Biography
Michael Chaplin is an English writer for television, theatre, radio and non-fiction. Born in 1951 in County Durham, he grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne. He studied history at Magdalene College, Cambridge, graduating in 1973, and began his career as a reporter on The Journal newspaper in Newcastle before moving into television production.
Chaplin worked for 15 years in current affairs and documentaries for ITV and the BBC, later becoming head of drama at Tyne-Tees Television and head of programmes at BBC Wales. He became a full-time writer in 1994. He created the ITV series Grafters (1998–1999) and the BBC series Monarch of the Glen (2000–2006), which ran for seven series. His other television credits include episodes of Foyle's War (2008), Dalziel and Pascoe, Wild at Heart and Robin Hood.
Chaplin maintains a long association with Live Theatre in Newcastle, for which he has written plays including Tyne and A Walk on Part. He is the son of the writer Sid Chaplin.
