Mike Christie (director)

Mike Christie
Born
Manchester, England
OccupationsFilm and TV Director and Producer
Years active1991–present
Known for
  • Jump London (2003)
  • New Order: Decades (2018)
  • Accelerate or Die! (2023)
  • The Pilgrimage of Gilbert & George (2024)
  • Nick Cave's Veiled World (2025)

Mike Christie is a British film and television director and producer who has made films for the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, Discovery, History Channel, Apple, Showtime and Red Bull. His career began in the 1990s working with the artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman – who he met at meetings of Act Up London – on projects including the book At Your Own Risk.[1]

Other early collaborators included Pet Shop Boys[2] and Suede[3] with whom he worked from 1992 to 1997.[4] In 1997, he co-created Drop the Debt,[5] the mainstream music and entertainment industries campaign of the Jubilee 2000 movement, fronted by Bono and others, and led to the cancellation of more than $100 billion in debt owed by 35 of the poorest countries.[6]

Christie's Parkour documentaries Jump London (2003)[7][8] and Jump Britain (2005), debuting Sebastien Foucan, presented the discipline to a global audience for the first time. In recognition, in 2010, Christie was nicknamed the "godfather" of Parkour by one of the sport's publications.[9][10] Following the success of Jump London, in 2004 Mike Christie founded production company Carbon Media, which was sold to ITV in 2009.[11]

During the 2010s, Christie made sports and arts films and documentaries including Concrete Circus (2011), The Secret Life of Buildings (2011), Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate (2013), The Art of China with Andrew Graham-Dixon (2014), Sir Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success (2015), and Football: A Brief History (2016).[12][13] In 2017 and 2018 he directed music documentaries Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976–90, New Order: Decades and Suede: The Insatiable Ones.[12] New Order: Decades and Suede: The Insatiable Ones screened at CPH:DOX in 2019.[14] Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976–90 was shortlisted for a Grierson Award.[15]

In 2021, Zinc Media Group launched the production label Supercollider, led by Christie.[16]

Through Supercollider, Christie directed the documentary Accelerate or Die (2023), featuring artist Jake Chapman and focusing on debates around accelerationism, technology and the climate crisis.[17][18] He later directed the Sky Arts feature documentary The Pilgrimage of Gilbert & George (2024).[19][20] In 2022, Human Pinball (Red Bull TV) was nominated for a Sports Emmy in the category Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction, with Christie credited as a creative director.[21] More recently, Christie has directed films engaging with editorial themes around AI and responsibility, including a one-minute G42 film featuring Lewis Hamilton (2024) and The Dreamer featuring Andrea Kimi Antonelli (G42 / Mercedes-AMG Petronas), which centres on AI’s growing role in society.,[22][23] and a Sky documentary about Nick Cave’s songwriting and creative process, Nick Cave’s Veiled World, was reviewed in The Independent in 2025.[24]

Awards and nominations

  • Jump London – nominated for the Royal Television Society Programme Awards (Arts) (2003).[25]
  • Body Talk – winner at the FOCAL International Awards (2005).[26]
  • The Big Art Project (multi-platform) – winner, RTS Innovation Award (2007).[27] It also received three nominations at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards (2008).[28] It won the Media Guardian Innovation Award (2008).[29]
  • Inside Incredible Athletes – nominated for Best Popular Factual Programme at the Broadcast Awards (2011).[30]
  • Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976–90 – shortlisted for Best Arts/Music Documentary at the Grierson Awards (2018).[31]
  • Football: A Brief History – nominated for Best Factual Series at the RTS Southern Centre Awards (2018).[32]
  • Human Pinball – nominated at the 43rd Sports Emmy Awards in Outstanding Studio or Production Design/Art Direction (2022).[33]
  • Channel 4’s London 2012 Paralympics coverage – winner, BAFTA TV Award for Sport and Live Event (2013).[34]
  • The Pilgrimage of Gilbert and George – nominated (Arts) at the Rose d’Or Awards (2024).[35] It won a Bronze Tower (The Arts) at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards (2025).[36]
  • Supercharged (G42) – at the EVCOM London Live & Film Awards 2025, the project won Gold for Best Brand Communication Event and Innovation & Technology, and received Silver awards for Best Experiential Event, Best B2E (Business to Employee) Event, Most Creative Event Delivery, and Best Experience & Engagement Strategy.[37]

Selected filmography

Documentaries and factual

  • Body Talk (2004)
  • Little Britain Down Under (2007)
  • Concrete Circus (2011)
  • The Secret Life of Buildings (2011)
  • The Art of China with Andrew Graham-Dixon (2014)
  • Sir Alex Ferguson: Secrets of Success (2015)
  • Football: A Brief History (2016)
  • The Art Show (2017)
  • Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976–90 (2018) – Grierson Award shortlisted[38][39]
  • Suede: The Insatiable Ones (2018)[4]
  • New Order: Decades (2018)
  • Accelerate or Die! (2023)[17][40]
  • The Pilgrimage of Gilbert & George (2024)[41][42]
  • Nick Cave’s Veiled World (2025)[24]

