Biography
Mike has been telling tall tales all his life, and decided to turn this into a career in 2008. He was Lancastrian born, but is now based in Nottingham, drawing his tales from Britain’s rich heritage and also from the four corners of the earth. His delivery is warm and engaging, and he has a penchant for the strange and unexplainable.
Mike was a secondary English teacher for nineteen years, using ‘storytelling’ with classes before he even knew that it still existed as an art form. He worked in Mexico from 2004-2008 and found that storytelling was an very powerful teaching tool in this country with a proud oral culture. His students and friends taught him many strange, magical Mexican stories and he often incorporates these into his performance.
For the past 11 years, Mike has co-run the ever popular Beeston Tales with ace storyteller Tim Ralphs, a monthly storytelling club that brings the best of contemporary storytelling to an adult audience. As well as his work in schools, he has performed at museums, galleries, festivals, castles, pubs, clubs and cafes throughout the land. Early in his career he was the winner of The Black Country Story Slam, and was invited by The Society for Storytelling to perform at their annual gathering. He performed at The Wellcome Trust’s Day of the Dead celebrations on a day when the gallery had its busiest ever day: He has visited over 250 schools across the UK and Europe, performing and running workshops to all ages.
“Mike’s storytelling sessions for the Day of the Dead family event at the Wellcome Collection were the perfect way to celebrate Mexico's most beloved tradition. His passion, enthusiasm and incredible talent kept hundreds mesmerised while making it an unforgettable experience for everybody.” Jimena Gorraez-Belmar, Events curator, The Wellcome Trust
Mike was also invited to perform at The British Museum as part of their own Day of the Dead celebrations.
performing at The British Museum
clip from the documentary Sharing