CREDITS
Jargon – More Than You Ever Wanted To Know
with Jonathan Meades
1×60 BBC 4 TX 27th May 2018
It’s good to have him back. Nobody else makes televsion like this.
Radio Times
Scathing lucid and hilarious. This erudite verbal and visual essay
Observer
A characteristically witty ribald and provocative essay
The Times
It’s ace!
The Guardian
There were so many more ideas in this hour than in the entire output, since its inception, of (say) The One Show that it was almost embarrassing.
The Observer
Blisteringly brutal, clever and hilarious. It manages to be visually interesting on what looks like a budget of 40 quid.
The Guardian
How on earth did Jonathan Meades on Jargon make it all the way to rhe screen? Were the people in BBC corporate responsibility (or whatever it’s called) drunk or stoned or something, or did it unaccountably bypass their office all together?
New Stateman
This is a film that should be shown to all aspiring public figures before they disgrace themselves. Above all, like so much of Meades’s work, it is a stunning contribution to our understanding of ourselves, and confirms him as the leading cultural commentator of our age.
The Daily Mail
Stanley and his Daughters
Shortlisted for the Grierson 2018 Awards
1×75 BBC 4 TX 4th Feb 2018
This fascinating film
Simon Horseford – The Daily Telegraph
The way they relate to each other and all the history behind it is fascinating to watch
Daily Mail
A fascinating portrait of the artist framed by the peculiar estrangement of his daughters
The Observer
This poignant Arena
The Times
There is a sweetness at the heart of this documentary
The Sunday Times
An extraordinary documentary….Francis Hanly made this strange, moving, funny, sad film just in time.
Sam Wollaston – The Guardian
Remarkable story of two elderly sisters.
Matt Baylis – The Daily Express
That Frank Hanly was there to capture the sisters last year together fills me with admiration: for both him and for Arena’s long serving editor, Anthony Wall
Rachel Cooke – The New Statesman
Sgt Pepper’s Musical Revolution
Nominated for Broadcasting Press Guild Award Single Documentary 2018
1×60 BBC2 June 2017
Brilliant! Of course, you did what I did: put the record on immediately afterwards. There was so much new to listen to even though you’d heard it 4000 times before.
The Guardian
Bravo and thank you – the best, most revealing music documentary I have ever seen.
Danny Baker
Benbuilding: Mussolini Modernism, Marble and Monuments
1×90 BBC4 June 2016
Infuriating and enlightening, Meades is a one-off and must be preserved.
The Arts Desk
Face of Britain with Simon Schama
1×60 mins BBC 2 TX October 2015
Quietly provocative, unpredictable, educative, at times effervescent.
Daily Telegraph
Continues to be one of the best things on TV; it can certainly claim to be without peer on Wednesdays.
The Guardian
In Charlie Chaplin’s Footsteps with Terry Jones
1×60 mins Wild Pictures for ITV 1 TX May 2015
Schama on Rembrandt
1×60 mins BBC2 TX Oct 2014
Highlight of the Week FT
Chocolate Perfection with Michel Roux Jr
1×60 mins What Larks Productions for BBC4 TX May 2014
Bunkers, Brutalism and Bloodymindedness
2×60 mins BBC4 TX Feb 2014
Meades remains singular, without progenitor or competitor, the great polemicist of the small screen, his latest two-part lecture was one of his best. Producer-director-cameraman Francis Hanly needs a concrete recommendation for engineering the visuals. Sunday Times
An exasperating, exhilarating reminder of real arts broadcasting. All praise to director Francis Hanly for letting Meades have his sometimes perverse, tossing head. Financial Times
Any new Jonathan Meades series is a reason to cancel all other engagements, but this is a treat even by his standards. The Guardian
