Production
Tony Garnett
Born — Died
1936-04-03 — 2020-01-12
Place of birth
Erdington, Birmingham, England, UK
Known for
Production
Credits
56 titles
Tony Garnett is a British film and television producer, director and former actor. He is best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, which started with The Wednesday Play and the groundbreaking Cathy Come Home amongst others, and continued into Play For Today and big screen features such as Kes. His other TV productions have included the controversial Law and Order and The Spongers and, with his company World Productions, Between the Lines, Ballykissangel, Cops, Cardiac Arrest and This Life. As a director, he helmed the films Prostitute and Handgun, and produced Hollywood movies such as Earth Girls are Easy and Sesame Street's Follow That Bird, and British cult LGBT…
Known for
7.0World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.
World in Action
1963
An anthology of single plays offering up adaptations of either of prominent stage plays or novels.
Festival
1963
5.6In this musical comedy, Valerie is dealing with her philandering fiancé, Ted, when she finds that a trio of aliens have crashed their spaceship into her swimming pool. Once the furry beings are shaved at her girlfriend's salon, the women discover three handsome men underneath. After absorbing the native culture via television, the spacemen are ready to hit the dating scene in 1980s Los Angeles.
Earth Girls Are Easy
1988
Studio 4 is an anthology drama series utilising BBC Television Centre's Studio Four, and running for two series in 1962 on BBC One. It was envisaged as a sequel to Storyboard, a similar anthology series which had been transmitted the previous year.
Studio 4
1962
5.2A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays — Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V, 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III — chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.
An Age of Kings
1960
6.2Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."
Fat Man and Little Boy
1989
Film credits
2010s · 3 titles
6.6A surprisingly candid behind-the-scenes account of the career of Ken Loach, one of Britain’s most celebrated and controversial filmmakers, as he prepares to release his final major film I, Daniel Blake.
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
2016
7.0Comedian, actor and ex-English teacher Greg Davies is a lifelong fan of Barry Hines's classic novel A Kestrel for a Knave, the story of Billy Casper training a kestrel as an escape from his troubled home and school life. In this documentary, Greg goes in search of the book's enduring appeal, travelling to Barnsley, where the book was set and where Ken Loach's famous adaptation, Kes, was filmed.
Greg Davies: Looking for Kes
2019
NRA documentary on the making of Kes, produced by the Criterion Collection.
Making Kes
2010
1970s · 1 titles
1960s · 3 titles
7.0In a late night chemist a shot bank robber has been taken for treatment, and to rendezvous with the gang leader.
Incident at Midnight
1963
7.5A night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four teddy boys are put on trial for the crime. Witnesses and suspects give differing accounts of the lead-up to the crime, and the truth emerges.
The Boys
1962
6.0A pair of hoodlums steal a car in which there is a note - a ransom letter - directed to a wealthy man whose daughter has just been kidnapped. The two gangsters stole the abductor's car and when they find the note, they decide to take advantage of the situation and collect the money.
The Rivals
1963
Series credits
7.0World in Action was Granada Television’s flagship ITV current affairs series, running from 7 Jan 1963 to 7 Dec 1998, and built a reputation for film-led investigative reporting and a forceful editorial stance. Its journalism produced major public and political repercussions—including investigations associated with miscarriages of justice such as the Birmingham Six—and it also served as a platform for landmark documentary projects, including the first broadcast of “Seven Up!” as part of the strand in 1964.
World in Action
1963
An anthology of single plays offering up adaptations of either of prominent stage plays or novels.
Festival
1963
Studio 4 is an anthology drama series utilising BBC Television Centre's Studio Four, and running for two series in 1962 on BBC One. It was envisaged as a sequel to Storyboard, a similar anthology series which had been transmitted the previous year.
Studio 4
1962
5.2A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays — Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V, 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III — chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.
An Age of Kings
1960
5.2A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays — Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V, 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III — chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.
An Age of Kings
1960
5.2A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays — Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V, 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III — chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.
