CLIPS
A few bits and pieces from a variety of my films.
Scotland from the Sky
I produced and directed three of the first six episodes of this hugely successful series made by BBC Studios. Presented by Jamie Crawford, the films use aerial photography to reveal forgotten and fascinating elements of history. RTS nominated.
Timex: The rise and fall
The explosive story of Britain's last full-blooded industrial dispute. Told largely by the testimony of the women on the front line.
Henry VIII
Patron or Plunderer
England's most notorious King paid more for a set of tapestries than he did for a warship. He was a man of the renaissance, a musician, a lover of spectacle. Yet it was Henry who destroyed England's great monasteries. Dr Jonathan Foyle, the former curator of Hampton Court, examines Henry's complicated attitudes to art.
The Machine Gun
Two stories told in parallel. First, the development of the machine gun, a devilish device that could fire 666 bullets per minute. Secondly, the story of a company of young recruits who would come to face those bullets. Described as "compelling" by the Guardian, the one-hour film describes how a tiny community suffered the loss of ten of their young men in one night of fighting.
The film was developed by myself and historian Trevor Royle. Presented by Neil Oliver. Written and directed by myself.
Blood of the Clans
Drama doc narrating the fabulous rise and well deserved fall of Rob Roy, Scotland's most celebrated rogue.
Mackintosh
A century after the birth of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Lachlan Goudie guides us through his life and work. The film argues that Mackintosh's native city never truly recognised the genius in its midst.
The Stuarts in Exile
The amazing story of Britain's Royal Court in 18th Century Rome. Backed by the Pope, plotting to reclaim the British Crown by any and all means.
The Hector
Canada's mayflower
The story of the men, women and children who arrived in Nova Scotia on board a tattered, leaking cargo ship. Their arrival, in 1773 has long been celebrated and mythologised.
The Scot who shot the Civil War.
The work of Alexander Gardner. Called the father of photo-journalism, he took his cameras to the battlefields of the Civil War. The film was presented by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly.