How The North Was Built
2x 60 Mins Silver River for ITV 1 TX July 2013
Jonathan Meades: The Joy of Essex
BBC4 TX Feb 2013
Ravishing, precisely composed shots of the churches, chalets, factories, estuaries and houses that revealed the real Essex to be a various, curious place. Radio Times
It was a fitfully beautiful film. The Guardian
This was daring TV, boldly moulding the medium to its own message, painting pictures in words with beguiling images used as punctuation. Metro
Howard Goodall’s Story of Music
BBC2 TX Jan/Feb 2013
Let’s not beat around the bush: Howard Goodall’s Story of Music (BBC2, Saturday) is landmark television, a documentary series that deserves to rank with such unimpeachable classics as Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation. The Spectator
The result was like being on a rather exhilarating rollercoaster, absorbing sensation and information even as the world spun by. The Telegraph
Brazil With Michael Palin
BBC1 TX OCT 2012
Magical Mystery Tour Revisited
BBC2 TX OCT 2012
A marvellously evocative Arena. The Sunday Times
A superb Arena. The Times
Francis Hanly’s absorbing film…a first rate documentary. The Financial Times
So many superb and surprising moments. The Independent
Meades On France
BBC4 TX Jan 2012
Chosen as one of the Top Ten programmes of the Year by the Observer
… a brilliant look at France from the man with the sharpest tongue in documentaries. The People
Anybody who’s ever seen Meades’ wonderful Abroad series will know that this is one travelogue not to be missed. The Independent
In this typically thoughtful, funny and beautifully shot new series, Meades considers his adopted homeland. The Guardian
…brilliant and fascinating and unlike any programme on France you’ve ever seen. The Times
Some people will find the programme playful, knowledgeable, articulate and refreshingly original, while others will switch off in seconds flat. There’s no middle ground. The Telegraph
Arena: Produced by George Martin
BBC2 TX APRIL 2011
RTS NOMINATED 2012
This is brilliant, it’s just amazing. Daily Mirror
A brilliant 90 minutes of television. Chris Evans
A superb profile. Radio Times
A beautifully made, intimate and affectionate profile… it’s a joy to watch – and to listen to. Daily Mail
A superb documentary. The Sunday Times
Last night’s superb Arena documentary which at an hour and a half didn’t remotely outstay it’s welcome. The Independent
Fantastic, fresh film. The Observer
Imagine: Nigel Kennedy’s Polish Adventure
BBC1 TX June 2010
It’s all wonderful. Bravo. The Guardian
A life enhancing film. The Times
Virtual Revolution
EP 2 for BBC 2. TX Feb 2010
WINNER DIGITAL INTERNATIONAL EMMY 2010
Off Kilter
2 X 1 hour for BBC Scotland for BBC 4 – Director – TX September 09
A stunning film, I cannot remember when I have enjoyed a TV programme more. The Guardian
The Great African Balloon Adventure
3 x 1 Hour. Tiger Aspect for ITV 1 – Series Producer & Director -TX May/June 09
The Big Art Project
4 x 1 Hour. Channel 4 – Series Producer and Director -TX May 09
Jonathan Meades: Magnetic North
TX FEB O8 BBC4 1×60 TX MAY O8 BBC 2 2x 30
The BBC should be proud of this beautifully directed, intelligent series. THE TIMES
Boris Johnson – Holy War & Conquest
(FINLAND STATION FOR BBC TV) Nov 29TH 2008 BBC2 2×60
Bloody marvellous. It brings alive history in a way no teacher in my school ever did. The Guardian
The Case of The Disappearing Architect
(BBC SCOTLAND FOR BBC 2) TX 23.5.07
A programme that inspired you with it’s intelligence. THE OBSERVER
How Music Works
(4x 60 mins Tiger Aspect for C4. TX Nov/Dec 2006)
WINNER LEARNING ON SCREEN AWARD 2008
This is thrilling, absorbing and instructive to watch. A winner. – THE OBSERVER
