Michael Scammell was born in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England, attended Brockenhurst Grammar School, and after two years working as a copy boy for the Southern Daily Echo in Southampton, was drafted into the British army, spending most of his time at the Joint Services School for Linguists in Cambridge and Bodmin, where he was trained as a Russian interpreter.
Michael Scammell s-a născut în Lyndhurst, Hampshire, Anglia, a urmat cursurile Brockenhurst Grammar School și, după ce a lucrat doi ani pe post de copist pentru ziarul Southern Daily Echo din Southampton, a fost înrolat în Armata Britanică și a petrecut o mare parte din timp la Joint Services School for Linguists din Cambridge și Bodmin, unde a fost pregătit ca interpret rus.