James Hawes
Encyclopedia
James Hawes is a British
television director
, who has worked in British television drama since the late 1990s, and also produced documentaries for British and American
networks.
His work has ranged across high-end period pieces and prime-time adventure drama, including the re-launch of "Doctor Who
", for which he has won awards, and "Enid", a biopic about the celebrated childrens' author, Enid Blyton, which earned Hawes a BAFTA nomination as Best Director at the 2010 ceremony.
Among his credits are The Chatterley Affair
, "Fanny Hill
", Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Music Hall and "39 Steps
", the BBC's ratings hit at Christmas 2008.
Hawes began his television work in factual programming, working in the BBC's documentary and current affairs departments. In 1990 he directed HRH Prince Charles in the documentary The Earth In Balance. Other documentary work includes the investigative strand, Inside Story
for the BBC, the Emmy Award
-nominated Egypt's Golden Empire and the 2003 drama-documentary Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World, which he both wrote and directed.
After completing directing duties on the first block of episodes of series two of Doctor Who, in early 2006 Hawes directed an Andrew Davies
-scripted 90-minute television drama based around the Lady Chatterley's Lover
obscenity trial of 1960, The Chatterley Affair. This one-off drama for digital television
channel BBC Four
features Doctor Who star David Tennant
as Richard Hoggart
.
Hawes was also announced in late 2005 as the producer
and lead director of the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood
— however, in early 2006 it was confirmed that he would not in fact be producing the series. According to Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer Russell T Davies in Doctor Who Magazine
issue 366 (dated 1 March 2006), Hawes' direction of the Chatterley piece and his decision to back down from producing Torchwood were related. "James Hawes has been having such a good time... that he's decided directing is his greatest passion, and as a result, he's stepped down."
Hawes' work on the BAFTA winning Doctor Who has been particularly well received. "The Empty Child
" and "The Doctor Dances
" won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2006, and "School Reunion
" has been nominated for the 2007 ceremony. Hawes was awarded the BAFTA Cymru
Award for Best Drama Director for his work on "The Christmas Invasion
". The Chatterley Affair also won Best Single Drama in the same awards.
In 2007 he directed an adaptation of the 18th century novel Fanny Hill
, for Sally Head Productions and BBC Four
.
In 2008, Hawes was appointed lead director on the BBC fantasy series Merlin
, which began broadcasting in September 2008. "Merlin
" has been picked up by NBC in the US where it is set to premiere in summer 2009. As such, it is the first UK-produced show to make the switch to a US network in 30 years.
Later in 2008 he also directed a new version of The 39 Steps
, again for BBC One. Hawes picked up a Best Director trophy for this at the 2009 Shanghai TV Festival
Hawes began 2009 directing Helena Bonham-Carter in a BBC TV film the life of Enid Blyton. Scripted by Lyndsay Shapero, the film co-stars Matthew MacFadeyn and Denis Lawson. The films' success on the digital networks earned it a transfer to BBC1 and several major award nominations, including Best Director for Hawes, and Best Actress nods for Bonham Carter at both the BAFTAs and the International Emmys. While Hawes missed out on the night, the film has earned him high praise for the performance and the stylishness of a big screen production on a small screen budget.
Hawes is rumoured to have been attached to a BBC movie, working title "Lawrence After Arabia", with a script by Howard Brenton. He has also joined forces with Andrew Davies once more, for a forthcoming movie based on the Patrick Hamilton novel "Slaves of Solitude".
He is a long-serving board member of Directors UK, the screen directors' organization in Britain.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, who has worked in British television drama since the late 1990s, and also produced documentaries for British and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
networks.
His work has ranged across high-end period pieces and prime-time adventure drama, including the re-launch of "Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
", for which he has won awards, and "Enid", a biopic about the celebrated childrens' author, Enid Blyton, which earned Hawes a BAFTA nomination as Best Director at the 2010 ceremony.
Among his credits are The Chatterley Affair
The Chatterley Affair
The Chatterley Affair is a BBC television drama, produced by BBC Wales and broadcast on BBC Four on 20 March, 2006. It is an account of the obscenity trial surrounding the publication of Lady Chatterley's Lover in 1960...
, "Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland first published in England in 1748...