It’s an absorbing, fascinating programme. How Music Works is proper, copper-bottomed, quality television. GUARDIAN
Who’d have thought that what’s essentially a lesson could be so riveting. TIME OUT PICK OF THE WEEK
This is simply excellent. FINANCIAL TIMES
How Music Works was a positive credit to the telly. TIMES
How Music Works is brilliant. THE MAIL
Boris Johnson – The Dream of Rome
(2x1Hr – Tiger Aspect for BBC, TX Jan 2006)
Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered
(Boomerang for C4, TX 18.4.05)
Time Out Critics Choice
Howard Goodall’s 20th Century Greats
RTS WINNER 2005/BAFTA NOMINATED 2005 (Tiger Aspect for C4)
Lennon & McCartney (27.11.04)/Bernard Herrmann (11.12.04)
One of the landmarks of British Arts Television – PROSPECT
If only all arts shows were this good – MAIL ON SUNDAY
If future instalments are anything like the Beatles programme, they’ll be unmissable. – IRISH INDEPENDENT
This is an exemplary documentary – SUNDAY TIMES
A brilliant series – SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Spellbinding stuff – EVENING STANDARD
Informative, provocative and compelling – THE INDEPENDENT
A precise, musically illustrated and inspiring programme – DAILY TELEGRAPH
It’s all brilliant! – THE GUARDIAN
Pavarotti – The Last Tenor 90 mins
ROSE D’OR NOMINATED 2005 (VTVC for BBC 2 May 2004)
Francis Hanly’s elegant and intimate film reaches and sustains several high notes. THE TIMES
A definitive and gorgeous portrait. DAILY TELEGRAPH
A truly amazing man and a great programme. – EVENING STANDARD
Meades Eats
3x 30 mins (BBC 2 March 2003)
GLENFIDDICH FOOD & DRINK AWARDS NOMINATED 2004
Offensive: The Real Derek & Clive
(Chrysalis for C4 – Christmas Day 2002)
Time Out Critics Choice ‘The Best Christmas Viewing’
A skilfully constructed, well argued and entertaining package. The Evening Standard
Surreal Film
(BBC2 & BBC 4Tx 29.9.01)
Time Out Critics Choice – Programme of the Week
The film is a glorious combination of jokes, juxtapositions, anagrams, art history, personal revelation, nuns, more nuns and even more f*****g nuns. TIME OUT
A network of images of unparalleled sophistication. THE INDEPENDENT
A wise & witty celebration of surrealism. THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
‘Queen Victoria Died in 1901 And Is Still Alive Today’
(BBC2 Tx 7.1.01)
Chosen as THE INDEPENDENT’s ‘Highlight of the Year’ 2001. If all programmes were half as intelligent, reviewing television would be a joy’
Television Programme of the Year, this was the most creative look at anything since the 1960’s. I demand the BBC issue it on video immediately THE SCOTSMAN
His programme on the Victorians was wonderful. THE TIMES
Had the first 10 minutes been made by Malcolm McLaren in his heyday it would probably become some kind of classic. THE OBSERVER
Racy, Provocative, hallucinatory polemic. Far too much here even to summarise. Just watch and wonder. THE MAIL
The programme was stuffed with fascinating anecdotes and unexpected insights and was enormously entertaining. THE TIMES
Image and argument perfectly in step… an invigorating polemic. THE INDEPENDENT
Idiosyncratic, humorous & colourful. TIME OUT
Mr Rock and Roll
(VTVC Four-part series for Channel 4 Tx. Sept – Oct 1999, Series Producer & Director)
An absolute triumph, compulsory viewing. MUSIC WEEK
Mr Rock and Roll is an unmissable series; beautifully shot, well researched, a truly entertaining show. MOJO
Excellent. HEAT
Wonderful. THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Excellent. THE TELEGRAPH
A compelling series. A classic rock & roll tale. TIME OUT
Great Viewing. THE MAIL
Arena – Busby, Stein and Shankly – The Football Men
RTS NOMINATED 1998 (Three-part series, BBC 2 Tx. 29.3.97 – 31.3.97.
