James Hawes is a British television director. He has worked in British television drama since the mid-1990s, and has also produced documentaries for British and American television networks. His work has ranged across high-end period pieces and prime-time adventure drama, including the re-launch of Doctor Who and Enid , a biopic starring Helena Bonham Carter about the celebrated children's author Enid Blyton, which won Hawes a BAFTA nomination as Best Director at the 2010 ceremony.
Hawes was born in Wimbledon, England, but his father's career in the mining industry soon moved the family to South America. Hawes started school in Lima, Peru. Eventually returning to the UK, the family settled in Cornwall where Hawes attended the local Constantine Primary School before moving on to Truro School. [1] He read law at the University of Warwick, combining his studies with acting and directing in the student drama society. Around him at the time was an unusually talented group of students who would go on to considerable success as actors, writers, directors, producers and agents – including Ruth Jones, Stephen Thompson, Paul W. Anderson, Lawrence Till, A.L. Kennedy, Emma E Hickox and Paul Stephens. On the Warwick academic staff at this time was Andrew Davies, soon to become a celebrated screenwriter.
In his graduate year, Hawes directed his own adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry plays, touring it to commercial venues.
Hawes began his television work in factual programming, working in the BBC's documentary and current affairs departments. In parallel, he launched The Young Shakespeare Company, a professional touring theatre company, which he ran as artistic director and which performed in the UK and US. In 1990, he directed Prince Charles in The Earth in Balance, the prince's documentary about the challenges facing the global environment, which filmed across the world, including locations such as Hong Kong harbour, to Kennedy Space Center and the Sumatran jungles. The film was to set Hawes on a future that often found him shooting in challenging locations. 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. It used the story of Lawrence's life as a prism through which to study the shaping of the Middle East in a post-9/11 world.
Hawes moved into drama, earning his spurs on popular drama The Bill . Hawes' work on the BAFTA winning Doctor Who has been particularly well received. He directed Christopher Eccleston in "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" which won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2006. [2] As a result, Hawes was hired to helm episodes of the second season, directing the Christmas special and introducing David Tennant as the new Doctor. "School Reunion" was also nominated for the 2007 ceremony. Hawes was awarded the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Drama Director for his work on "The Christmas Invasion". [3]
In early 2006, Hawes directed an Andrew Davies-scripted 90-minute television drama based on 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. It was one of the first of what would become an extremely successful run for single dramas on British television, often bringing big screen stars to individual and authored projects. The Chatterley Affair also won Best Single Drama in the same BAFTA awards as the Doctor Who success.
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."
In 2007, he linked up again with Andrew Davies to direct an adaptation of the 18th-century novel Fanny Hill , for Sally Head Productions and BBC Four. [4]
In 2008, Hawes was appointed lead director on the BBC fantasy series Merlin , which began broadcasting in September 2008. [5] Merlin has been picked up by NBC in the US where it premiered 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. [6] Hawes picked up a Best Director trophy for this at the 2009 Shanghai TV Festival.
Hawes began 2009 directing a BBC TV film, Enid, with Helena Bonham Carter starring as author Enid Blyton. Scripted by Lyndsay Shapero, the film co-stars Matthew Macfadyen 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. The film has earned Hawes high praise for the performances and the stylishness of a big screen production on a small screen budget.
Building on his success with fact-based drama, Hawes embarked on the ambitious project to bring The Suspicions of Mr Whicher to the screen. Adapted by Neil Mackay, the original book, telling the story of a horrific child murder in 1860s England, had been a break-out best-seller. Paddy Considine took the title role and the film scored big audiences and critical acclaim.
Hawes has also demonstrated his ease with contemporary work, including the piloting of DCI Banks for ITV and season two of Mad Dogs, the high-action comedy thriller for Sky TV.
Hawes directed The Mill , a mini series for Channel Four TV about the people and politics of Quarry Bank Mill, a 19th-century cotton mill. [7]
In April 2012, he signed up to direct a TV movie telling the story of the inquiry into the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster and the role of Richard Feynman in uncovering the cause. Commissioned for the BBC, the film is set to shoot in the US later in 2012.
He is a long-serving board member of Directors UK, the screen directors' organization in Britain. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | One Life | Yes | No | No | Directorial debut |
| 2025 | The Amateur | Yes | No | No | Filming |
Television
Stephen Russell Davies, better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, from 2005 to 2010 and again from 2023. His other notable works include creating the series Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Bob & Rose (2001), The Second Coming (2003), Casanova (2005), Doctor Who spin-offs Torchwood (2006–2011) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011), Cucumber (2015), A Very English Scandal (2018), Years and Years (2019), It's a Sin (2021) and Nolly (2023).
Jason Joseph Connery is an Italian-born British actor and director. He is the son of Sean Connery and Diane Cilento. On screen, he is best known for appearing in the third series of the ITV drama series Robin of Sherwood in 1986. He took over the main role after Michael Praed's character was killed off at the end of the second series.