", Miss Marie Lloyd – Queen of The Music Hall and "39 Steps
The 39 Steps (2008 film)
The 39 Steps is a 2008 British television feature-length adaptation of the John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps produced by the BBC. The adaptation is set on the eve of World War I, and sees mining engineer Richard Hannay caught up in a conspiracy following the death of a British spy in his...
", the BBC's ratings hit at Christmas 2008.
Hawes began his television work in factual programming, working in the BBC's documentary and current affairs departments. In 1990 he directed HRH Prince Charles in the documentary The Earth In Balance. Other documentary work includes the investigative strand, Inside Story
Inside Story
Inside Story is Grace Jones's eighth studio album, and her first with the Manhattan Records label. It was also her first time working with producer Nile Rodgers...
for the BBC, the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-nominated Egypt's Golden Empire and the 2003 drama-documentary Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World, which he both wrote and directed.
After completing directing duties on the first block of episodes of series two of Doctor Who, in early 2006 Hawes directed an Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
-scripted 90-minute television drama based around the Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
obscenity trial of 1960, The Chatterley Affair. This one-off drama for digital television
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
channel BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
features Doctor Who star David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
as Richard Hoggart
Richard Hoggart
Herbert Richard Hoggart is a British academic and public figure, whose career has covered the fields of sociology, English literature and cultural studies, with a special concern for British popular culture.-Career:...
.
Hawes was also announced in late 2005 as the producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and lead director of the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
— however, in early 2006 it was confirmed that he would not in fact be producing the series. According to Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer Russell T Davies in Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
issue 366 (dated 1 March 2006), Hawes' direction of the Chatterley piece and his decision to back down from producing Torchwood were related. "James Hawes has been having such a good time... that he's decided directing is his greatest passion, and as a result, he's stepped down."
Hawes' work on the BAFTA winning Doctor Who has been particularly well received. "The Empty Child
The Empty Child
"The Empty Child" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 21 May 2005. It is the first of a two-part story. The concluding episode, "The Doctor Dances", was broadcast on 28 May...
" and "The Doctor Dances
The Doctor Dances
"The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...
" won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2006, and "School Reunion
School Reunion (Doctor Who)
"School Reunion" is the third episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first aired on 29 April 2006. The episode's narrative takes place some time after the events of "The Christmas Invasion"...
" has been nominated for the 2007 ceremony. Hawes was awarded the BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
Award for Best Drama Director for his work on "The Christmas Invasion
The Christmas Invasion
"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
". The Chatterley Affair also won Best Single Drama in the same awards.
In 2007 he directed an adaptation of the 18th century novel Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill (2007 serial)
Fanny Hill is a BBC adaptation of John Cleland's controversial novel, Fanny Hill, written by Andrew Davies and directed by James Hawes. This is the first television adaptation of the novel...
, for Sally Head Productions and BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
.
In 2008, Hawes was appointed lead director on the BBC fantasy series Merlin
Merlin (TV series)
Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from...
, which began broadcasting in September 2008. "Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
" has been picked up by NBC in the US where it is set to premiere in summer 2009. As such, it is the first UK-produced show to make the switch to a US network in 30 years.
Later in 2008 he also directed a new version of The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (2008 film)
The 39 Steps is a 2008 British television feature-length adaptation of the John Buchan novel The Thirty-Nine Steps produced by the BBC. The adaptation is set on the eve of World War I, and sees mining engineer Richard Hannay caught up in a conspiracy following the death of a British spy in his...
, again for BBC One. Hawes picked up a Best Director trophy for this at the 2009 Shanghai TV Festival
Hawes began 2009 directing Helena Bonham-Carter in a BBC TV film the life of Enid Blyton. Scripted by Lyndsay Shapero, the film co-stars Matthew MacFadeyn and Denis Lawson. The films' success on the digital networks earned it a transfer to BBC1 and several major award nominations, including Best Director for Hawes, and Best Actress nods for Bonham Carter at both the BAFTAs and the International Emmys. While Hawes missed out on the night, the film has earned him high praise for the performance and the stylishness of a big screen production on a small screen budget.
Hawes is rumoured to have been attached to a BBC movie, working title "Lawrence After Arabia", with a script by Howard Brenton. He has also joined forces with Andrew Davies once more, for a forthcoming movie based on the Patrick Hamilton novel "Slaves of Solitude".
He is a long-serving board member of Directors UK, the screen directors' organization in Britain.
External links
- James Hawes at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.