Absorbing SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
A superb series. SUNDAY TIMES
An epic… in a documentary nearly three and a half hours long the managers were not the only stars. There was also the documentary maker. THE EXPRESS
Essential Viewing THE SCOTSMAN
A brilliant portrait of men, a game and a generation. ROY HATTERSLEY
Do not miss the trilogy of documentaries on BBC 2 this weekend. They are pieces of social history. THE GUARDIAN
The Arena Trilogy was more a study of working-class visionaries than any shallow football history. GOAL
The Arena logo is a message in a bottle. This programme is one. DAILY TELEGRAPH
I thought McIlvanney’s first two films were wonderful and nothing will keep me from watching the third part tonight. BRIAN VINER, DAILY MAIL
Frank Hanly’s imaginative and sensitive direction. THE INDEPENDENT
The aim, superbly realised, was to dig in the rich seam of their past for something near the truth. THE OBSERVER
The Football Men, the BBC Arena programme’s piercingly beautiful evocation of the lives of Shankly, Sir Matt Busby and Jock Stein. THE EXPRESS
Rock Family Trees I
(Six-part series, BBC 2 Tx. 24.6.95 – 5.8.95, Series Producer & Director)
Easily the most informative and hilarious music show for years. This could – and should – run and run. NME
Richly Enjoyable. This is the stuff of rock’n roll. INDEPENDENT
“Tremendous entertainment. A Gem.” EXPRESS
“A superb series.” INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
“Thoroughly entertaining.” EVENING STANDARD
“The series is compulsive viewing.” THE STAGE
“A fascinating 6 part series.” TODAY
“This is a great series. Rock & Roll.” THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
“The highlight of the summer weekend’s viewing. Unfailingly entertaining.” THE TELEGRAPH
“Television’s surprise hit of the year.” TONY PARSONS. THE TELEGRAPH
“Both funny and engrossing.” THE SUNDAY TIMES
“A triumph of the documentary maker’s art.” THE DAILY MAIL
“The terrific Rock Family Trees.” NEWS OF THE WORLD
“So far this series has not only been funny but instructive too.” VICTOR LEWIS-SMITH, THE EVENING STANDARD
Rock Family Trees II
(Six-part series, BBC2 Tx. Sept – Oct 1998, Series Producer & Director)
“At last, TV’s greatest music documentary series gets a second outing. To be missed only in the event of death.” SELECT
“Utterly compelling.” THE EXPRESS
“Wonderful Stuff.” THE TELEGRAPH
“Friday Nights have been made beautiful again.” NME
“As Ozzy himself might say. “Funniest programme of the week, or I’ll eat my bat.” THE GUARDIAN
“Consistently marvellous.” SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
“A Compelling Drama” THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
OTHER CREDITS
CLASH OF THE TITANS – BOBBY FISCHER vs THE SOVIETS (BBC2 Tx July 1999)
“Clash of the Titans was a riveting film.” THE GUARDIAN
“A fascinating documentary.” TIME OUT
BOOKMARK – ‘The Quest For A.J.’ (BBC 2 3.11.93)
“This was one of those few programmes that actually deserve the epithet “memorable”.” THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
ARENA – BUDD SCHULBERG, A CONTENDER (26.5.01)
Screened at The 30th Telluride Film Festival
ARENA – SPORTSWRITER – THE FIGHT, THE MATCH & THE RACE (11.7.92)
ARENA – EDWARD SAID – THE IDEA OF EMPIRE (12.2.93)
ARENA – TEXAS SATURDAY NIGHT (31.8.91)
THE LATE SHOW – BBC 2
14.9.92 ‘Marshall McLuhan – What If He Was Right?’
Sept 91 ‘William Gibson – Cyberpunk’
June 89 ‘A Short History of the Robot’
RHYTHMS OF THE WORLD – BBC 2
Series 1 1988 – Researcher
Series 2 1988-89 – Producer
Series 3 1990 – Series Producer
Series 4 1991 – ” “
Series 5 1992 – ” ”
Education
BA Hons Modern History
St Catherine’s College, Oxford
