Search

James Strong

James Strong

History

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. In 2007, he directed the autobiographical documentary Elton John: Me, Myself & I and in 2008 he directed three episodes of Bonekickers. He then directed Hunted and Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story and Silent Witness in 2010 followed by the feature film United and Downton Abbey in 2011. He was lead director and associate producer on Broadchurch, which won six BAFTAs including Best Drama and for which he was nominated for BAFTA Best Director Fiction. Strong followed this with work on Series 2 of Broadchurch, the US remake Gracepoint in 2013 and other US pilots, including Kingmakers for ABC in 2015 and Drew in 2016. He also directed episodes of the Stephen King adaptation and J. J. Abrams produced 11.22.63. In 2017 he directed and executive produced "Liar" for ITV and AMC. He recently directed the critically acclaimed mini-series “Vanity Fair “ for ITV and Amazon Studios. He is then set to direct a J.R.R. Tolkien biopic entitled 'Middle Earth'.

Profile

James Strong

Movies

Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story

Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story

Director

Schoolboy Maurice Cole, growing up in 1960s Liverpool, is picked on for being effeminate but is already making his own comedy tapes, one of which impresses agent Wilfred De'ath through whom he gets a job on a pirate radio station, changing his name to Kenny Everett. Though sacked for annoying the sponsor his popularity sees him working on the BBC's newly-formed Radio One. Around this time he meets and marries Lee Middleton, who not only sticks by him through his career lows but is sympathetic when, following a drugs over-dose, he admits to being gay. She even helps him find a boyfriend though, unlike his friend Freddie Mercury, he is reluctant to come out. Following their divorce Kenny is best man when Lee marries actor John Alkin and, in 1985, in typically flamboyant style comes out, owing to having not one but two 'husbands'. However, in 1989 he is diagnosed as HIV+ and, in 1995, a year after winning the prestigious Sony award, dies of AIDS aged fifty.

Director

United is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary "Busby Babes", the youngest side ever to win the Football League and the 1958 Munich Air Crash that claimed eight of the their number. The film draws on first-hand interviews with the survivors and their families to tell the inspirational story of a team and community overcoming terrible tragedy.

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead

Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead

Director

A meeting in a London bus with jewel thief Lady Christina takes a turn for the worse for the Doctor when the bus takes a detour to a desert-like planet, where the deadly Swarm awaits.

Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned

Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned

Director

When disaster hits the Titanic, the Doctor uncovers a threat to the whole human race. Battling alongside aliens, saboteurs, robot Angels and a new friend called Astrid, can he stop the Christmas inferno?

Elton John: Me, Myself & I

Elton John: Me, Myself & I

Director

Elton John: Me, Myself & I is a 2007 documentary filmed after the death of Elton John's good friend Diana and other soul shaking events that caused him to reassess his life. It is a candid appraisal by Elton John (tongue in cheek) of his fame, drug use, sexuality, and mistakenly taking his life for granted. It was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Young Swanky Modes

The story of Ivan and Josh, two dim witted ex-security guards who love music videos. Out of work, with no job prospects, they form a music video production company. They soon learn the in's and out's of the business in LA and with some help from Mo Fuzz, they soon become hot property. But not all goes smoothly when they try to resurrect the career of their favorite R&B duo, the Swanky Modes.

Director

World-renowned journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. She was ultimately murdered in the elevator of her block of flats and it remains unclear who paid for the contract killing.