James Ellis

Acting

James Ellis

Born — Died

1931-03-15 — 2014-03-08

Place of birth

Belfast, Ireland

Known for

Acting

Credits

55 titles

Legendary Northern Irish actor who came to prominence in the 1960s for his role of Bert Lynch in the BBC TV series Z Cars.

Known for

Doctor Who poster
7.9

The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.

Doctor Who

1963

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

Wogan poster
5.6

Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

Wogan

1982

Heartbeat poster
7.1

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Heartbeat

1992

Z-Cars poster
7.3

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

Z-Cars

1962

Film credits

1990s · 8 titles

Priest poster
6.3

The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic young priest are challenged when he must face extraordinary events within his own congregation.

Priest

1995

The Near Room poster
5.0

Charlie Colquhoun is a burnt out journalist. His old school friend Harris Hill is a lawyer at the top of his game. Their lives are smashed together by one name - Tommy Stirling, Charlie's daughter, a fostered teenage pregnancy who has become embroiled in an alleged child pornography scandal with a top ranking police officer. As the trail to Tommy begins to heat up, so the bodies begin to mount up. Allegiances fall by the wayside as Charlie's life begins to spiral out of control and the deadly world of drugs, blackmail and murder that lies in the deepest heart of the underworld threatens to consume him and his missing daughter forever.

The Near Room

1997

The Precious Blood poster
NR

Rosie Williams is haunted by the murder of her husband 12 years previously. Her teenage son John is heading for a life of delinquency fuelled by revenge. Then, he meets Billy McVea, who runs a boxing gym, affecting all their lives.

The Precious Blood

1996

Crossing the Floor poster
6.8

Political satire closely mirroring real-life British politics of the time - a self-serving Conservative minister "crosses the floor" to join the opposition Labour Party, at a time when the Conservative Party has a majority in Parliament of just one seat. Sequel to A Very Open Prison.

Crossing the Floor

1996

Resurrection Man poster
6.2

Belfast, in 1970s. Victor Kelly is a young protestant man who hates the Catholics so much that one night he begins to brutally murder them. A reporter soon tries to uncover the murder and obtained prestige for himself, while Victor sinks deeper into madness.

Resurrection Man

1998

Shadow of a Gunman poster
7.0

The first part of O'Casey's "The Dublin Trilogy". Set in 1920, as the War of Independence rages, "Shadow of a Gunman" is the story of two young men, Donal and Seamus who share a flat in Dublin.

Shadow of a Gunman

1995

Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns poster
4.0

Fairyhill Ireland is a place filled with mysteries and legends,Leprechauns and Magic. And for an American Kid like Mike Dennehy, it's a world of wonderous adventure. Vacationing in Fairyhill for the summer, Mike makes friends with a fascinating group of rather unlucky leprechaunsby Nula, Queen of the Dead - an unbelievably beautiful and sinister witch. can the Queen destroy centuries of Leprechaun power? Will evil triumph? Gather up your lucky charms(you'll need them!) and get ready for Spellbreaker, the adventure of Mike's lifetime... and yours!

Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns

1996

Leapin' Leprechauns poster
4.0

A man tries to build a theme park on top of land that's secretly the home to friendly Leprechauns.

Leapin' Leprechauns

1995

1980s · 12 titles

Doctor Who: Battlefield poster
7.3

Knights from a parallel universe arrive on Earth to find the legendary sword Excalibur. Only the Doctor and Ace, with the assistance of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, can save the Earth from total catastrophe.

Doctor Who: Battlefield

1989

Too Late to Talk to Billy poster
7.0

Relationships are strained in a Belfast family, particularly between a father and his son. First in a multi-year trilogy.

Too Late to Talk to Billy

1982

Lorna poster
9.0

In the follow-up to Graham Reid’s trilogy of ‘Billy’ plays, Billy's sister Lorna Martin is left to care for their Uncle Andy. Lorna feels trapped, but Andy wishes to give her the freedom she desires.

Lorna

1987

Naming the Names poster
NR

Finn's story seems to begin when Henry Kirk comes into the bookshop where she works. But it goes back a lot further than that...

Naming the Names

1987

A Coming to Terms for Billy poster
7.0

Belfast, 1980: July, the marching season ... Norman Martin, away for two years, returns with his 'English woman', Mavis. How will the family - particularly Billy - react? And has she achieved the impossible in mellowing the man? Third in the trilogy.

A Coming to Terms for Billy

1984

A Matter of Choice for Billy poster
6.0

Belfast 1978: the Martin family, a year on. Norman is away in England, and his eldest son, Billy, and daughter, Lorna, are in charge of their younger sisters, Ann and Maureen. Second in the trilogy.

A Matter of Choice for Billy

1983

No Surrender poster
6.7

It's New Year's Eve in Thatcher's de-industrialising Britain. The scene is set at a seedy bar in Liverpool where a group of Irish Protestant and Irish Catholic pensioners will gather to clash and bash the new year in.

