Joined BBC TV in 1963, as trainee assistant film editor, after graduating with BA Hons degree from Trinity College, Dublin (1958-1962)

1963-1967
Assistant Film Editor/Film Editor, BBC Film Dept

1967
Joined BBC Music and Arts Dept

1967-71
Directed numerous films on a range of subjects for various BBC series, including ‘The Movies’, ‘Moviemakers at the NFT’, ‘Canvas’, ‘The Craftsmen’, ‘New Release’, ‘Omnibus’

Cinema
John Ford, Antonioni, Roman Polanski (The Movies);
James Stewart, Bette Davis (at the NFT);
The making of Jean Luc Godard’s One Plus One;
The making of Yellow Submarine (with George Melly)
Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton (both with Charles Barr)

Craftsmen
Dan Arbeid, Potter
David Coleman, Cabinetmaker

Painting
Short films for ‘Canvas’ and ‘First Eleven’ on particular paintings by Van Gogh, Titian, Toulouse Lautrec, Frans Hals, Picasso, Brueghel etc, also “Alan Bennett at Leeds City Art Gallery”

Music
Coleman Hawkins
Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet

1972
“Ways of Seeing”, 4 x 30 min series with John Berger (BAFTA Award 1972, Best Specialised Series). Also collaborated on book(BBC/Penguin), still in print. The films, many foreign editions of the book and related memorabilia were featured in Tate Britain’s exhibition “Ways of Seeing- revisited” (March-July 2005)

1973-74
Contributed various studio items and films to BBC 2’s two Saturday night Arts Extravaganzas “Full House” and “Second House”, including complete programmes from Liverpool and Glasgow.

1974
“Is this the way to save a city?” A 90 min investigation into the redevelopment of Cardiff, co-directed with Roger Graef
Follow-up programme one year later.

“Boom” 5’ architectural cartoon with Louis Hellman

1975-76
“Jonah Barrington” (Success Story 30’) about Britain’s foremost squash player.
“Words and Images” (Arena 15’), with the poet and painter Charles Tomlinson.
“Beyond a Boundary” (Omnibus 60’) with the Trinidadian writer CLR James, based on his classic book about cricket.
“The First Picture Show” (BBC 2 13 x 30’) series presenting the work of student film-makers, co-produced with Gavin Millar.

1976-79
Member of British Film Institute Production Board

1977-78
“Ralph Steadman” (Arena 50’) profile of the caricaturist and illustrator

“Seeing Through Drawing” a two hour film about the meaning of drawing featuring, among others, David Hockney, Jim Dine, Ralph Steadman and art historian Philip Rawson

1977-78
“Taking Our Time” (Arena 60’) with Red Ladder Theatre, based on their musical play about time and the Industrial Revolution
“Ealing Films” (Arena 30’) in collaboration with Charles Barr based on his book about Britain’s most famous film studio.

1979
“The Country and The City” (Where We Live Now 60’) with the writer Raymond Williams, based on his classic book of literary criticism.

“Pig Earth” (Omnibus 50’) with John Berger, based on his stories of peasant experience, with photographs by Jean Mohr

“Jazz, Rock and Marriage” (60’) about jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson and her husband rock drummer Jon Hiseman

“Barbara Thompson’s Paraphernalia” (45’) in concert at Bracknell Jazz Festival

1980
“Parting Shots from Animals” (Omnibus 60’) developed from essays by John Berger, in collaboration with Chris Rawlence.

“Fringe Benefits” (Arena 50’) political theatre songs of the 70’s, featuring Belt and Braces, Red Ladder, The Sadista Sisters and the Albany’s Combination.

1981-82
“Fields of Play” 5 x 60’series about the significance of ‘Play’ in every area of our lives, from learning and creativity to gambling and war games: ‘Plays of Meaning’. ‘Playing the Odds’, ‘Work and Play’, ‘Playing Ball’, ‘Playing for Real’.

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” (Arena 50’) about art and psychoanalysis, with the American painter Robert Natkin and English writer Peter Fuller.

All the above films were made for the Music and Arts dept of the BBC. In 1983, with the arrival of Channel 4, Mike left the staff of the BBC to work independently. He joined Third Eye Productions, a company formed by several other ex-members of the BBC Music and Arts dept, including Barrie Gavin, Peter West and Geoff Haydon.

1983
“Classically Cuban” (BBC Arena 60’) about the life and work of ballerina Alicia Alonso and her Cuban National Ballet Company.

1984
“Memories of The Future” (Channel 4/3rd Eye 2 x 52’) Two films, made in collaboration with the writer Peter Fuller, on the life, work and ideas of John Ruskin and William Morris.

“Don’t Tell Leonardo” (Channel 4/3rd Eye 52’) with Ralph Steadman, based on his book ‘I Leonardo’.

1983-85
“About Time” (Channel 4/3rd Eye 6 x 52’), co-devised and directed with Chris Rawlence, about the meaning, experience and our conflicting ideas of ‘time’: ‘Time is Money’, ‘Time and a Half’, ‘Holy Days’, ‘Moonshine’, ‘Uncertain Times’ and ‘Once Upon a Time – with John Berger’.

“CLR James in conversation with Stuart Hall” (Channel 4 52’) The charismatic Trinidadian talks about his life and political development as a writer and political activist.

1985
“What’s Cuba Playing At?” (BBC Arena 75’) exploring the Afro-Spanish roots of Cuban music and featuring a wide range of Cuban bands and performers.