An Age of Kings
1960
5.2A linking together of Shakespeare's history plays — Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, Henry V, 1 Henry VI, 2 Henry VI, 3 Henry VI, and Richard III — chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the 86 years between Richard II and Richard III.
An Age of Kings
1960
Behind the camera
5.6In this musical comedy, Valerie is dealing with her philandering fiancé, Ted, when she finds that a trio of aliens have crashed their spaceship into her swimming pool. Once the furry beings are shaved at her girlfriend's salon, the women discover three handsome men underneath. After absorbing the native culture via television, the spacemen are ready to hit the dating scene in 1980s Los Angeles.
Earth Girls Are Easy
1988
6.2Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."
Fat Man and Little Boy
1989
6.5Big Bird is sent to live far from Sesame Street by a pesky social worker, who thinks it would be better for him to live with other birds. Unhappy, Big Bird runs away from his foster home, prompting the rest of the Sesame Street gang to go on a cross-country journey to find him.
Follow That Bird
1985
7.3During a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, three teenagers edge towards adulthood.
Beautiful Thing
1996
7.4Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.
Kes
1970
7.4Bullied at school and ignored and abused at home by his indifferent mother and older brother, Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working-class Yorkshire boy, tames and trains his pet kestrel falcon whom he names Kes. Helped and encouraged by his English teacher and his fellow students, Billy finally finds a positive purpose to his unhappy existence.
Kes
1970
5.5A newlywed couple visits the husband's hometown of Geneva, where they are subjected to threats stemming from the death of his former fiancée.
The Sweet Body of Deborah
1968
6.1Based on true events, an American submarine collides into a Soviet sub of the coast of America and an ensuing standoff occurs that could lead to total annihilation.
Hostile Waters
1997
7.0When honest young Tolly is forced on the run with ‘Black Jack’, a villainous ruffian, adventure and mishap are never far away. As the two enter a world of body-snatchers, private lunatic asylums, and travelling fairs, they find friendship in the most unlikely places.
Black Jack
1979
7.0Cathy and Reg are a couple with three young children, who find their life spiralling into poverty when Reg loses his well-paid job. Gripping and emotional, Cathy Come Home remains a truly ground-breaking piece of dramatic fiction, engaging viewers with social issues, such as homelessness, unemployment and the rights of mothers to keep their own children.
Cathy Come Home
1966
10.0A liberal white man becomes a Muslim to promote racial harmony.
Drums Along The Avon
1967
Steven is a beautiful, lovable little boy, but there is something about him that sets him apart.
Steven
1974
7.2A young woman, Janice, is living with her restrictive and conservative parents, who lead a dull working-class life and consider their daughter to be “misbehaving” whenever she’s trying to find her own way in life.
Family Life
1971
6.8After a prolonged industrial dispute in the Liverpool Docks, the striking workers reject management demands of a return to work and decide instead to occupy the docks and run the operation themselves.
The Big Flame
1969
6.4The obsessive supporters of Everton FC forsake wives, families and God to follow their beloved team. Meanwhile, the club and its players try to live up to their expectations.
The Golden Vision
1968
5.9A man on crutches bumps into an old acquaintance who relentlessly bombards him with small talk.
Old Chums
1982
The life and passions of a speaker at Hyde Park Corner.
The Voices in the Park
1967
7.0Kate, a young girl under psychiatric examination, suffers from a lack of confidence, self-esteem and self-control – telling of the “bad Kate” who commits immoral acts. Could the hypocrisy, selfishness and weakness of those around her have led to this state of mind or can Kate simply be diagnosed and dismissed as a schizophrenic?
In Two Minds
1967
5.5The tale of two women: Sandra, an ambitious but naive Birmingham working girl who moves to London with the hope of securing wealthier patrons, and Louise, her social worker friend, who is fighting to change the antiquated and hypocritical prostitution laws. As both strive to achieve their goals, a cold dose of reality dashes their hopes, and the built-in biases against women in society are unmasked.
