❉ Miwk Publishing will be releasing a biography of director Douglas Camfield.
In May 2017, Miwk Publishing will be releasing a biography of director Douglas Camfield. Written by We Are Cult contributor Michael Seely, Directed by Douglas Camfield looks in-depth at Douglas’ career and the ever-evolving world of television around him over three decades.
Douglas Camfield is still regarded as a master of his craft; a television director who made numerous memorable episodes of shows such as Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, The Nightmare Man and The Sweeney. During his career, which spanned twenty years and 163 productions, Camfield worked on many popular and groundbreaking series of their day, such as Public Eye, Shoestring, Van der Valk, Z Cars and Paul Temple, not to mention many long since forgotten and lost productions. His work is frequently cited as the best of any series he worked on.
Camfield passed away in January 1984. He was 52.
Author Michael Seely explains more about his book: “Douglas’ career as a director spanned twenty years, not including his nine years climbing the ranks at the BBC. My book is not just about Douglas’ life, but a study of how television drama evolved from live performances within hot and cramped studios in a converted cinema, to productions pre-recorded entirely on location on either film or videotape.”
For Michael, writing this book was a long journey. “Whenever I heard the name Douglas Camfield raised in an interview or a memoir, something interesting was always related, either in his approach to work, or some quirk in his private life. Over the years, this became a growing source of fascination for me, until one day the idea of writing about his life became an absolute need. I contacted his son, Joggs, and he was enthusiastic about the idea. It took three difficult years to research and write this book but it I feel it has been worth it. I have received tremendous help and support from Douglas’ friends, family and colleagues not to mention several institutions who have put me in touch with the right people. It’s astonishing the impact the name Douglas Camfield still has.”
In order to get a fuller picture of Douglas, Michael spoke to his friends and colleagues, “The book contains interviews with family and friends, including his flatmate, the comedian Barry Cryer, his producers, Derrick Sherwin, Philip Hinchcliffe and the late Robert Banks Stewart, his actors, Katy Manning, John Levene, Michael McStay, John Challis, the late Derek Ware, Dean Harris, writers, musicians and his production and technical staff, fellow directors Waris Hussein, Darrol Blake and David Benedictus. It also features his correspondence with fan Gary Hopkins, and contributions from many generous people.”
❉ Read the full article on Miwk Publishing’s Facebook page.
❉ Directed by Douglas Camfield is due for release in May 2017 from Miwk Publishing Ltd. It can be pre-ordered here.
❉ We Are Cult is not responsible for the content of this news release.