“Studs Terkel’s Chicago” (BBC Omnibus 60’), with the US city’s prize-winning writer, oral historian and most celebrated citizen and broadcaster Studs Terkel.

1986
“The Spirit of Lorca” (BBC Arena 75’) about the great Spanish poet and playwright, made in collaboration with Lorca’s Irish biographer, Ian Gibson. (Gold Award New York International Film and TV Festival)

Directed two films for series about television “Open The Box” (Channel 4/BFI/Beat) produced by Michael Jackson.
“Take the Money and Run” (52’) about TV and sport.

“Sheer Filth” (52’) about TV and censorship.

After 1986 Mike Dibb began to make many of his films through his own company Dibb Directions Ltd (DD)

1986-87
“Naturally Creative” (Channel 4/DD 90’) feature length documentary exploring the origins of human creativity, in collaboration with the writer Peter Fuller.

1987-88
“Appalachian Journey” and “Dreams and Songs of The Noble Old” (Channel 4/DD 2 x 70’) two films about traditional American music, co-directed with Mark Kidel, and made with the US musicologist Alan Lomax for his series ‘An American Patchwork’.

1988-89
“In Pursuit of Don Juan” (BBC 75’) exploring the origins of Spain’s most potent cultural archetype and the many versions of his promiscuous after-life in European art, theatre and music.

“Octavio Paz” (BBC Bookmark 50’) The great Mexican poet and essayist talks in English about his life and reads, in Spanish, a selection of his own work.

“Made in Latin America” (BBC 8 x 60’) Series Producer of eight diverse thematic journeys through the cultures of a continent, presented through the voices, images, ideas and music of Latin Americans themselves: ‘Dreams of a New World’ (director Mike Dibb), ‘The Heirs of Conquest’ (director Mike Macintyre), ‘Dictating Terms’ (director Julian Henriques), ‘States of Exile’ (director Julian Henriques). ‘City Limits’ (directors Rossana Horsley, Mike Dibb), ‘Love and Power’ (director Rossana Horsley), ‘Questions of Geography’ (director Julian Henriques), ‘Remembering the Future’ (director Mike Dibb)

1990
“Elmore Leonard’s Criminal Records” (BBC/DD Arena 60’) about America’s top crime writer and the sources of his inspiration in Detroit and Florida.

1991-92
“Mirrors of Paradise” (Channel 4/DD 52’) on the rich cultural legacy of Muslim Spain, made to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the fall of Granada.

1993
“On location in Lone Pine” (BBC Moving Pictures 15’) film magazine item about The Lone Pine Film Festival, which features only the Hollywood movies made there, with Budd Boetticher and Douglas Fairbanks Jnr

1994
“Typically British” (Channel 4/ BFI ? mins) co-directed with Stephen Frears, feature length documentary on history of British cinema, presented by Stephen Frears with Gavin Lambert, Alexander Mackendrick, Michael Apted and Alan Parker

1995
“The Further Adventures of Don Quixote” (BBC/DD Bookmark 50’) exploration of the many cultural manifestations, from movies to opera, of Cervantes’seminal novel and Spain’s greatest fictional double-act.

1996
“A Curious Mind - AS Byatt” (BBC Bookmark 50’) about the Booker prize-winning English novelist, as she retraces parts of her life and development as a writer.

1997
”E-Thoughts” (Channel 4/DD 15 x 30 secs) provocative 30” interstitial ideas by Rowland Morgan for C4’s 1997 General Election coverage.
(Recognised by Guiness Book of Records as shortest documentary film series ever made!)

1997-98
“The Fame and Shame of Salvador Dali” (BBC/DD 120’ but shown in two one hour parts) made in collaboration with Ian Gibson during the research and writing of his major biography of the controversial artist.

1999
“The Beginning of The End of The Affair” (BBC 50’) in which Oliver Walston investigates his mother Catherine’s long affair with Graham Greene, as it was first turned into the celebrated novel and later a film by Neil Jordan, with Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore.

2000-01
“The Miles Davis Story” (Channel 4/DD 124’) made in collaboration with Miles’ British biographer Ian Carr; the innovative and charismatic jazz trumpeter as remembered by his family, friends and the many great musicians who played with him over the years. Now available as a SONY DVD.
(International EMMY for best arts documentary 2001 and Royal Television Society TV award 2001)

2002-03
“Mark Anthony Turnage” (BBC 30’) BBC4 Profile with Gerard McBurney of the celebrated young British composer.

“Studs Terkel” (BBC 30’) BBC4 Profile, filmed and presented by Mike Dibb, of America’s great oral historian and broadcaster.

“Steven Rose” (BBC 30’) BBC4 Profile, filmed and presented by Mike Dibb, of the leading biologist, science writer and political activist.

“Edward Said” (BBC 30’) BBC4 Profile with Charles Glass of the Palestinian intellectual, writer and political activist.

“Edward Said – the last interview” (206’) Complete version of the original Charles Glass interview, produced by DG Guttenplan, and now released as an ICA Projects DVD.

2004-05
“Keith Jarrett – the art of improvisation” (Channel 4/DD 86’) first feature length documentary about the jazz world’s most brilliant piano improviser, and great performer of classical music. Now available as a EuroArts DVD.

“Tango Maestro – the life and music of Astor Piazzolla” (BBC/DD 106’) the radical Argentinian tango composer and bandoneon virtuoso, as remembered by his family, friends and many of the musicians who played with him. Now available on a BBC/OpusArte DVD, called ‘Astor Piazzolla-in portrait’.