
Acting
Jonathan Rigby
Born
1963-02-23 (63)
Place of birth
Salford, Greater Manchester, England, UK
Known for
Acting
Credits
56 titles
Known for
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
6.5First there was Father Brown. Now, say hello to Sister Boniface. This clever, moped-riding nun is the police's secret weapon for solving murders in this divine Father Brown spin-off.
Sister Boniface Mysteries
2022
7.4A strand of annual British short television adaptations of classic ghost stories, referencing the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas. First broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and revived in 2005 on BBC Four.
A Ghost Story for Christmas
1971
5.5Drama following WPC Gina Dawson, the first Woman Police Constable to join Brinford Constabulary, a fictional police force in the West Midlands, in 1956. The show focuses on WPC Gina Dawson's struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated police station whilst having to deal with the sexist attitudes that were commonplace at the time.
WPC 56
2013
5.5A profile of John Lennon in the late 1960s as the Beatles are set to fall apart.
Lennon Naked
2010
5.3Set in the last days of World War II, a small band of Russian soldiers led by intelligence officer Brana Vasilyeva, who is tasked with trafficking the remains of Hitler back to Stalin in Russia. En route, the unit is attacked by German ‘Werewolf’ partisans and picked off one-by-one. Brana leads her surviving comrades in a last stand to ensure their ‘cargo’ doesn’t fall into the hands of those who would see it buried in order to hide the truth forever.
Burial
2022
Film credits
2020s · 14 titles
5.3Set in the last days of World War II, a small band of Russian soldiers led by intelligence officer Brana Vasilyeva, who is tasked with trafficking the remains of Hitler back to Stalin in Russia. En route, the unit is attacked by German ‘Werewolf’ partisans and picked off one-by-one. Brana leads her surviving comrades in a last stand to ensure their ‘cargo’ doesn’t fall into the hands of those who would see it buried in order to hide the truth forever.
Burial
2022
7.7A look at Hammer’s progression from a back office in London’s Regent Street to its iconic status within the horror film genre. The company, started by comedian and businessman William Hinds in 1934, made films such as The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Quatermass Xperiment during the period for which it is best known, making stars out of the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters
2024
7.6An exploration of the cinematic history of the folk horror, from its beginnings in the UK in the late sixties; through its proliferation on British television in the seventies and its many manifestations, culturally specific, in other countries; to its resurgence in the last decade.
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
2021
7.5Aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. And one of the most iconic actors of all time.
The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee
2024
NRThis feature-length documentary is one of the main features on the House of Hammer Volume 1 blu ray set. It explains the censorship system in the United States and why so many movies were subject to it. It also covers aspects of the UK's BBFC in the 50s and 60s.
Deep Cuts
2026
NRPart 1 of a new, feature-length documentary about AIP, one of Hammer's main competitors in '60s/'70s British horror.
Masques, Monsters and Madmen - Part 1
2026
NRA documentary film diving into Michael Gough’s unforgettable work in British horror, with film historian Jonathan Rigby.
Off the Leash
2026
Documentary from Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn tracking the career of director Jimmy Sangster.
Hammer and Beyond: The Jimmy Sangster Legacy
2026
5.7It’s 1881, and Old College, Oxford plays host to three very different academics. Abercrombie Smith is a model of Victorian manhood, clean of limb and sound of mind. Monkhouse Lee is a delicate and unworldly student from Thailand. And occupying the rooms between them is the strange and exotic Edward Bellingham, whose unnatural researches into the secrets of ancient Egypt are the talk of the college. Can Bellingham’s experiments truly bring the breath of life to the horrifying bag of bones that is the mysterious Lot No 249?
A Ghost Story for Christmas: Lot No. 249
2023
5.4The Last Sacrifice delves into the real-life 1945 witchcraft killing of Charles Walton—the terrifying event that inspired The Wicker Man and birthed the folk horror genre. This unsettling true-crime interrogation probes into the eerie, enigmatic cultural undercurrents that shaped 1970s folk horror genre, leaving an indelible mark on cinema and public psyche.
The Last Sacrifice
2025
NRA documentary about the making of Brain Dead (1990)
The Brains Behind the Nightmare
2020
8.0A revealing insight into the short life and times of Michael Reeves.
The Young General: Reflections on Michael Reeves
2022
8.0Mark Gatiss explores and celebrates Dracula, an icon of popular culture, asking just why we keep coming back to the count.
