Graeme Harper (right) on location for the 1976 Doctor Who serial "The Seeds of Doom", with director Douglas Camfield. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The Seeds of Doom is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield (died 27 January 1984) was an accomplished director for Television from the 1960s to the 1980s

Graeme Harper (born March 11, 1945^[1]) is a British television director. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A television director directs the activities involved in making a Television Episode. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction series Doctor Who, for which he is the only man to have directed episodes of both the original run (1963–89) and revived run (2005–) of the programme. Science fiction first appeared on Television during the Golden age of science fiction, first in Britain (UK and then in the United States Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Doctor Who Magazine has described him as "the longest-serving crew member on Doctor Who. Doctor Who Magazine (abbreviated as DWM) is a Magazine devoted to the long-running British Science fiction television "^[2]

Early life and career

Born in London, Harper began elocution lessons at the Italia Conti Academy as a child in 1955, at the encouragement of his mother who was worried that he was developing a cockney accent. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Italia Conti Academy is Britain's oldest theatre arts training school. The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations ^[3] This led to him being cast as Master Bardell in an adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers for the independent television company Associated-Rediffusion, when the company approached the Academy asking if they had a boy with bright red hair for the role, and they recommended Harper. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known as The Pickwick Papers, is the first novel by Charles Dickens. Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of ^[3]

Further television work followed in the late 1950s, appearing in children's serials for BBC Television under producer / director Shaun Sutton. Shaun Alfred Graham Sutton OBE (born 14 October 1919 in Hammersmith, London; died 14 May 2004 in Norfolk ^[3] From the ages of sixteen to twenty-one Harper worked predominantly in the theatre, not only as an actor but also as a stage manager. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Stage management is a sub-discipline of Stagecraft. Although a somewhat fluid line of work in essence the stage management team (which can consist of a production After further television work, however, he decided that acting was not the career he would like, and he would instead rather be behind the scenes. ^[3] One of his main ambitions for becoming involved in the production side of the industry was to make Westerns. The Western is a fiction Genre seen in Film, Television, Radio, Literature, Painting and other Visual arts. ^[4]

While applying for production jobs in television, he worked for a time as a driving instructor. One of his pupils was the personal secretary of film director Stanley Kubrick, who arranged for him to visit the sound stages at MGM-British Studios where Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey was then being produced. A sound stage is a soundproof Hangar -like structure building or room used for the production of theatrical motion pictures and Television shows Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ( MGM) established a British operation initially at Denham Film Studios in 1936 2001 A Space Odyssey is a 1968 Science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C During this visit, Harper briefly met Kubrick. ^[3]

BBC career

After hearing nothing from his various applications to the BBC, Harper wrote to his former director Shaun Sutton, who was by now Head of Drama Serials at the BBC. With Sutton's assistance Harper gained an interview for the position of floor assistant, in which role he began working at BBC Television Centre in London in September 1966. ^[3]

Harper worked on various productions in this capacity, including the Doctor Who serial "The Power of the Daleks" and later the 1967 adaptation of The Forsyte Saga novels. The Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast The Forsyte Saga is a series of three Novels and two interludes by John Galsworthy. ^[3] He also worked on the series Play of the Month, where he first worked with the director Douglas Camfield, with whom he would often work in later years. Douglas Gaston Sydney Camfield (died 27 January 1984) was an accomplished director for Television from the 1960s to the 1980s In 1969 he was promoted to assistant floor manager. Television crew positions are derived from those of Film crew, but with several differences In 1975 he was promoted again and became a production assistant. Television crew positions are derived from those of Film crew, but with several differences One of the first productions he was assigned to in this role was the Doctor Who serial "The Seeds of Doom", again working under director Douglas Camfield. The Seeds of Doom is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in ^[3]

In 1980, Harper once more worked on Doctor Who when he was assigned to be production assistant to director Paul Joyce on the serial "Warriors' Gate". Warriors' Gate is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four Joyce's approach to the production resulted in various delays, and Harper had to take on extra responsibility for helping to direct the serial in order to ensure it was finished in time. ^[3] Following this, Doctor Who's executive producer and producer, Barry Letts and John Nathan-Turner, endorsed Harper's application for the BBC's in-house television director course, from which he graduated in 1982. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production The primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking Barry Letts (born 1925 is a British actor television director and producer best known for his work on the BBC Science fiction Television series John Nathan-Turner (born Jonathan Turner; August 12, 1947 &ndash May 1, 2002) was the ninth producer of the long-running ^[3]

Harper's first television directing work consisted of episodes of the medical drama series Angels. Angels was a British television drama dealing with the subject of student nurses that was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1983 In 1983, John Nathan-Turner offered him work on Doctor Who, but as he could only employ freelance directors, Harper would need to resign from the staff of the BBC first. A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer This Harper did, and he began working on Doctor Who in the autumn of 1983. ^[3]