Branded and short-form

  • Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate (2013)
  • Human Pinball (2021)[43]

Multi-platform and live work

  • Big Art (Channel 4 multi-platform project)
  • London 2012 Ceremonies (2012)
  • New Order Education Entertainment Recreation (Live At Alexandra Palace) (2018)
  • UAE 48th National Day (2019)

References

  1. ^ "At Your Own Risk". blackwells.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Michael Christie". BFI.
  3. ^ "Suede – Introducing The Band". Discogs.
  4. ^ a b "Church Bells Are Calling: Suede And The Making Of The Insatiable Ones". Clash Magazine.
  5. ^ Goldman, Paula (2010). From Margin to Mainstream: Jubilee 2000 and the Rising Profile of Global Poverty Issues in the United Kingdom and United States. Harvard University. p. 32.
  6. ^ Welby, Justin, (2016) Dethroning Mammon, Making Money serve Grace. London, Bloomsbury, (p. 154)
  7. ^ McLean, Gareth (10 September 2003). "TV review" – via www.theguardian.com.
  8. ^ Glaister, Dan (14 January 2017). "Inside the daredevil world of parkour, Britain's newest, gravity-defying sport" – via www.theguardian.com.
  9. ^ "Jump Magazine Issue 1". Issuu.
  10. ^ Kidder, Jeffrey L (2017). Parkour and the City: Risk, Masculinity, and Meaning in a Postmodern Sport. Rutgers University Press. p. 157.
  11. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (6 January 2009). "ITV buys 25% stake in independent production company Carbon Media" – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. ^ a b "Zinc Media launches Supercollider with Mike Christie". Televisual. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Woodcut Media and The Development Partnership to produce Alfie Allen football doc for A+E Networks UK's HISTORY". Woodcut Media. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  14. ^ "CPH:DOX 19 – An Evening with Suede & New Order". Det Danske Filminstitut (Cinemateket). Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  15. ^ "The Grierson Awards 2018: shortlist". The Grierson Trust. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Zinc Media launches Supercollider with Mike Christie". Televisual. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  17. ^ a b "Accelerate or Die (12*) + ScreenTalk with Jake Chapman and Dr Isabel Millar, hosted by Elfie Reigate". Barbican. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Jake Chapman's Accelerate and Die: The New /Acc Primer". xenogothic. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  19. ^ "The Pilgrimage of Gilbert & George – A Sky Arts Documentary". Thaddaeus Ropac. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  20. ^ "The Pilgrimage of Gilbert and George". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  21. ^ "43rd Sports Emmy Awards Nominees" (PDF). theemmys.tv. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  22. ^ "F1 champion Lewis Hamilton calls for responsible AI amid G42-Mercedes partnership". The National. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Supercollider's 'The Dreamer' with G42 and Kimi Antonelli". Zinc Media Group. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  24. ^ a b "Nick Cave's Veiled World documentary is a captivating look at the musician's songwriting genius". The Independent. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  25. ^ "RTS nominations". The Guardian. 1 October 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  26. ^ "Awards Archive". FOCAL International. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  27. ^ "RTS Innovation Awards 2007". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  28. ^ "Craft Awards 2008". BAFTA. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  29. ^ "Past Winners 2008". Media Guardian Innovation Awards. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  30. ^ "In Full: Broadcast Awards 2011 Winners". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  31. ^ "Past awards: 2018 shortlist". The Grierson Trust. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  32. ^ "RTS Southern Centre Professional Awards 2018". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  33. ^ "43rd Sports Emmy Awards Nominees" (PDF). theemmys.tv. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  34. ^ "Channel 4 win BAFTAs for Paralympics coverage". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  35. ^ "Rose d'Or 2024 Nominees Announced". Rose d'Or Awards. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  36. ^ "Winners Gallery". New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  37. ^ "EVCOM London Live & Film Awards 2025: Our Biggest Line-up. Our Brightest Talent". evcom.org.uk. EVCOM. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  38. ^ "The Grierson Trust – Shortlist". griersontrust.org.
  39. ^ Saner, Emine (11 January 2018). "Hansa Studios: By the Wall 1976–90 review – the most thrillingly creative place on earth" – via www.theguardian.com.
  40. ^ "Jake Chapman's Accelerate and Die: the new acc primer". XenoGothic. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  41. ^ "Up Next 2024: Sky unveils a host of brand-new unscripted commissions across Sky Documentaries and Sky Arts". Sky Group. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  42. ^ "The Pilgrimage of Gilbert & George: A Sky Arts Documentary". Thaddaeus Ropac. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  43. ^ "43rd Sports Emmy Awards: Nominees" (PDF). theemmys.tv. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
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