I was accepted into the London International Film School, but was unable to take up the offer, as I could not get a grant to cover fees. I joined the BBC instead, with aims to direct, via film editing or camerawork. I spent valuable time on editing attachment, working in the cutting rooms at Ealing with editors such as John Dunston on The Dick Emery Show, and Jess Palmer on the arts series, The Shock of the New.  I directed my first 16mm film with the BBC Film Club, The Late Wash, and later went freelance as an assistant film editor working on BBC Schools programmes, and later for the Shell Film Unit on a 35mm film.  I continued freelancing as a film editor and assistant film editor, working on most of London Weekend Television’s output such as the South Bank Show, The London Programme, Surprise Surprise and Game for a Laugh.  For BBC Northeast I edited The Four Great Seasons series with Dr David Bellamy, and worked on the TV feature Robin of Sherwood for HTV West.

I always had script writing ideas and projects on the go, and at the start of my career wrote three episode outlines for Dempsey and Makepeace.  I wrote a spec script for Robin of Sherwood, and a character led comedy film. I managed to interest Charlie Drake to star in it and play all the roles, and it came close to being made.  I wrote a 30’ pilot TV episode based upon my cinema short, running the script past Eric Sykes for his opinion, but there was not a market for traffic warden situation comedy at the time.

Bursting with directing ambition, I wrote and directed a comedy short for the cinema, A Traffic Warden’s Lot.  I worked with a film crew and five actors on this ambitious film, shot on the streets of Holland Park in London. I sold the film to Rank Film Distributors. Later I sold the film to HBO where it went out between features for 2 years.

I shot two music videos for a band called The Flood.  This 16mm epic is remembered for the cheeky sequences shot on the outside balcony of the Dome at St Paul’s Cathedral.  I started freelancing at the Central Office of Information directing and writing science programmes on the Perspective series.  The following year, I started as a producer/director at London Weekend Television on The Six o Clock Show making many VT stories and live TV links to studio working with presenters.  I went on to spend four fun years freelancing at LWT as a PD, ending up on Six o Clock Live.  For Television South, I directed the half hour current affairs programme Facing South, and made many corporate programmes, including the first Destination UK with Russell Harty for British Airways.  Sadly, it was to be Russell’s last film.

I returned to editing for a while, living in Wales, learning to cut on Avid, and edited broadcast programmes.  I also wrote and developed a Gothic horror feature film script, Triglaf, that received some commercial interest and development from a local production company.  A phone call came out of the blue to teach TV production in Cuba through the British Council, and I accepted.  I spent several weeks in Cuba at their film school, Escuela Internacional, teaching TV professionals from across the Caribbean and South America.  In 1997, I decided to go to University as a mature student, and spent three happy years at Lampeter University reading English, and was awarded a 2.1 Humanities Degree of which I am very proud.

I now live in Kent. A few years ago I spent a few weeks in Santa Monica and along the West coast in the States, as cameraman shooting a festival documentary, ‘Pacific Coast Highway One’ for a colleague, and loved every minute of it.  I also did some more Film Making teaching, this time for Aberystwyth University.  Currently I am directing drama sequences with actors for short films and showreels working with the cameraman Richard Gibb, and would love to direct more drama.  I am also designing sound for performances at  Actors & Writers London.  Always having writing ideas on the go, I submit ideas to the TV Commissioners, and made a 25’ taster DVD for a series with the Environment Agency; The Water Bailiff’s Tale.  I am also a big fan of the American style and structure of TV drama, and of Steven Bochco and David Milch.  To this end, working with a retired Manchester Police Inspector who now works as a TV consultant, I wrote the pilot and episode one of a six part TV crime drama series with an American lead, ‘The Good Doctor’ and have a radio drama script and a stage project in development.