In Search of Dracula
2020
Documentary on the Hammer film
Shadow Play: Inside The Shadow of the Cat
2021
2010s · 20 titles
5.5A profile of John Lennon in the late 1960s as the Beatles are set to fall apart.
Lennon Naked
2010
5.1An animated documentary chronicling famed paranormal investigator Harry Price’s research at Borley Rectory, renowned as the ‘most haunted house in England’.
Borley Rectory
2017
10.0Diabolical. Seductive. Immortal. Vampires have been an icon of evil in folklore and popular culture for more than three centuries, yet only one name still personifies the ultimate aristocrat of bloodlust. Now join the world’s foremost experts on Dracula – including academics, authors and horror historians – as they explore the untold story of the Transylvanian Count, from the legend of Vlad The Impaler and Bram Stoker’s celebrated novel through its landmark stage productions and classic movie adaptations.
The Trail of Dracula
2013
6.5David Prowse is an eighty years old actor, who has lived behind Darth Vader's mask during three decades. A group of Star Wars fans find out why he has been apparently forgotten by Lucasfilm during thirty years, and decide to give him back the glory he never had. This is their last opportunity.
I Am Your Father
2015
7.3The untold story of Hammer at Warner Bros, and the relationship that produced some of the British company's finest films.
Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years
2018
6.0The greatness, fall and renaissance of Hammer, the flagship company of British popular cinema, mainly from 1955 to 1968. Tortured women and sadistic monsters populated oppressive scenarios in provocative productions that shocked censorship and disgusted critics but fascinated the public. Movies in which horror was shown in offensive colors: dreadful stories, told without prejudices, that offered fear, blood, sex and stunning performances.
Dark Glamour: The Blood and Guts of Hammer Productions
2017
NRThe Making of DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS
House of Cards
2015
8.0Documentary that chronicles the making of the third film in Hammer's Dracula series.
Back to Black: The Making of Dracula Prince of Darkness
2012
NRContemporary news coverage of the William Hartnell era is examined in this new documentary presented by Mary Tamm.
Tomorrow's Times: The First Doctor
2011
7.0A documentary produced for Universal about their early Wolf Man film(s)
The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth
2010
A look back at a 70s cult classic, Tower of Evil.
Inside the Tower
2015
A short documentary on the Hammer production of The Camp on Blood Island
The Brutal Truth: Inside The Camp on Blood Island
2018
A series of interviews between film historians Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons, John J. Johnston and several others that tracks the events which led to the making of the film The Horror of Frankenstein and the state of the Hammer studio at the time.
Gallows Humour: Inside 'The Horror of Frankenstein'
2018
NRA documentary on The Revenge of Frankenstein
Back From the Dead: Inside The Revenge of Frankenstein
2019
A series of interviews between film historians Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons and John J. Johnston as they discuss the troubled production of the film and how it relates to the end of Hammer’s horror run for some time.
Dark Arts: Inside 'To the Devil a Daughter'
2018
A behind the scenes featurette focussed on Hammer Film Productions' 1971 film 'Doctor Jekyll & Sister Hyde.'
Ladykiller: Inside 'Doctor Jekyll & Sister Hyde'
2018
The interviewees cover Bram Stoker's life around the time he wrote The Jewel of the Seven Stars, the movie's producers, Leon's onscreen persona, technical & creative decisions, and the movie's supporting players.
The Pharaoh's Curse: Inside Blood From The Mummy's Tomb
2019
NRDennis Wheatley biographer Phil Baker provides a brief history of author nearly 80 book career, covers the whole of Wheatley’s contentious relationship with Hammer studios, including his displeasure with The Lost Continent (1968) and his utter loathing of To the Devil a Daughter (1976). The feature is a examination of one of horror fiction’s influential voices and paints a picture that informs both The Devil Rides Out and Hammer’s occult output in their latter years.
Dennis Wheatley at Hammer
2012
NRFrom the team that brought you the West End hit Round The Horne…Revisited comes Horne A’Plenty, with scripts by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. Horne A’Plenty is written as a tribute to one of the great Radio and TV performers, Kenneth Horne. Two weeks before they were due to start the next series of Round the Horne, Kenneth Horne passed away. It was the 14th of February 1969. Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke had successfully written half of the fourth series with Barry Took, and had spent many months working on what would have comprised the fifth. Fast-forward 48 years, and Brian Cooke took these ‘pieces’ out of the drawers they’d been consigned to and read them all again. The show consists of many of those ‘pieces’, along with brand new material – and includes no less than four film parodies!