Clare Julia Hawes, known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including Our Mutual Friend (1998) and Tipping the Velvet (2002), Hawes rose to fame for her portrayal of Zoe Reynolds in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2004), followed by her co-lead performance as DI Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes (2008–2010). She is also known for her roles in Jed Mercurio's Line of Duty as DI Lindsay Denton (2014–2016) and in BBC One drama Bodyguard (2018), in which she played Home Secretary Julia Montague.
David Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (2005). He gained wider recognition for playing Tom Wambsgans in the HBO drama series Succession (2018–2023), for which he received two consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Television Awards, and a Golden Globe Award.
Graeme Richard Harper is a British television director. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Doctor Who, for which he is the only person to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and revived run (2005–) of the programme. Doctor Who Magazine has described him as "the longest-serving crew member on Doctor Who."
Euros Lyn is a Welsh film and television director, best known for his work in Doctor Who, Sherlock, Black Mirror, Daredevil, His Dark Materials and Heartstopper.
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who which was first broadcast on BBC One on 1 July 2006. It is the first episode of a two-part story; the concluding episode, "Doomsday", was first broadcast on 8 July.
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from BBC Three to BBC Two to BBC One, and acquiring American financing in its fourth series when it became a co-production of BBC One and Starz. Torchwood is aimed at adults and older teenagers, in contrast to Doctor Who's target audience of both adults and children. As well as science fiction, the show explores a number of themes, including existentialism, LGBTQ+ sexuality, and human corruptibility.
Christopher Antony Chibnall is an English television writer and producer, best known as the creator and writer of the award-winning ITV mystery-crime drama Broadchurch (2013-17) and as the third showrunner of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who (2018–22). Chibnall wrote five episodes of the series under previous showrunners Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, and he was also the head writer for the first two series of the spinoff Torchwood (2006-08).
Murray Jonathan Gold is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio. He is best known as the musical director and composer of the music for Doctor Who from its revival in 2005 until 2017. In 2023, he was announced to be returning to the series. Gold's other television work includes Queer as Folk, Last Tango in Halifax and Gentleman Jack. He has been nominated for five BAFTAs.
Eve Myles is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series Belonging (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series Torchwood (2006–2011), and Faith Howells in the bilingually produced BBC / S4C drama series Keeping Faith / Un Bore Mercher (2017–2020). She is also an accomplished theatre actress.
James Strong is a British television and film director and writer, best known for his work on Broadchurch for which he was BAFTA-nominated for Best Director Fiction 2015. He trained at Granada TV and has directed episodes of the shows Holby City and Doctors, as well as seven episodes of Doctor Who and two episodes of its spin-off series Torchwood. His work on the Doctor Who episode "Voyage of the Damned" won him a BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director in 2008.
Fanny Hill is a BBC adaptation of John Cleland's controversial 1748 novel Fanny Hill, written by Andrew Davies and directed by James Hawes. This is the first television adaptation of the novel. Fanny Hill was broadcast in October 2007 on BBC Four in two episodes. Fanny Hill tells the story of a young country girl who is lured into prostitution in 18th-century London.
Alice Troughton is a British film and television director known for her work on Merlin, Doctor Who and its spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. In 2023, she made her feature film debut with The Lesson.
The first series of the 2005 revival of the British science fiction programme Doctor Who began on 26 March 2005 with the episode "Rose". This marked the end of the programme's 16 year absence from episodic television following its cancellation in 1989, and the first new televised Doctor Who story since the broadcast of the television movie starring Paul McGann in 1996. The finale episode, "The Parting of the Ways", was broadcast on 18 June 2005. The show was revived by longtime Doctor Who fan Russell T Davies, who had been lobbying the BBC since the late 1990s to bring the show back. The first series comprised 13 episodes, eight of which Davies wrote. Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young served as executive producers, Phil Collinson as producer.
John Fay is a British television screenwriter and playwright. He is known for his work on television soap operas Brookside and Coronation Street as well as his later work on original drama series like Torchwood.
Children of Earth is the banner title of the third and penultimate series of the British television science fiction programme Torchwood, which broadcast for five episodes on BBC One from 6 to 10 July 2009. The series had new producer Peter Bennett and was directed by Euros Lyn, who had considerable experience on the revived Doctor Who, Torchwood's parent show. The eponymous series is about an organization known as Torchwood which defends the Earth against alien threats. The plot of Children of Earth deals with aliens demanding 10% of the Earth's children, and a related earlier conspiracy 40 years ago; as such, Torchwood is pitted against the British government when the government attempts to conceal its past actions and accede to the present-day aliens' demands. The first, third, and fifth episodes of the serial were written by executive producer Russell T Davies, who also conceived its overall storyline. The third episode was co-written by James Moran whilst the second and fourth were penned by newcomer John Fay.
Sara Bennett is an Oscar-winning Visual Effects Supervisor and co-founder of Milk - a visual effects studio headquartered in London. Bennett was born in Worcestershire in the West of England.
Peter Hoar is a double BAFTA winning British director of film and television, known for his work on Daredevil, Doctor Who,It's a Sin and The Last of Us.