Michael MacIntyre obituary
My friend Michael Macintyre, who has died aged 85, was a television producer/director for the BBC. He worked with David Attenborough on The Tribal Eye in 1975 and Spirit of Asia in 1980, followed by a remarkable series of films, The Shogun Inheritance (1984) and The New Pacific (1985), both of which were accompanied by books featuring Michael’s striking photographs, taken on location. Many of his films captured cultures that have since disappeared, making them invaluable records of the past.
Born in Baildon, West Yorkshire, Michael was the son of Vera Brougham and David Gray. After David’s death, Vera married Maurice Macintyre and Michael was educated at Cheltenham grammar school, followed by Magdalen College, Oxford.
I first met him in 1961 at a BBC office in London, where I had gone for an interview as a trainee television engineer. Michael was there too, going for the same position, and we discovered that not only had we both travelled from Oxford that morning, but that we had been studying on the same physics course for nearly three years and had never met.
That short conversation led to an agreement to meet back in Oxford, and to a lasting friendship. We were both subsequently employed by the BBC, and from that point onwards we followed similar career paths, with Michael always slightly ahead.
Soon becoming a videotape editor, by 1963 he was a director in BBC TV’s presentation department, moving on to its music and arts department in 1965 and working on programmes such as Look of the Week, Release and Review.
After a year out in 1969, travelling in the far east, he returned to the corporation as a producer/director and subsequently began his work with Attenborough, including on The Tribal Eye.
In 1991 Michael left the BBC to become a freelance director/cameraman, video editor and photographer. He made many more films, several for the BBC, before being diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, which forced him to retire in 2007.
In his spare time Michael played the guitar, and he loved classical music and dance, both Indian and western. He was also a keen tennis player and cyclist, and had a collection of fast cars and motorbikes. But his passion above all else was photography.
He is survived by his partner, Stephanie Chilman, whom he met at the BBC when she was a production assistant, and their daughter, Natasha.
第一句
My friend Michael Macintyre, who has died aged 85, was a television producer/director for the BBC.
直译：
我的朋友迈克尔·麦金泰尔去世了，享年 85 岁，他曾是 BBC 的电视制片人兼导演。
结构解析：
主句：
My friend Michael Macintyre was a television producer/director for the BBC.
插入的非限定性定语从句：
who has died aged 85
重点用法：
has died aged 85
👉 英式固定写法 = “去世时 85 岁”
不说 at the age of 85（虽然也对）
aged + 数字 极常见于讣告
producer/director
👉 表示一个人同时具备两个角色
比 producer and director 更紧凑、正式
第二句
He worked with David Attenborough on The Tribal Eye in 1975 and Spirit of Asia in 1980,
直译：
1975 年他与大卫·阿滕伯勒合作了《部落之眼》，1980 年合作了《亚洲精神》。
重点用法：
worked with sb on sth
👉 和某人合作某项目（非常常用、非常正式）
节奏很像履历（CV）写法
接下去半句
followed by a remarkable series of films,
直译：
随后是一系列非凡的影片，
结构解析：
followed by…
👉 省略主语，被动结构
完整逻辑是：This was followed by…
英文写作中常用来避免重复主语
重点词：
remarkable
👉 不只是“不错”，而是
值得注意的 / 非同寻常的 / 有分量的
接着
The Shogun Inheritance (1984) and The New Pacific (1985),
只是列举作品名 + 年份，标准学术/新闻格式。
下一句
both of which were accompanied by books featuring Michael’s striking photographs, taken on location.
直译：
这两部作品都配套出版了图书，书中收录了迈克尔在实地拍摄的、极具冲击力的照片。
结构解析：
both of which
👉 指代前面提到的两部纪录片
were accompanied by books
👉 “伴随出版了书籍”
accompany 在这里不是“陪伴”，而是“配套”
重点词：
feature (v.)
👉 “以……为特色 / 收录 / 展示”
非常正式的媒体用词
striking photographs
👉 striking = 一眼就让人记住的、视觉冲击力强的
taken on location
👉 在拍摄现场 / 实地拍摄
暗示：不是棚拍、不是摆拍
下一句
Many of his films captured cultures that have since disappeared, making them invaluable records of the past.
直译：
他的许多影片记录了后来已经消失的文化，使这些作品成为无价的历史记录。
结构解析：
主句：
Many of his films captured cultures…
结果状语：
making them invaluable records…
重点词：
capture
👉 不只是“拍到”，而是
成功地记录、保留下来（很有分量）
have since disappeared
👉 since = 从那以后
暗示时间跨度和历史变迁
invaluable
👉 不是“很贵”，而是
无法用价值衡量的
下一段第一句
Born in Baildon, West Yorkshire, Michael was the son of Vera Brougham and David Gray.
直译：
迈克尔出生于西约克郡的贝尔登，是薇拉·布罗厄姆和大卫·格雷的儿子。
地道结构：
Born in…, Michael was…
👉 分词作状语，讣告/人物传记标配开头
下一句
After David’s death, Vera married Maurice Macintyre and Michael was educated at Cheltenham grammar school, followed by Magdalen College, Oxford.
直译：
大卫去世后，薇拉改嫁莫里斯·麦金泰尔；迈克尔就读于切尔滕纳姆文法学校，随后进入牛津大学莫德林学院。
重点用法：
was educated at…
👉 非常正式的“受教育于”
followed by
👉 再次出现，用于教育路径
下一段
I first met him in 1961 at a BBC office in London, where I had gone for an interview as a trainee television engineer.
直译：
我第一次见到他是在 1961 年伦敦的一间 BBC 办公室，当时我是去面试电视工程师培训生。
重点：
trainee
👉 英国职场非常常见：培训生 / 学徒
下一句
Michael was there too, going for the same position,
直译：
迈克尔也在那里，来应聘同一个职位。
地道表达：
going for
👉 口语 + 书面都常用
申请 / 争取某个职位
接着
and we discovered that not only had we both travelled from Oxford that morning, but that we had been studying on the same physics course for nearly three years and had never met.
这是全篇最复杂的一句
直译：
我们发现，不仅那天早上我们都从牛津出发，而且我们已经在同一个物理课程上学习了将近三年，却从未见过面。
结构亮点：
not only … but (also) …
倒装结构：
not only had we both travelled
👉 强调 + 正式书面
重点词：
had been studying
👉 过去完成进行时，强调“持续了三年”
had never met
👉 强烈的反差效果（讣告里常用）
下一句
That short conversation led to an agreement to meet back in Oxford, and to a lasting friendship.
直译：
那次短暂的交谈促成了我们约定在牛津再见，也促成了一段长久的友谊。
地道表达：
led to
👉 导致 / 促成
a lasting friendship
👉 持久的友谊（非常英式）
后文结构说明
后面几段你已经能看出规律了，我再集中讲几个高频讣告词：
高频词汇总结
subsequently：随后（比 later 正式）
the corporation：BBC 内部/媒体中指 BBC 本身
freelance：自由职业
forced him to retire：迫使他退休（被动、克制）
He is survived by…
👉 讣告固定结尾句式
“他身后留下了……”
一句话总结这篇文章的语言特点
✔ 极度克制
✔ 情感隐藏在事实之中
✔ 用结构和词汇体现尊重，而不是煽情
