Stephen Whittaker

Directing

Stephen Whittaker

Born — Died

1947-06-28 — 2003-02-07

Place of birth

London, England, UK

Known for

Directing

Credits

40 titles

Stephen Whittaker (28 June 1947 – 7 February 2003) was a British actor and director. He worked largely in British film and television, and attended Henley-in-Arden School in Warwickshire before further training as an actor at London's Corona Academy. He began his career aged 17, as a "bad boy" in the film To Sir With Love (1966), and in the classic BBC Doctor Who adventure The Web of Fear, as a soldier battling Yeti in the London Underground. In 1985, Whittaker took a director's training course and directed a short training film, which he sent to John Schlesinger (who had directed him in Yanks). Schlesinger suggested him to producer Mark Shivas as director for Channel 4's drama trilogy What…

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

Bewitched poster
7.8

Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine witch, with all the requisite magical powers. Her husband Darrin insists that Samantha keep her witchcraft under wraps, but situations invariably require her to indulge her powers while keeping her bothersome mother Endora at bay.

Bewitched

1964

Crown Court poster
5.7

Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.

Crown Court

1972

Crossroads poster
5.5

Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a fictional motel near Birmingham, England. Created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, the commercial ITV network originally broadcast the series between 1964 and 1988. Produced by ATV and later by Central it became a byword for cheap production values, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. The series was revived in a glossier version by Carlton Television in 2001, but was again cancelled in 2003. The original theme tune was composed by Tony Hatch, and notably covered by Paul McCartney & Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. A new version, which was first aired in 1987 when the series was relaunched as Crossroads, Kings Oak, was composed by Raf Ravenscroft and Max Early.

Crossroads

1964

The Wednesday Play poster
5.2

An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.

The Wednesday Play

1964

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

1970s · 6 titles

Yanks poster
5.9

During WWII, the United States set up army bases in Great Britain as part of the war effort. Against their proper sensibilities, many of the Brits don't much like the brash Yanks, especially when it comes to the G.I.s making advances on the lonely British girls. One relationship that develops is between married John, an Army Captain, and the aristocratic Helen, whose naval husband is away at war. Helen loves her husband, but Helen and John are looking for some comfort during the difficult times.

Yanks

1979

Bury Me an Angel poster
5.2

After learning that her brother has been murdered, biker Dag sets out on the road with two close friends to find the killer. As they travel, they encounter various people and conflicts, and Dag’s emotional struggle becomes increasingly apparent, leading to a final violent confrontation with her brother’s murderer.

Bury Me an Angel

1971

I Escaped from Devil's Island poster
5.1

In 1916, a group of prisoners plot their escape from the notorious fortress located in French Guiana.

I Escaped from Devil's Island

1973

The Roses of Eyam poster
7.0

William Mompesson retells the heroic true story of the inhabitants of Eyam, Derbyshire, who he convinced to sacrifice themselves during a visitation of the plague.

The Roses of Eyam

1973

The One and Only Phyllis Dixey poster
NR

Aspiring dancer Phyllis Dixey makes her name as a stripper.

The One and Only Phyllis Dixey

1978

The Paradise Run poster
NR

Johnny has joined the army because he likes canoeing, but ends up in a war-torn city and is compromised into helping the enemy. However, desertion will not be a solution, and he finds himself more distressed than ever.

The Paradise Run

1976

1960s · 5 titles

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

Bewitched poster
7.8

Samantha Stephens is a seemingly normal suburban housewife who also happens to be a genuine witch, with all the requisite magical powers. Her husband Darrin insists that Samantha keep her witchcraft under wraps, but situations invariably require her to indulge her powers while keeping her bothersome mother Endora at bay.

Bewitched

1964

Crown Court poster
5.7

Crown Court is an afternoon television courtroom drama produced by Granada Television for the ITV network that ran from 1972, when the Crown Court system replaced Assize courts and Quarter sessions in the legal system of England and Wales, to 1984.

Crown Court

1972

Crossroads poster
5.5

Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a fictional motel near Birmingham, England. Created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, the commercial ITV network originally broadcast the series between 1964 and 1988. Produced by ATV and later by Central it became a byword for cheap production values, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. The series was revived in a glossier version by Carlton Television in 2001, but was again cancelled in 2003. The original theme tune was composed by Tony Hatch, and notably covered by Paul McCartney & Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. A new version, which was first aired in 1987 when the series was relaunched as Crossroads, Kings Oak, was composed by Raf Ravenscroft and Max Early.

Crossroads

1964

The Wednesday Play poster
5.2

An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.

The Wednesday Play

1964

The Wednesday Play poster
5.2

An anthology series of television plays which aired on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured.

The Wednesday Play

1964

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

BBC Play of the Month poster
5.2

A BBC television anthology series featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different work, often using prominent British stage actors in the leading roles. The series was transmitted from October 1965 to September 1983.

BBC Play of the Month

1965

I Dream of Jeannie poster
7.8

While on a mission, American astronaut Captain Tony Nelson is forced to make an emergency landing that will forever change his life. On a deserted South Pacific island, Captain Nelson happens upon a bottle containing a beautiful two-thousand-year-old female genie named Jeannie. Rescuing her from the bottle nets Tony the requisite three wishes, and then some, when Jeannie pledges total devotion to her new "master".

I Dream of Jeannie

1965

Thirty-Minute Theatre poster
4.2

An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.