Freelance work

Harper's first Doctor Who serial, "The Caves of Androzani", was the last Doctor Who story to feature Peter Davison in the title role. The Caves of Androzani is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Peter Davison (born Peter Moffett 13 April 1951 is an English Actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of Produced in late 1983, it was broadcast in March 1984. It is widely regarded by fans of the programme as one of the finest instalments of the series. ^[5] In 1985 he worked again on the programme, directing "Revelation of the Daleks", starring Colin Baker. Revelation of the Daleks is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast Colin Baker (born London, 8 June 1943 is an English Actor who is best known for playing the sixth incarnation of the Doctor In 1989 he was approached to direct the Sylvester McCoy-starring Doctor Who serial "Battlefield", but he was committed to episodes of the Central Television drama series Boon. Sylvester McCoy (born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith 20 August 1943 is a Scottish actor. Battlefield is a serial in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central and now legally ITV Central Ltd, is the British Independent Television contractor Boon is a British television drama series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker and later on Neil Morrissey. ^[3] In 1993 he was attached to the potential Doctor Who thirtieth anniversary special "The Dark Dimension", but this was abandoned at the pre-production stage. ^[3]

Harper's other work has included episodes of Bergerac (1985 & 1987), Star Cops (1987), The New Statesman (1987), The House of Eliott (1991–93), The Bill (1993), The Detectives (1995–97), Casualty (1997, 2004–05), EastEnders (2000–02) and Robin Hood (2006). Bergerac was a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and screened Star Cops is a British Science fiction Television series first broadcast on BBC Two in 1987 For the current affairs magazine see New Statesman. For other uses see New Statesmen. The House of Eliott is a British Television series produced and broadcast by the BBC in three series between 1991 and 1994 The Bill is a long-running British Television Police procedural, named after a slang term for the police. The Detectives (1993-1997 was a British Comedy series starring Jasper Carrott, Robert Powell, and George Sewell. Casualty is the longest running emergency medical Drama series in the world and the second-longest-running medical drama in the world behind America's General EastEnders is a most popular and award-winning Television Soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985 Robin Hood is a British television programme produced by independent production company Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC One, with co-funding In 1999 his work on the television adaptation of David McRobbie's novel See How They Run was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award for "Best Direction in a Television Drama", and in 2001 he shared in a BAFTA Children's Award win in the category of "Best Drama" for Custer's Last Stand Up. The Australian Film Institute Awards (often abbreviated to AFI Awards) are awards of merit presented annually by the Australian Film Institute. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation ^[6]

Return to Doctor Who

In 2005, twenty years after his last work on Doctor Who, he was invited to direct four episodes of the 2006 series, starring David Tennant. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. David Tennant (born David John McDonald; 18 April 1971 is a Scottish Actor. Having previously worked with the new series' executive producer Russell T. Davies on the programmes On the Waterfront and The House of Windsor,^[7] Harper had contacted Davies soon after the announcement of Doctor Who's revival in September 2003, to say that he would very much like to work on it. Russell T Davies, OBE (born Stephen Russell Davies, 27 April, 1963) is a critically acclaimed British Television producer On the Waterfront was a BBC Saturday morning children's programme filmed at Brunswick Dock, Liverpool. ^[8] Scheduling conflicts meant that he was unable to work on the first series of the revival in 2005,^[8] but for the second series in 2006 he directed two two-part stories featuring the Cybermen; "Rise of the Cybermen" / "The Age of Steel", and the series finale "Army of Ghosts" / "Doomsday". The Cybermen are a Fictional race of Cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British Science fiction television " Rise of the Cybermen " is an episode in the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. " The Age of Steel " is an episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. " Army of Ghosts " is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British Science fiction television series Doctor His work on the episode "Doomsday" saw him awarded the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Drama Director in April 2007. BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA Wales) is the national organisation for Wales of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. ^[9]

Harper directed two episodes, "42" and "Utopia", for the 2007 series of Doctor Who, as well as the mini-episode "Time Crash", part of the 2007 edition of the BBC's annual Children in Need charity telethon. "42" is an episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. " Utopia " is an episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. "Time Crash" is a mini-episode of the British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. BBC Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. A telethon is a Fundraising event broadcast on Television that lasts many hours or even days the purpose of which is to raise Money for a charitable political He also directed Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?, a two-part serial for spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? is the fifth story of the British Science fiction television series The Sarah Jane Adventures The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British Science fiction Television series produced by BBC Wales for CBBC, created

He has directed five episodes of the 2008 series,^[10] "Planet of the Ood", "The Unicorn and the Wasp", "Turn Left", the currently untitled Episode 12, and "Journey's End". The fourth series of British science fiction series Doctor Who began on 25 December 2007 with the Christmas special " " Planet of the Ood " is the third episode of the fourth series of British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. " The Unicorn and the Wasp " is the seventh episode in the fourth series of the British science fiction Television series Doctor " Turn Left " is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of British Science fiction television series Doctor Who. " Journey's End " is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British Science fiction television series Doctor Who first

He is also currently developing an idea for a Western television series "from an English point of view — or a Welsh point of view. "^[4]

References

External links

• Graeme Harper at the Internet Movie Database
• Full Doctor Who credits at Outpost Gallifrey