John Wyver

Production

John Wyver

John Wyver is an English producer, writer and director. In 1982, Wyver and Geoff Dunlop co-founded the independent media production company Illuminations. From 2011-15, he led the AHRC-funded research project Screen Plays: Theatre Plays on Television. In 2019, he published a monograph, The Royal Shakespeare Company on Screen: A Critical History.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Hamlet poster
7.3

David Tennant stars in a film of the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Shakespeare's great play. Director Gregory Doran's modern-dress production was hailed by the critics as thrilling, fast-moving and, in parts, very funny.

Hamlet

2009

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC poster
7.4

From the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, David Tennant, Catherine Tate and guests mark the life of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death.

Shakespeare Live! From the RSC

2016

Macbeth poster
6.8

Renowned Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart features as the eponymous anti-hero in this Soviet-era adaptation of one of Shakespeare's darkest and most powerful tragedies.

Macbeth

2010

Shakespeare's Sonnets poster
NR

William Shakespeare’s Sonnets are among the most beautiful and most fascinating poems ever written. All of the poems, together with their enigmatic Dedication, are featured in readings by a star-studded cast.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

2012

Hamlet poster
6.4

Hamlet captures the Almeida Theatre's 2017 acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's great play, recorded as-live in its West End transfer on the stage of London's Harold Pinter Theatre. Robert Icke's innovative modern-dress production, featuring Andrew Scott, Juliet Stevenson, Angus Wright and Jessica Brown Findlay, has been widely acclaimed as a dazzlingly intelligent, forcefully contemporary staging. The Evening Standard hailed Andrew Scott's 'career-defining performance... he makes the most famous speeches feel fresh and unpredictable.'

Hamlet

2018

Julius Caesar poster
8.5

The first installment of Phyllida Lloyd’s groundbreaking all-female Shakespeare Trilogy sees Harriet Walter take on the role of Brutus, who wrestles with his moral conscience over the murder of Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar

2018

Flames of Passion: The Other Side of British Cinema poster
NR

A documentary making the case for British films of the 40s, 50s and early 60s.

Flames of Passion: The Other Side of British Cinema

2007

Rocky Horror Show Live poster
7.0

After getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter the eerie mansion of the flamboyant, seductive Dr. Frank-N-Furter and a variety of eccentric characters. Through elaborate dance and rock music, the mad scientist unveils his latest creation: a perfect, muscular man.

Rocky Horror Show Live

2015

The Tempest poster
NR

Phyllida Lloyd’s final installment of the Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy concludes with an all-female version of The Tempest starring Harriet Walter as Prospero. This captivating reimagining explores themes of freedom and justice in the context of a women’s prison.

The Tempest

2018

RSC Live: King Lear poster
8.0

King Lear has ruled for many years. As age begins to overtake him, he decides to divide his kingdom amongst his children, living out his days without the burden of power. Misjudging his children’s loyalty and finding himself alone in the wilderness, he is left to confront the mistakes of a life that has brought him to this point. Antony Sher plays King Lear, one of the greatest parts written by Shakespeare in this, one of Shakespeare’s most epic and powerful plays.

RSC Live: King Lear

2016

Je Suis A Stand-Up: Eddie Izzard Abroad poster
10.0

BBC2 documentary of Eddie Izzard's first foray into world touring. Beginning in her "hometown" of Eastbourne and and culminating in her month long show in the East village of New York, Izzard travels to Paris (her first, unsuccessful French language show,) Copenhagen, Reykjavik, and Stockholm.

Je Suis A Stand-Up: Eddie Izzard Abroad

1996

Henry IV poster
NR

Harriet Walter takes the lead in the second installment of the Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Featuring a diverse company of women, this unique interpretation combines both parts of Shakespeare’s history plays about King Henry IV and his son Prince Hal.

Henry IV

2018

No artwork available
NR

From early rehearsals to the final performance, this in-depth exploration provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the RSC reimagined a Shakespearean classic for modern audiences. As Gregory Doran's directorial vision unfolds, traditional African dance is seamlessly integrated into Caesar's triumphant entrance and Mark Antony's funeral speech, while the set designers create a palpable atmosphere of dictatorship and unrest. Cyril Nri (Cassius) discusses how the cast draws on African leadership archetypes to infuse the narrative with cultural relevance, and Paterson Joseph (Brutus) reflects on his character's internal conflict, highlighting how it mirrors the difficult choices faced by contemporary revolutionaries. The documentary intersperses live performances with audience reactions, highlighting the powerful resonance of the adaptation.