No Surrender

1985

Mark of the Devil poster
5.2

A desperate gambler in debt with a gangster robs a Chinese tattoo artist, getting stabbed and killing the man in the process. A black spot appears on his chest and begins to spread and turn into a condemning tattoo

Mark of the Devil

1984

No artwork available
NR

A behind the scenes look at a theatre company formed by playwright Brian Friel and actor Stephen Rea. It contains footage of rehearsals and the performance in Derry of Three Sisters.

Chekhov in Derry

1983

No artwork available
NR

Cathy and Noel are a Catholic and a protestant soldier. They fall in love, to their cost.

The Glory Hole

1982

No artwork available
7.0

The efforts of three children, who live in high rise flats, to save a donkey from two small-time crooks who want to sell it as horsemeat, by providing a temporary stable for the donkey in the block of high-rise flats.

High Rise Donkey

1980

The Long March poster
7.0

A woman returns to Belfast after ten years in England and becomes involved in the Maze prison protest.

The Long March

1980

Series credits

Doctor Who poster
7.9

The adventures of The Doctor, a time-traveling humanoid alien known as a Time Lord. He explores the universe in his TARDIS, a sentient time-traveling spaceship. Its exterior appears as a blue British police box, which was a common sight in Britain in 1963 when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, The Doctor faces a variety of foes while working to save civilizations, help ordinary people, and right many wrongs.

Doctor Who

1963

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Play for Today poster
6.6

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.

Play for Today

1970

Wogan poster
5.6

Chat show hosted by Terry Wogan, featuring live studio interviews with famous and notable personalities.

Wogan

1982

Heartbeat poster
7.1

Set during the 1960s in the fictional North Yorkshire village of Aidensfield, this enduringly popular series interweaves crime and medical storylines.

Heartbeat

1992

Z-Cars poster
7.3

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

Z-Cars

1962

Z-Cars poster
7.3

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

Z-Cars

1962

The Bill poster
6.8

The daily lives of the men and women at Sun Hill Police Station as they fight crime on the streets of London. From bomb threats to armed robbery and drug raids to the routine demands of policing this ground-breaking series focuses as much on crime as it does on the personal lives of its characters.

The Bill

1984

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

The Adventures of Robin Hood poster
6.4

The legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised the traditional Robin Hood tales, most episodes were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers.

The Adventures of Robin Hood

1955

All Creatures Great and Small poster
7.8

The trials and misadventures of the staff at a country veterinary office in Yorkshire. James Herriot, a young animal surgeon, moves to a small Yorkshire town to begin his first job.

All Creatures Great and Small

1978

Performance poster
6.3

An anthology series of various plays and dramatic performances.

Performance

1991

Lovejoy poster
7.4

The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.

Lovejoy

1986

The Detectives poster
6.9

The absurd adventures of two defective detectives, who - despite unbelievable incompetence - somehow manage to solve their cases (or be nearby when the cases are solved) and retain their jobs.

The Detectives

1993

Till Death Us Do Part poster
7.6

This English follows the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf, a reactionary working-class man who wields racist and anti-Socialist views. His long-suffering wife Else manages to keep things in control... for the most part. Their progressive daughter Rita lives with them, as does her Irish husband Mike, who, with an array of liberal worldviews, often quarrels with his father-in-law. It inspired the American show "All In The Family" and several other international variations on the same theme.

Till Death Us Do Part

1966

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense poster
6.5

A short-lived anthology television series from Hammer Studios. Though similar in format to the 1980 series Hammer House of Horror, the Mystery and Suspense series had feature-length episodes, usually running around 70 minutes without commercials. Co-produced by Hammer Studios with 20th Century Fox Television, it is known in the United States as Fox Mystery Theater. Unlike 1980's Hammer House of Horror, all episodes feature American actors as either the leads or in key roles. It first broadcast in the UK on ITV in 1984, though was not simulcast and was shown in different timeslots throughout the various regions.

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

1984

In Sickness and in Health poster
8.1

This final follow-up to 'Till Death Us Do Part' follows an aged Alf Garnett, now dealing with his wife Else's declining health and mobility, as well as the challenges of navigating the social security system and other everyday situations.

In Sickness and in Health

1985

The Scales of Justice poster
6.7

The Scales of Justice is a series of thirteen British cinema featurettes produced from 1962 to 1967 for Anglo-Amalgamated at Merton Park Studios in London. The first nine were made in black and white, and the last four in colour. The finale, Payment in Kind, was Merton Park's final production. Episodes were based on criminal cases, and each film was introduced by criminologist Edgar Lustgarten. The series derives its title from the symbolic scales held by the statue of Justice, situated above the dome of London's Central Criminal Court, The Old Bailey. The opening narration describes her as having "in her right hand, the Sword of Power and Retribution, and in her left – The Scales of Justice".

The Scales of Justice

1962

No artwork available
6.0

Magic Grandad was an educational programme which originally aired on BBC Two under the title 'Switch On, Switch Off' during Schools section of 1993. The show saw 'Magic' Grandad take his young grandchildren back in time, many of the adventures are about comparing the past and the present and seeing how evidence of what happened in the olden days still survives. The show was said to make learning about history "fun for youngsters" and was aimed at children aged 5-7 years. The series was introduced to support the History National Curriculum at Key Stage 1. New seasons have been made periodically to support new areas of the infant history curriculum such as seaside holidays and toys. The early season have a companion booklet of teacher's notes with descriptions of the episodes, various suggestions for follow-up work and photocopiable worksheets.