Prostitute
1980
5.5The tale of two women: Sandra, an ambitious but naive Birmingham working girl who moves to London with the hope of securing wealthier patrons, and Louise, her social worker friend, who is fighting to change the antiquated and hypocritical prostitution laws. As both strive to achieve their goals, a cold dose of reality dashes their hopes, and the built-in biases against women in society are unmasked.
Prostitute
1980
5.5The tale of two women: Sandra, an ambitious but naive Birmingham working girl who moves to London with the hope of securing wealthier patrons, and Louise, her social worker friend, who is fighting to change the antiquated and hypocritical prostitution laws. As both strive to achieve their goals, a cold dose of reality dashes their hopes, and the built-in biases against women in society are unmasked.
Prostitute
1980
6.0The workers of Milton Colliery prepare for a royal visit from Prince Charles.
The Price of Coal, Part 1: Meet the People
1977
6.7A quiet and put-upon house cleaner breaks her silence.
Hard Labour
1973
5.8A month after the royal visit, the workers at Milton Colliery are brought crashing back down to earth by an underground explosion.
The Price of Coal, Part 2: Back to Reality
1977
4.6A psychedelic documentary of the body electric, with music by Pink Floyd. The film was directed and produced by Roy Battersby. The film's narrators, Frank Finlay and Vanessa Redgrave, provide commentary that combines the knowledge of human biologists and anatomical experts. The film's soundtrack, Music from the Body, was composed by Ron Geesin and Roger Waters.
The Body
1970
9.0Roxanne (known as Roxy) is a star performer in her local soccer team. Her natural talent is noticed by local team owner Victor Grace who signs her up. However it's not so easy being the only female professional soccer star in the country.
Born Kicking
1992
5.8Shortly after moving to Dallas, a young woman is raped at gunpoint. Her intense anger drives her to seek revenge, and she becomes a hunter on a vengeance mission.
Handgun
1983
5.8Shortly after moving to Dallas, a young woman is raped at gunpoint. Her intense anger drives her to seek revenge, and she becomes a hunter on a vengeance mission.
Handgun
1983
5.8Shortly after moving to Dallas, a young woman is raped at gunpoint. Her intense anger drives her to seek revenge, and she becomes a hunter on a vengeance mission.
Handgun
1983
8.1A decade on, Egg, Milly, Warren, Anna and Miles meet again at Ferdy's funeral. Egg is a writer, Milly a mum, Anna's still a lawyer, while Warren and Miles have 'business' careers.
This Life +10
2007
6.0A slow-witted couple decide to start a family.
The Birth of the Goalie of the 2001 F.A. Cup Final
1982
7.0Director Ken Loach explores the politics of race, class and charity in a capitalist society in this documentary funded by the Save the Children foundation.
The Save the Children Fund Film
1971
10.0In the days leading up the Queen's Silver Jubilee, Pauline, a recently separated single mother, receives a visit from a bailiff and is given 15 days to address her overdue rent payments. Meanwhile, the local council is under pressure to cut expenditure, and their decisions result in Pauline's mentally handicapped daughter Paula being transferred from a care home for special needs children to an old people's home, where she is all alone.
The Spongers
1978
A window cleaner fancies a sausage roll, but all is not well in the sausage roll factory.
A Light Snack
1982
5.9A boy goes to see his probation officer.
Probation
1982
5.8A couple of old friends drown their sorrows together while reveling in the naivety of a young newly-wed.
Afternoon
1982
8.0A reluctant teenager accompanies his family on a day out to a local beauty spot.
The Gorge
1968
NRAs the Nazis grow ever more powerful in Germany, Werner grows up in an aristocratic household, hating his domineering father and making enemies in high places.
The Parachute
1968
NRThe Lump is an uncompromising exploration of exploitation and resistance within the building trade.
The Lump
1967
NRAn improvised character piece, overseen by Les Blair and Tony Garnett set in the everyday life of a group of polytechnic students.
Blooming Youth
1973



