Michael Hirst was born on September 21 1952, in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He holds a First-class honor in English and American Literature from the University of Nottingham.
But he also studied at trinity college in Oxford. He was initially poised to pursue academics as a field agent but changed his mind and decided to try his hand at screenwriting after Nicholas Roeg asked him to write a couple of screenplays for him after reading one of his short stories.
This move ultimately graced us with many cinematic masterpieces that have won hearts all around the globe with their captivating and thrilling storylines. Of all the films that he has written and produced, none get more accolade than Vikings, pitting us to question, is Vikings His Best Tv show? We try and look at some of the films he has crafted and why Vikings might be the best among the lot.
Vikings
Hirst created Vikings in 2013 for the History Channel in Canada. It is a historical fantasy drama film and was filmed in Ireland. It closed with six seasons on December 30 2020, spanning 7 yrs.
The storyline follows a legendary hero from his rise from grass to grace. Ragnar Lothbrok is the inspiration for the film and was a legendary Swedish and Danish king and a Viking hero and is epitomized in various Norse legends and poetry. Famed for his raids against the Holy Roman Empire and the British Isles, Norse Folklore makes him among the most known Norse heroes.
The story depicts Ragnar as an ordinary peasant farmer taking us through his journey fueled by his thirst for exploration. He eventually becomes a king of the Vikings, aided by his family and men. He faces a myriad of challenges inclusive of internal crises, tough foes and family disputes in his drive to attain supremacy.
Hirst mastery of writing, screenplay, and storytelling is evident in how the characters communicate, and how the plot unravels. This led to the show being nominated for various awards and eventually winning an Emmy award for the Outstanding Special Visual Effects in A supporting role for its episode The Best Laid Plans.
Garnering an IMDb rating of 8.5, Vikings surely is the best Michael Hirst film. It is loved so much that it inspired casino software developers to create a slot game based on the show. To find out more about the Vikings slot game, read this review.
The Tudors
Another Historical fiction film by Michael Hirst for Showtime, the American Premier Cable television channel. The Tudors had an IMDB rating of 8.1, which was slightly below Vikings’ rating. The Tudors was based on the welsh house of Tudor and of English royalty.
The family ruled from 1485 until the year 1603, with a total of six monarchs who ruled within that period. The show tends to focus more on the reign of King Henry VII. Tudors premiered in April 2007 and ran for four seasons before the final episode aired on June 20 2010.
The show hit home with the audience and Hirst’s talents on display again. Tudors got recognized for being the highest-rated Showtime series in three years. The Consistent High rating is a testament to Hirst’s prowess at capturing the attention of his audience.
The Tudor, however, lags behind Vikings in popularity and can be recognized as his second-best show. The Television series won various awards, including being nominated and winning a Primetime 2010 Emmy award in two categories. It won Outstanding Art Direction for A Single-Camera Series for episode 407 and Outstanding Costumes for A Series for episode 408.
Camelot
Although it only ran for ten episodes, this film got an IMDb rating of 6.5. It was created for Starz by Chris Chibnall and Michael Hirst. Unlike the earlier two tv shows, Camelot is a fantasy historical drama. It borrows heavily and is based on the “matter of Britain”, specifically the Arthurian legend.
The pilot episode aired in February 2011 and after that followed by the second episode in April. The ten episodes of the tv series run until June 10 of the same year before Starz officially announced that they would not film a second season. They cited conflicts with members of the cast on the scheduling.
Despite its small screen life, the tv series was exceptional, as we have come to expect from Michael Hirst and even got a Primetime Emmy Award. This award was for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. However, you should note that Michael Hirst was only involved in the writing of the story and being both its creator and executive producer.
Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II
A breath of fresh air from his usual films, this biographical drama was written by Lorenzo Minoli, Judd Parkin and Michael Hirst. This time, Hirst was only involved in the tv series writing. The title gets a rating of 5.9 in the IMDb charts occupying the lowest ranking in our current list so far.
The movie’s plot aims to capture how the Late Pope maintained his love, passion and adoration for Jesus Christ and his mother, the Virgin Mary, throughout the privy hardships to his life. The Pope made history by being the third longest-serving Pope. His life, however, suffered some twists and turns and wasn’t entirely as Rosey as one would expect.
He survived an attempt on his life by Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981 but later forgave him. He also fought against communism and totalitarian regimes in Paraguay and denouncing the abuse of children sexually. The script written is eye-catching and fascinating as the events unravel layer by layer.
Above are the television shows that showcase Michale Hirst’s talent and dedication to his film script writing. With many titles under his belt, the Tv shows Viking remains one of his best, if not the best, show he has written and produced. This gives credit to how much effort and talent he puts in his work making him one of the best writers and producers of his generation.