Magic Grandad

1993

Boys from the Blackstuff poster
7.8

Alan Bleasdale's five-part series relates the further experiences of unemployed Liverpudlian tarmac layers Dixie, Chrissie, Loggo and Yosser, and their revered older friend, retired longshoreman and union leader, George Malone. As they struggle to make ends meet in a depressed economy, and to hold together their financially battered families, they are harrassed by the petty bureaucrats of the DHSS. But the lumbering investigational juggernaut is, both comically and tragically, guided by drivers with only a provisional license.

Boys from the Blackstuff

1982

Common As Muck poster
7.0

Common As Muck is a gritty BBC comedy drama serial focusing on the lives of a crew of bin men and their management staff. It ran for two series. The first series was screened in 1994 and the second in 1997. Both were nominated for a BAFTA for Best Drama.

Common As Muck

1994

Big Bad World poster
6.0

No synopsis available yet.

Big Bad World

1999

All in Good Faith poster
2.3

British sitcom in which Reverend Philip Lambe, after becoming bored in his wealthy Oxfordshire parish, asks for a transfer to a more difficult assignment. Sent to Edendale, a fictional urban town in the Midlands, he is accompanied by his wife Emma, sixteen-year-old daughter Miranda and twelve-year-old son Peter.

All in Good Faith

1985

Nightingales poster
7.0

Nightingales is a British situation comedy set around the antics of three security guards working the night shift. It was written by Paul Makin and produced by Alomo Productions for Channel 4 in 1990.

Nightingales

1990

Oliver's Travels poster
6.0

Oliver is a middle-aged lecturer in Comparative Religion, with a passion for trivia, crosswords, and anagrams, and a very strange sense of humour. Having been fired from the University of the Rhondda Valley, and with no family ties, he decides to set off on a quest to find 'Aristotle', a setter of crosswords. He teams up with WPC Diane Priest, who has just been suspended for asking too many questions about a local murder that seems to implicate the Chief Constable. Pursued by 'The Man with No Name', the unlikely duo visit Shrewsbury, North Yorkshire, Durham, Hadrian's Wall, and Kirkleven in the Scottish highlands on their journey to find 'Aristotle' in the Orkney Isles.

Oliver's Travels

1995

Tripper's Day poster
5.5

Tripper's Day is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV, starring Leonard Rossiter as a small London supermarket manager whose best intentions are constantly thwarted by the lazy, useless bunch of bums he employs. The programme is largely remembered for the negative reception, and primarily for the fact that it was Rossiter's final television work, the actor dying between the broadcast of the second and third episodes. The series was revived two years later with Bruce Forsyth in the lead role, under the new title Slinger's Day. In Canada and United States, it was remade as Check it Out!, whilst in Sweden, comical duo Stefan & Krister starred in Full Frys, a TV series largely based on both prior iterations.

Tripper's Day

1984

Troubles poster
9.0

In 1919, Major Brendan Archer arrives in Ireland to reunite with his fiancée, Angela Spencer. Unfortunately, the family home, The Majestic Hotel, is a decaying shadow of its former self, as is Angela. Puzzled by the changes, Archer's attentions are soon drawn to her lively friend, Sarah Devlin, a passionate Irish Nationalist. They fall in love, but the Major soon discovers some disturbing aspects about their relationship, which threatens to explode into violence, destruction, and murder.

Troubles

1988

So You Think You've Got Troubles poster
7.3

Six-part comedy series about a Londoner, and non-practising Jew, is sent by his boss to Northern Ireland to run a tobacco company.

So You Think You've Got Troubles

1991

No artwork available
NR

Entertainment-based spin-off of A Question of Sport. The show was reformatted and retitled That's Showbusiness and was broadcast under this title from 1989 to 1996.

A Question of Entertainment

1988

No artwork available
7.0

One By One is a British television series made by the BBC between 1984 and 1987. The series, created by Anthony Read, followed the career of international veterinarian David Taylor and his work caring for exotic animals at zoos in Britain, from the 1950s to the 1970s. Each series was set during a different decade, with exteriors filmed at Dudley Zoo, Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari Park. Thirty-two episodes were made in total. Rob Heyland starred as Turner, while other major cast members included James Ellis, Sonia Graham, Peter Gilmore, Heather James, Catherine Schell, Peter Jeffrey, Andrew Robertson and Christina Nagy.

One by One

1984

The Marksman poster
10.0

Twelve-year-old Gordon Weaver is killed on waste-ground in Liverpool. His grandfather, Doyle, sends for the boy's father, who returns from Spain to search for the killers. He goes to an old friend to obtain finance for his stay, and gets involved in a raid on a city club owner.

The Marksman

1987

The Gathering Seed poster
10.0

The saga of Manchester lad Joe Henshaw, a story that takes in family life, the trials and tribulations of the Labour movement and World War Two

The Gathering Seed

1983