Robert Young (director)
Encyclopedia
Robert William Young is a British
television and film director
.
Young was born in Cheltenham
, and in the 1980s and early 1990s, established himself as a leading director of British TV drama. In the 1970s, he directed Vampire Circus
(1972) and Hammer House of Horror
. He directed several episodes of Minder
and Bergerac
in the early 1980s, and the acclaimed TV serial The Mad Death
which centred around a rabies
outbreak. Perhaps his best remembered television work was on Robin of Sherwood
, for which he directed many of the best-regarded episodes.
Young moved towards black comedy in the early 1990s, directing Jeeves and Wooster
based on the stories written by P.G. Wodehouse, and GBH, for which he was nominated for a BATA award. It was partly on the strength of GBH that he was assigned to direct Fierce Creatures
, John Cleese
's 1997 follow-up to A Fish Called Wanda
, which featured many of the same cast as GBH. However, the production ran into problems and Fred Schepisi was brought in to finalise the movie. Young did, however, direct Splitting Heirs
, which starred Cleese and Eric Idle
.
Young has continued to work on television drama since then.
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 and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Young was born in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, and in the 1980s and early 1990s, established himself as a leading director of British TV drama. In the 1970s, he directed Vampire Circus
Vampire Circus
Vampire Circus is a 1972 British horror film directed by Robert Young for Hammer Film Productions. It stars Adrienne Corri, Thorley Walters and Anthony Higgins . The story concerns a travelling carnival whose vampiric artistes prey on the children of a 19th-century Austrian village...
(1972) and Hammer House of Horror
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
. He directed several episodes of Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
and Bergerac
Bergerac (TV series)
Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened on BBC1, it starred John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in "Le Bureau des Étrangers" Bergerac was a British television show...
in the early 1980s, and the acclaimed TV serial The Mad Death
The Mad Death
The Mad Death is a television serial made by BBC Scotland. It was filmed in 1981 and transmitted 2 years later in 1983. The programme has only ever been repeated twice; once on BBC in 1985 and again in 1993 on UK Gold...
which centred around a rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
outbreak. Perhaps his best remembered television work was on Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood , was a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. In America it was retitled Robin Hood and shown on the premium cable TV channel...
, for which he directed many of the best-regarded episodes.
Young moved towards black comedy in the early 1990s, directing Jeeves and Wooster
Jeeves and Wooster
-External links:*—An episode guide to the series, including information about which episodes were adapted from which Wodehouse stories.*—Episode guides, screenshots and quotes from the four series....
based on the stories written by P.G. Wodehouse, and GBH, for which he was nominated for a BATA award. It was partly on the strength of GBH that he was assigned to direct Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures is a 1997 comedy film. Although not a sequel, it was a follow-up to the wildly popular A Fish Called Wanda, starring the same four actors, John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin...
, John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
's 1997 follow-up to A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 crime-comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. It was directed by Crichton and an uncredited Cleese, and stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. The film is about a jewel heist and its aftermath...
, which featured many of the same cast as GBH. However, the production ran into problems and Fred Schepisi was brought in to finalise the movie. Young did, however, direct Splitting Heirs
Splitting Heirs
Splitting Heirs is a 1993 British film starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese and Sadie Frost. The film was directed by Robert Young, and features music by Michael Kamen...
, which starred Cleese and Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
.
Young has continued to work on television drama since then.