictures for Channel 4

Amish: A Secret Life

Shot exclusively within an Amish community of rural Pennsylvania, this film follows one family as they struggle to adopt a purer way of life yet stay within the Amish Church.

Directed by Lynn Alleway
BBC Wales for BBC 2

Current
Empire with David Olusoga (w/t)
A new three part series due to air in September 2025.

Directed by Francis Welch
Voltage TV for BBC 2


Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace
Series 6
In search for answers, Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell help foundlings track down the people who gave them up as babies. 

Directors Claire Lewis and Alison Grist
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1


Who Do You Think You Are?  
Series 21
A French Maitre d’Hôtel returns to France to trace his roots.

Directed by Guy Arthur
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1


Who Do You Think You Are?
Series 22
A famous BBC Radio 2 DJ traces her ancestry.

Directed by Kat Ellinger
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1


Long Lost Family
Series 15
More families reunions.

Director: Ed Wright
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1

2024
Erased: WW2 Heroes of Color
Dunkirk


Amidst the chaos of Dunkirk and the advancing German Army, one little-known Indian regiment fights for victory and independence.

Directed by Dan Dewsbury
October Films for National Geographic


Britain Behind Bars: A Secret History
Robert Rinder uncovers a secret history of Britain going back centuries hidden behind our prison walls - from petty crooks to infamous gangsters, hangmen, extreme brutality and explosive riots

Directed by Alex Brisland
Twenty Twenty TV for Channel 4


Galacticos
Some of the key players reminisce about their time at Real Madrid during the  "Galácticos" era.

Directed by Clare Bradbury and Gabe Turner
Fulwell 73 for ESPN
2024
Union with David Olusoga
The future of the Union is today at greater threat than at any time in living memory. In this ambitious 4-part, landmark series David Olusoga uncovers the long history of union and disunion; tracing their origins back centuries.

Directed by Francis Welch, Jonathan Rowlands and Steven Clarke
Uplands TV & Wall to Wall for BBC 2


Secrets of the Bay City Rollers
Nicky Campbell explores the Bay City Rollers' rise to being one of the biggest pop bands of the '70s as tartan fever spread across the world - while behind the scenes a much darker side to the story played out.

Directed by Chris Boulding
Summer Films for ITV 1


Who Do You Think You Are? 
Series 20
Kevin Clifton
Chris Ramsay

Directors Ben Southwell
and Toby Roebuck
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1


Fake or Fortune
Series 11
Elizabeth Frink

Directed by Matt Thomas
BBC Studios for BBC 1


Long Lost Family
Series 13
More Families reunited.

Director: John Deol
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1

2022
My Grandparent’s War 
Series 2

Keira Knightly and Kit Harrington dig into their grandparents’ experiences of WWII.

Directed by Frank Hanly and Erica Gornall
Wonderhood for Channel 4


Who Do You Think You Are?  

Series19
Anna Maxwell Martin
Richard Osman
Sue Perkins

Directors: Sebastian Barfield, Mary Cranitch and Sue Hills
Wall to Wall Media for BBC 1


Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace
Series 3 & 4
DNA technology with painstaking detective work, to get answers for people desperate to find out where they came from.

Directors: Rosie Schellenberg and Alice Goodyear
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1


Long Lost Family 
Series 12
The multi-award winning series about people looking for missing family.

Directors John Deol, Nicki Stoker, Amy Morgan and Nasra Hassan
Wall to Wall Media for ITV 1

2021
Bridget Riley: Painting the Line
A rare glimpse into the world of Bridget Riley in her Cornish studio and accomanying her on a cliff-top walk in the landscape she finds so inspiring.

Directed by Jill Nicholls & Sophie Deveson
BBC Studios for BBC 2


Who Do You Think You Are? 
Series 18
Alex Scott learns about her Jewish ancestry and travels to Jamaica for the first time in her life to find out about her great-great-grandmother.

Directed by Sarah Feltes
Wall to Wall for BBC 1


The Bambers: Murder at the Farm
This four part series re-examines the tragic murder of a family at a secluded English farmhouse in 1985 using first-hand testimony and unseen archive footage to reflect on the events and the conviction of Jeremy Bamber.

Directed by Lottie Gammon
Mindhouse Productions for Sky Arts


Imagine
Tom Stoppard: A Charmed Life
An intimate portrait of the celebrated Czech-born British playwright as he awaits the re-opening of his acclaimed new play Leopoldstadt in London’s West End.

Directed by Jill Nicholls
BBC Arts for BBC 2


Statue Wars: One Summer in Bristol
This film follows Bristol’s mayor, Marvin Rees, as he and the city respond to the extraordinary events which followed the toppling of the Colston Statue in the summer of 2020.

Directed by Francis Welch
Uplands TV for BBC 2


Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace
Series 2

BAFTA Winner 2021
Best Television Feature

The extraordinary true story of two babies left on either side of the Irish border during the 'Troubles'.

Directed by Rosie Schellenberg
Wall to Wall Media for BBC1