David Ellery is a documentary film-maker, director and writer, author and ship historian based in Hampshire.[1] He has written and produced/ directed a variety of stand-alone documentaries and five series' for television and is credited with more than 150 published magazine articles and several books. A new edition of RMS Queen Mary 101 Questions & Answers was launched by Bloomsbury in 2022. He also appears as part of the on-screen team for The Great British Home Movie Roadshow, first broadcast in August and September 2010. In 2011 he received his second Royal Television Society Award. Recent work includes the documentary: P&O Cruises - Celebrating 175 Years of Heritage, which he wrote, edited and directed, a short film with actors Sarah Parish and husband James Murray about the Murray Parish Trust [2015], The Ultimate Challenge - a 6-part travel/ roadshow series for television [2016] and Wattisham Both Sides of the Fence, the story of an airfield with a unique place in British aviation history [2017], which Ellery wrote, narrated, filmed and edited, and for which he received his third RTS Award [2018]. In 2019 David Ellery wrote, narrated and directed Britain's Last Paddle Steamers, followed by Cold War East Anglia - the front line, a broadcast quality documentary [2020]. Ellery's background is in writing. As a freelance feature writer he produced articles for a variety of regional and national magazines and papers, including Women's Realm, Woman & Home, Homes & Gardens and the Express newspaper group. They include celebrity interviews with stars like Stefanie Powers, Heather Lockyear, Peter Davison and Sir Norman Wisdom, and articles on travel, art, and motoring. In September 1992 he became the Motoring Correspondent for regional radio station Spire FM in Salisbury, reporting on motoring matters from events like the London Motorshow and presenting a weekly slot. He then moved into television production, scripting and voice-over work. David Ellery has also been commissioned by EMTAS (Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service) to produce several educational films, including programmes to introduce and support the award-winning Young Interpreters Scheme and New Arrivals Ambassadors, for schools across the UK.
The Ultimate Challenge (2016). A 6-part travel/ roadshow documentary series: written, narrated and edited by David Ellery.
The Great British Home Movie Roadshow (since 2010). Broadcast on BBC2, this 5-part series featuring amateur cine footage spans 100 years of the nation's history. David Ellery is one of the programme's presenters and on-screen 'experts'.
Beechings Tracks (2008) part of the BBC's recent Railway Season. This programme explores the impact of Dr Richard Beeching's infamous railway cuts of the 1960s on the south of England, known as the Beeching Axe. Shown on BBC1 in October 2008.
Regal & Retired (2006) a documentary for Viewpoint Productions.[2] Made for the BBC, this programme marked the 70th anniversary of RMSQueen Mary, the last 1930s 'superliner'. Shown on BBC1 in May 2006 and BBC Scotland July 2006. Narrated by Julie Peasgood.
In The Past (Series 1): written, produced, directed and narrated by David Ellery, the series features archive film footage from the 1920s-1960s. First broadcast in 2000 on ITV1.
In the Past (Series 2): Further programmes in a similar vein to the first series. First broadcast in 2001 on ITV1.
In The Past (Series 3): A 15-part series featuring archive film sequences from as early as 1896 to approximately 1969, covering a wide range of themes from the development of air travel and family motoring to life during World War II and employment. First broadcast in 2003 on ITV1.
Classic Liners: A six-part series depicting classic ocean liners and liner travel using archive film from the 1960s and 70s and contemporary footage. First broadcast 2002.
On Demand & DVDs
Programmes for TV that David Ellery is associated with have in a number of cases become available On Demand and/ or on DVD. The In The Past series' were re-edited so programmes focus on geographical regions rather than theme and Classic Liners has also been released via three individual disks[3] More recently, P&O Cruises - Celebrating 175 Years of Heritage [2012] was released, along with Kingswear Castle - A Voyage through her Life (the history of Britain's last coal-fired paddle steamer in operation - released by CPA Ltd) [2015] The Ultimate Challenge - 6-part roadtrip series [2016] and Wattisham, Both Sides of the Fence - the story of an airfield with a unique place in British aviation history [2017]. Britain's Last Paddle Steamers [2019] and Cold War East Anglia - the frontline, [2020].
Books
RMS Queen Mary, 101 Questions & Answers New Edition (Bloomsbury, Adlard Coles ISBN978-1-4729-9311-3, November 2021)
RMS Queen Mary - The World's Favourite Liner (Waterfront Publications, 1994)
QE2 - The Last Great Liner (Waterfront Publications, September 1993)
Real Howard's Way (Ellery was responsible for photo illustrations only) (Milestone, September 1988)
Radio
In September 1992 Ellery became the Motoring Correspondent for regional radio station Spire FM in Salisbury, when the station first went on air. In this role he reported on a wide range of motoring topics from events like the London Motorshow and presented a weekly slot, which included test-drives, reviews and motoring advice.
Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.
Cunard is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships came into practical usage during the early 1800s; however, there were exceptions that came before. Steamships usually use the prefix designations of "PS" for paddle steamer or "SS" for screw steamer. As paddle steamers became less common, "SS" is assumed by many to stand for "steamship". Ships powered by internal combustion engines use a prefix such as "MV" for motor vessel, so it is not correct to use "SS" for most modern vessels.
RMS Queen Mary is a retired British ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard-White Star Line and was built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. Queen Mary, along with RMS Queen Elizabeth, was built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York. The two ships were a British response to the express superliners built by German, Italian and French companies in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Antiques Roadshow is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979, based on a 1977 documentary programme.
Yesterday is a British free-to-air history-oriented television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It launched on 30 October 2002 as UK History and relaunched in its current format on 2 March 2009. It is available on satellite through Sky, Freesat and through the digital terrestrial provider Freeview. Hours on Freeview had previously been cut, with transmissions finishing at 6 pm, but were restored on 1 June 2010.
The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that produces television, radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded nature documentaries, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, and has a long association with David Attenborough's authored documentaries, starting with 1979's Life on Earth.
Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The first and second series episodes ran 30 minutes each; third series instalments ran 45 minutes. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons. Confidential received its own version of the Doctor Who theme tune, at least three different versions of the theme appeared in the series.
Natural World is a strand of British wildlife documentary programmes broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history series. It is the longest-running documentary in its genre on British television, with nearly 500 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World programmes are typically one-off films that take an in-depth look at particular natural history events, stories or subjects from around the globe.
Raymond Frederic Baxter OBE was an English television presenter, commentator and writer. He is best known for being the first presenter of the BBC Television science programme Tomorrow's World, continuing for 12 years, from 1965 to 1977. He also provided radio commentary at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the funerals of King George VI, Winston Churchill and Lord Mountbatten of Burma, and the first flight of Concorde.
Planet Earth is a 2006 British television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition. The series received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and an award from the Royal Television Society.
Yellowstone is a BBC nature documentary series broadcast from 15 March 2009. Narrated by Peter Firth, the series takes a look at a year in the life of Yellowstone National Park, examining how its wildlife adapts to living in one of the harshest wildernesses on Earth. Yellowstone debuted on BBC Two at 8:00pm on Sunday 15 March 2009 and has three episodes. Each 50-minute episode was followed by a ten-minute film called Yellowstone People, featuring visitors to the Park and locals who had assisted the production team. The series was the channel's highest-rated natural history documentary in over five years with audiences peaking at over four million.
Paul Rowley Atterbury, FRSA is a British antiques expert, known for his many appearances since 1979 on the BBC TV programme Antiques Roadshow. He specialises in the art, architecture, design and decorative arts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Deadly... is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson as co-host on Live 'n Deadly, and Barney Harwood as co-host on Natural Born Hunters. The strand began with a single series known as Deadly 60, and has subsequently expanded into a number of spin-offs, re-edits and follow-up versions.
Madagascar is a British nature documentary series, first broadcast on BBC Two and BBC HD in February 2011. Produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and Animal Planet and narrated by David Attenborough, the three-part series focuses on the landscape and wildlife of the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Attenborough also appears briefly on camera at the beginning and end of the series. Each episode is followed by a ten-minute Madagascar Diaries segment, illustrating the techniques used to film a particular subject.
Captain John Treasure Jones was a British naval officer who became a well-known media figure in the mid-1960s following his appointment as the last master of the Cunard liner, RMS Queen Mary. He has been described as one of the 20th century's most distinguished mariners, in war and in peacetime. His forebears were men of the sea, who had captained sailing ships, and he elected to follow in their tradition.
Elizabeth R is a 1992 television documentary film about Queen Elizabeth II. It was produced by the BBC and directed by Edward Mirzoeff. It was the first officially approved documentary about the British monarchy since Royal Family (1969). Elizabeth R was followed by the BBC-RDF documentary Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work in 2007.
The Hunt is a 2015 British nature documentary series made for BBC Television, first shown in the UK on BBC One and BBC One HD on 1 November 2015. The series is narrated by David Attenborough.
Planet Earth is a television and film documentary franchise produced and broadcast by the BBC. The franchise began in 2001 with the success of The Blue Planet. As of 2017, The Blue Planet has spawned 5 series and one feature film.
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