Michael Crick
A tenacious political journalist known for door-stepping MPs and asking the blunt questions that others might avoid.
Born 1958 (age 68)·English broadcaster, journalist and author·Birthday: May 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
With a demeanor that mixes schoolmasterly intensity with a mischievous grin, Michael Crick has been a persistent thorn in the side of British politicians for decades. A founding member of Channel 4 News, he helped establish its reputation for forensic journalism. His move to the BBC's 'Newsnight' cemented his style: dogged, deeply informed, and unafraid of confrontation. Crick became famous for his 'doorstep' interviews, ambushing figures outside their homes or offices to demand answers. His investigative work, particularly on political party funding and internal machinations, often set the news agenda. More than just a reporter, he is also a biographer, having written definitive accounts of figures like Michael Heseltine and Nigel Farage, bringing the same relentless scrutiny to the page that he does to the camera.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Michael was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Michael Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Michael's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the Political Editor of BBC's 'Newsnight' from 2007 to 2011, a key role in British political journalism.
- Was a founding reporter for Channel 4 News at its launch in 1982.
- Won the Royal Television Society's Specialist Journalist of the Year award in 2014.
- Authored respected political biographies of figures including Michael Heseltine, Jeffrey Archer, and Nigel Farage.
Did You Know?
He is the twin brother of biologist and author Simon Crick.
He famously door-stepped then-Prime Minister Tony Blair on holiday in southwest England.
He presented a documentary series investigating the history of his own surname.
He stood as a candidate in the 1983 general election for the SDP-Alliance in Manchester.
“The story is the thing, and the facts are the story.”
