Biography
Once dubbed "the Zelig of stand-up comedy," Michael was a sporadic presence on the London circuit from 1991 to 2003. He shared stages with renowned comedians such as Lee Evans, Jenny Eclair, Eddie Izzard, John Thompson, Bill Bailey, Phil Jupitus, Jerry Sadowitz, and Johnny Vegas. After only 37 performances, at age twenty-two, The Heckler magazine hailed him as "one to watch for the future."
Michael then co-founded the Screaming Skull Theatre Company, penning two critically praised plays: Nightlights and The Truth Game. TimeOut magazine called Nightlights "a skillful light satire," and it enjoyed two successful runs at London fringe theatres.
The Truth Game became an overnight fringe hit. Rosemary Furber of The Guide described it as "an unexpected treasure... hilarious and beautifully constructed." On the final night of its initial three-week run at the Birdsnest Theatre in Deptford, London, Michael was approached by an independent film company to adapt the play for the screen.
For the next eighteen months, Michael collaborated with renowned guerrilla filmmakers Kino-Eye Films, during which he wrote and starred in his British TV debut, Little England, sold to Channel 4 in July 1996. That same month, he graduated from Dov Simens' esteemed 2 Day Film School.
Soon after, Michael left Kino-Eye to produce and direct his own screenplays. He also began teaching stand-up comedy at arts centers across London and southeastern England. Over five years, his workshops nurtured numerous new-act competition winners, an Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer, and many full-time professional comedians, including the incomparable Josie Long.
In the bleak early winter of 1998, Michael co-produced and co-directed the fifteen-minute short Roadkill with scriptwriter Tony Chamberlain. Filmed on 35mm in the Brecon Beacons, it starred renowned Welsh actors Brian Hibbard (The Flying Pickets), Dorian Thomas (Twin Town), Dylis Pryce (Under Milk Wood), Helen Griffin (Human Traffic), and Monty Python veteran John Scott Martyn.
Roadkill screened at several festivals, including Raindance, Leeds, Cardiff, and Cannes. It aired twice on Sky Moviemax in 2000, receiving praise in Total Film as "hilarious and beautifully shot." Shortly after, it ran for three months in Welsh cinemas, preceding the Anthony Hopkins blockbuster Hannibal.
Following Little England, Michael took a leading role in the award-winning short Rockin' Chair and made TV cameo appearances in Touching Evil II and Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased). He was also the face of BBC Talent Search 2002, portraying a temperamental wedding video director in a bespoke infomercial.
In 2004, The Good Cop, starring Kim Bodnia, Iben Hjejle, and Rene Dif, was released. This Danish-language action comedy debuted at number one at the Danish box office, grossing £1 million in its first week. Michael co-produced the film, and his production and sales company, Unspeakably Wicked Pictures (UWP), launched it at the Cannes Market.
In spring 2005, Michael shot his critically acclaimed debut feature film, Nefarious, a fast-paced, micro-budget thriller exposing the hypocrisy of drug laws. Filmed guerrilla-style across London, Amsterdam, and Northeast England in just seventeen days with a £17,000 budget, the film was initially completed in 2008 but was remastered and finally released in late 2024. Nearly two decades after filming, it has won five awards and earned numerous festival nominations.
After legally changing his professional name from Knighton to O'Bernicia, Michael co-founded Anarcho-Film Productions (A-FP), a development, production, and distribution company. From 2009 to 2018, he served as producer, writer, director, and editor of The Great British Mortgage Swindle, which has won two festival awards.
In 2022, Michael produced, wrote, and directed The Three Faced Terrorist, a hard-hitting documentary about the Christchurch mosque shootings.
