Michael was the kind of person you either loved or hated. I loved him for his ability to detect and deflate phonies, and for his sense of fun - he knew exactly what life was for.

Unfortunately there are few like him, now that we've turned blandness into an art form.

Many of his films [which he directed] had a common thread. Winner once said:-

" There is a recurring theme ... and the theme is somebody who is a loner, who makes a grand gesture; nearly every film was about somebody saying ...

... ' I'm going to do something special 'cos I'm not satisfied with the aethos of the society in which I live. ' ".

Goodbye Michael.

Maybe there was some sour grapes there. It strikes me that he thought nothing less than a Knighthood would be good enough for him...

I wonder how long it will be before somebody starts slagging him off?