Directing
Lesley Manning
Welsh born Lesley Manning started making films at Bristol Art College where she graduated with 1st Class Honours. She trained at the National Film and Television School as a director and graduated to work on films and serials at the BBC. One of which was the cult hit Ghostwatch the highest rated single drama for 48 yrs – BBC Screen One film strand and named by Channel Four as the most controversial TV drama. Lesley directed My Sisterwife BBC Screen Two film strand and won CRE best drama, Best Asian Film Award and was screened at Dinard and Brussels film festivals. 2011 Leila is the first Feature Lesley has written as well as directed – and was a finalist at Austin FFestival, winning Best Actress at London Independent FF and Audience and Jury award for best narrative at United FFestival. 2013 Lesley has just completed Honeycomb Lodge – written by Surendra Kochar – a controversial film set in the British/Asian community won Best film NRI in Delhi Int. Film festival.
Acting credits
Dave Borthwick's award winning film made while a student at Bristol University's RFT course in 1977.
Recent Fiction
1978
7.1In the aftermath of an attack, Amy is left voiceless, trapped in a whirlwind of incompetence. She must find a way to confront what has happened, in order to save what matters to her most.
Good Thanks, You?
2020
NRA 30th anniversary documentary about Ghostwatch.
Do You Believe In Ghosts?: 30 Years of Ghostwatch
2022
NRTwo decades after its unprecedented television broadcast, the cast, crew and fans of the notorious BBC 'Halloween Hoax' Ghostwatch look back at the show's unique production and legendary aftermath in this brand-new retrospective documentary. Includes never-before-seen material and interviews!
Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains
2012
Documentary by filmmaker Sarah Appleton.
Man With a Movie Camera: The Found Footage Legacy of 'Man Bites Dog'
2025
Behind the camera
NRLove can drive you crazy. To the outside world Paul and Leila have a 'happy' family. A nice house, two nice kids, and most importantly they have each other. That's the problem. Both are in love - one is insane. Paul thinks he's losing his mind - but he has more to lose than that. One couple; one love; one tragedy.
Leila
2011
NRLove can drive you crazy. To the outside world Paul and Leila have a 'happy' family. A nice house, two nice kids, and most importantly they have each other. That's the problem. Both are in love - one is insane. Paul thinks he's losing his mind - but he has more to lose than that. One couple; one love; one tragedy.
Leila
2011
7.0For Halloween 1992, the BBC decides to broadcast an investigation into the supernatural, hosted by TV chat-show legend Michael Parkinson. Parky (assisted by Mike Smith, Sarah Greene & Craig Charles) and a camera crew attempt to discover the truth behind the most haunted house in Britain. This ground-breaking live television experiment does not go as planned, however.
Ghostwatch
1992
5.5It's all in a day's work for high-flying literary agent Alexander; manuscripts to read, deals to be done, celebrity clients to be taken out to lunch, but first there is an author to deal with whose latest book the agent thinks is, frankly, not up to scratch. However he hadn't counted on the author's resourcefulness.
The Agent
2009
9.0Farah is an independent young British woman who manages to reconcile her modern lifestyle with her Pakistani heritage. As a Muslim in love with a married man, she can become his second wife - especially as his first marriage to Maryam seems to exist in name only. But with all three under one roof, Farah becomes increasingly insecure.
My Sister-Wife
1992
10.0Two brothers who have not seen each other for years take a boating holiday, during which they come across a mysterious young woman.
Three Miles Up
1995
No synopsis available yet.
Seven
2019
NRTwo decades after its unprecedented television broadcast, the cast, crew and fans of the notorious BBC 'Halloween Hoax' Ghostwatch look back at the show's unique production and legendary aftermath in this brand-new retrospective documentary. Includes never-before-seen material and interviews!
Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains
2012
9.0She needs help now, and only the young are listening.
Help
2022