Horne A'Plenty
2017
The story of how famed psychical researcher Harry Price became involved in a real-life plan to build a lighthouse that could be used to direct a beam at Mars, contacting the aliens who supposedly lived there.
Harry Price & the Martian Lighthouse
2017
2000s · 8 titles
NRA retrospective of actor Philip Madoc's many roles as a Doctor Who villain.
Philip Madoc: A Villain for all Seasons
2007
7.0Cast, crew and critics discuss the BBC's 2005 remake of 'The Quatermass Experiment'.
Bring Something Back: The Making of 'The Quatermass Experiment'
2005
7.0Investigative reporter Terry Scanlon follows up the strange goings on in Llanfairfach, with interviews with people there at the time, including Professor Clifford Jones and mysterious boss, Stevens.
Global Conspiracy?
2004
NRA comprehensive documentary guide to the legendary British horror film studio, Hammer Films. united
Hammer Horror: A Fan's Guide
2008
From Beneath the Vault of Terror: a history of portmanteau horror movies
Tales from Behind the Crypt
2002
A documentary about the making of the movie "Dragonwyck"
A House of Secrets: Exploring 'Dragonwyck'
2008
Filmmakers and historians discuss the 1942 cult classic Dr. Renault’s Secret.
Horror’s Missing Link: Rediscovering Dr. Renault’s Secret
2008
NRA retrospective look back at Amicus Productions and the making of their classic British horror anthologies.
A-Rated Horror Film
2003
1990s · 3 titles
7.2Former UNIT luminary Liz Shaw and her assistant Bayliss are investigating a series of bizarre murders, all committed near a soon-to-be-closed psychiatric hospital. When the hospital is unexpectedly reprieved by rich Industrialist Peter Russell events seem to move out of Liz's control. Are the incumbent director of the clinic, Doctor Dove and his predecessor Doctor O'Kane harboring the killer? What is the centuries-old horror hidden in the grounds? And what exactly is the secret of room zero?
PROBE: The Zero Imperative
1994
8.4When P.R.O.B.E. is summoned to investigate the savage murder of a retired headmaster, Liz Shaw is disturbed to find evidence of satanic rite near the scene of the crime. She soon discovers a web of deceit and corruption that extends back in time, threatening the current occupants of nearby Winterborne School. With P.R.O.B.E. under threat from within and the death toll mounting, Liz finds herself under increasing pressure from all sides to produce results... The Devil of Winterborne is at large and only Liz can stop it!
PROBE: The Devil of Winterborne
1995
7.4In 1975, the British Government quietly closed down a secret evolutionary project codenamed BEAGLE, ordering the destruction of all research materials. Today, the horrific discovery of several oddly mutated bodies alerts Liz Shaw and P.R.O.B.E. to the fact that something is stalking the original site of project BEAGLE – something which may challenge the very nature of humanity itself! With a crack security team at her disposal, Liz desperately attempts to track down the perverted results of the project. But who or what is hunting whom?
PROBE: Unnatural Selection
1996
Series credits
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
7.7Father Brown is based on G. K. Chesterton's detective stories about a Catholic priest who doubles as an amateur detective in order to try and solve mysteries.
Father Brown
2013
6.5First there was Father Brown. Now, say hello to Sister Boniface. This clever, moped-riding nun is the police's secret weapon for solving murders in this divine Father Brown spin-off.
Sister Boniface Mysteries
2022
6.5First there was Father Brown. Now, say hello to Sister Boniface. This clever, moped-riding nun is the police's secret weapon for solving murders in this divine Father Brown spin-off.
Sister Boniface Mysteries
2022
7.4A strand of annual British short television adaptations of classic ghost stories, referencing the oral tradition of telling supernatural tales at Christmas. First broadcast on BBC One from 1971 to 1978, and revived in 2005 on BBC Four.
A Ghost Story for Christmas
1971
5.5Drama following WPC Gina Dawson, the first Woman Police Constable to join Brinford Constabulary, a fictional police force in the West Midlands, in 1956. The show focuses on WPC Gina Dawson's struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated police station whilst having to deal with the sexist attitudes that were commonplace at the time.
WPC 56
2013
Down Place will forever be associated with the company that turned a quiet English countryside mansion into a film making powerhouse, responsible for countless stomach churning, skin crawling, jump out of your seat horror greats. Hammer re-christened Down Place as Bray Studios. The community that developed amongst the crew was unique, facilitated by the fact that at its height a film was completed every six weeks. Watch as many of the most prominent members of the crew recall their time at Bray in this remarkable five part series.
The House of Horror - Memories of Bray
2013