Thirty-Minute Theatre

1965

ITV Play of the Week poster
4.0

A UK anthology series of single plays from major playwrights old and new. It ran from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television. Season 1 also incorporates the Plays from the 'H.M. Tennant Globe Theatre' series, some of which were incorporated and labelled in listings as official Play of the Week episodes and some of which were played in place of Play of the Week episodes in alternative ITV regions. All 8 plays have been incorporated into this entry for convenience.

ITV Play of the Week

1955

Out of the Unknown poster
7.1

Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was a dramatisation of a science fiction short story; some were created for the series, but most were adaptations of already published stories. The first three years were exclusively science fiction, but that genre was abandoned in the final year in favour of horror and fantasy. A number of episodes were wiped during the early 1970s, as was standard procedure at the time.

Out of the Unknown

1965

The Legend of Robin Hood poster
7.4

The Legend of Robin Hood was a 1975 BBC television serial that told the story of the life of Robin Hood.

The Legend of Robin Hood

1975

No artwork available
6.0

Sanctuary (1967–1968) is a British primetime television drama created by Philip Levene. Set in a convent in London, the series follows the daily lives and character conflicts of a community of nuns, starring Fay Compton, Peggy Thorpe-Bates, and Joanna Dunham. The show aired across two seasons with a total of 26 episodes, running from June 1967 through 1968. It is known for its intimate look at the religious life and the moral dilemmas faced by the sisters as they interacted with individuals seeking their help

Sanctuary

1967

Armchair Theatre poster
6.0

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television from mid-1968.

Armchair Theatre

1956

No artwork available
NR

A view of young people's lives in the north of England, centring around a rich young woman named Charlotte, her relationships with a wealthy man named Peter and a poor yet intriguing boy named Frankie, and their weekend adventures.

Sat'day While Sunday

1967

No artwork available
10.0

The Yorkshire-based Champion family and the dramas surrounding the family textiles firm, Champion Mills.

Champion House

1967

Behind the camera

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby poster
7.6

A young, compassionate man struggles to save his family and friends from the abusive exploitation of his cold-hearted, grasping uncle.

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

2001

Sons & Lovers poster
6.0

Filmmaker Stephen Whittaker adapts author D.H. Lawrence's simmering tale of sex, love, and family. In the years leading up to World War I, the problems faced by many families were uncannily similar to the issues that mankind would still be struggling with nearly a century later. Human relationships remain as fragile as ever, and the only constant in life seems to be a humbling sense of uncertainty. Sarah Lancashire stars in a drama detailing the anguish of first love, and the awkward confusion of first sex.

Sons & Lovers

2003

The Rocket Post poster
5.4

Switch off and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Scotland. Based on fact, this film will take you on a journey of love amidst spectacular scenery. The Rocket Post will give a convincing portrayal of island life, beliefs and culture of the time A definite for those who have even the tiniest drop of Scottish blood..... as it will tug at the heart strings and stir the soul. Something that can be shared with the family and watched time and time again..................a real classic, one that I am sure will walk alongside some of the great films that never die.

The Rocket Post

2004

Killing Me Softly poster
4.2

Sara Thornton was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of the 1989 murder of her violent and alcoholic husband. Thornton never denied the killing, but claimed it had been an accident during an argument.

Killing Me Softly

1996

No artwork available
8.0

The 1998 dramatization of a 1970s UK miscarriage of justice, centered around Stefan Khizcho, and his mother's subsequent battle for his freedom.

A Life for a Life

1998

No artwork available
3.7

Yaasin, a policeman from Tangier who has almost become an alcoholic, spends most of his time in an exclusive brothel. Several characters arrive in the city at the same time: the millionaire Eric Burns; the German woman Eva Miller who, with her little daughter Gudrun, makes herself a living by doing frauds and small thefts; the smart gangster Rustum Wadi who is looking for a talisman that at that moment is in the hands of Andrews, a homosexual British collector. Yaasin is supposed to protect Burns, but when Andrew's corpse appears the case takes an unexpected turn.

Tangier Cop

1997

Stone, Scissors, Paper poster
10.0

Jean moves to a riverside cottage in an effort to escape her violent husband. There she meets Redfern, a married stonemason, with whom she forms a relationship.

Stone, Scissors, Paper

1997

Love Birds poster
NR

Barbara and Naseem are in the same hospital, having babies. They make friends. But the celebrations of their husbands, Kenny and Quereshi, 'Jimmy', lead to a headlong chase, with crazy mix-ups, collisions and brushes with the law

Love Birds

1988

Stone Cold poster
3.8

A young boy, tired of his mother's abusive boyfriend, sets out on an adventure to London, meeting a friendly man. But there is fear on the streets and people are missing. Will Link be next?

Stone Cold

1997

Closing Numbers poster
4.7

Keith, Anna and their son Peter are a close, loving family living in a smart suburban street of a provincial city. Anna is a typical middle-class housewife, filling her day with good works, until one day, when she finds a note that leads to a shattering discovery - her husband has been having an affair. Anna's intense shock at finding out Keith's secret is compounded when she arranges to meet his lover. When Steve arrives at the meeting place, Anna is forced to accept the fact that Keith has been leading a double life for the length of their marriage. Steve stresses the risk of AIDS and urges Anna to have an AIDS test. To show her what it can be like to live with the disease, he introduces her to Jim, who needs 24-hour care and has developed a realistic attitude towards his own death. When Keith leaves home suddenly, Anna is forced to tell her son about the threat of HIV, but Peter turns violently against her and runs away.

Closing Numbers

1993