The Making of Julius Caesar: Royal Shakespeare Company

2012

The Dilapidated Dwelling poster
6.7

Documentary with fictional elements exploring issues around housing in the United Kingdom.

The Dilapidated Dwelling

2000

Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today poster
NR

Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.

Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today

2020

Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today poster
NR

Marking Play for Today’s 50th anniversary, Drama Out of a Crisis is a compelling exploration of the series, its origins, achievements, controversies and legacies. Featuring a rich and surprising range of archive extracts and original interviews with many who created the series, including producers Kenith Trodd, Margaret Matheson and Richard Eyre, and directors Mike Leigh, David Hare and Ken Loach.

Drama Out of a Crisis: A Celebration of Play for Today

2020

Institute poster
NR

Enter a shadowy establishment where residents attempt to create order from the chaos of life. Carers become patients, memories fracture and relationships collide. Physical theatre company Gecko has a reputation for generating unique worlds, intoxicatingly beautiful scenes and breathtaking choreography. Based on their internationally acclaimed production by Amit Lahav, this film is a visually captivating and poetic dissection of the way we nurture and care for ourselves and each other.

Institute

2020

Clowns poster
NR

A dance film that plays out a macabre comedy of murder and desire, asking how far will we go in the name of entertainment.

Clowns

2018

RSC Live: All's Well That Ends Well poster
NR

Low-born Helena is convinced that she and the high-born Bertram are meant to be. Bertram does not, so he runs off to fight in the Italian wars with his "#bff" Parolles, where he meets Diana. The lopsided love triangle all comes crashing down when the two women meet and devise a diabolical plan.

RSC Live: All's Well That Ends Well

2023

The Art of Barbara Hepworth poster
NR

Revealing and complex exploration of Barbara Hepworth's work features two parallel soundtracks. One is taken entirely from the artist's own words, drawn from interviews and letters, and newly recorded by Gina McKee.

The Art of Barbara Hepworth

2003

RSC Live: The Two Gentlemen of Verona poster
NR

Valentine and Proteus are best friends until they fall in love with the same girl. Having travelled to Milan in search of adventure, they both fall for the Duke's daughter Silvia. But Proteus is already sworn to his sweetheart Julia at home in Verona, and the Duke thinks Valentine is not good enough for his Silvia. With friendship forgotten, the rivals' affections quickly get out of hand as the four young lovers find themselves on a wild chase through the woods, confused by mistaken identity and threatened by fierce outlaws before they find a path to reconciliation.

RSC Live: The Two Gentlemen of Verona

2015

Being Shakespeare poster
NR

Featuring a tour de force performance from Simon Callow, Being Shakespeare is a one-man show about the life and work of the world’s greatest playwright. Written by the renowned scholar Jonathan Bate, and taking its cue from Jacques’ famous ‘Seven Ages of Man’ speech in As You Like It, the drama traces Shakespeare’s life from his birth in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 to his burial there fifty-two years later. Weaving together this story with extracts from many of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Simon Callow presents a vivid and very human portrait of the man and of the Elizabethan world in which he lived. Recorded before an audience during the play’s triumphant London run, Being Shakespeare is both a wonderful introduction to the author and a richly nuanced, funny and fascinating study for those who already love his plays.

Being Shakespeare

2012

The Art of Francis Bacon poster
NR

This film explores many of his key canvases which have been newly filmed in HDTV. The works are complemented solely with Bacon’s own words, recorded by Derek Jacobi. The artist’s biography is outlined, but the focus is on his ideas: his thoughts about his work, his reflections about how and why he paints. The result is a rigorous and revealing portrait of one of the few artists who has truly changed the way we see and understand ourselves.

The Art of Francis Bacon

2007

The Art of Henry Moore poster
NR

The Art of Henry Moore aims to rediscover the artist by returning to the works themselves – his sculptures, drawings and graphics – and to Moore’s own thoughts about them. Archive photographs from the collection at the Henry Moore Foundation complement the artworks, newly filmed across Britain, in France and the USA. Many of the artist’s most significant sculptures are featured, from the earliest models of the 1920s to the monuments of his final years. Drawings from each stage of his career, including the famous tube shelter sketches made during the Blitz, are also included. The specially recorded soundtrack is drawn solely from Moore’s words in interviews, articles and letters.

The Art of Henry Moore

2005