Directing

Gerald Blake

Born December 3, 1928 · Hackney, London, England, UK

Died April 5, 1991 · aged 62

Gerald Blake (3 December 1928 – 5 April 1991) was a British television director who worked in drama from the 1960s to the 1980s. Beginning his career as an actor, Blake appeared in repertory, appearing in productions at Burnham and Farnham before becoming stage director at the New Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool. In October 1958, he became associate producer at the Theatre Royal, Lincoln. It was h…

Known For

Liar!Liar! · 1969
Liar!
1969
MovieScience FictionTV Movie
The positronic brain of robot RB-34 (Herbie) has an unforeseen 'extra': he can read human thoughts. So his take on the First Law of Robotics is unorthodox: he tells human beings only what he believes will not hurt their feelings. Can renowned robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin 'fix' RB-34? Or are there areas of her own psyche where she would rather not hear the truth?
Doctor Who: The Invasion of TimeDoctor Who: The Invasion of Time · 1978
Doctor Who: The Invasion of Time
6.21978
MovieAdventureDrama
The Doctor returns to Gallifrey, claims his rights and is inaugurated President. It soon turns out that he has led a group of aliens called Vardans to the planet to eradicate them completely. After they are destroyed, the Sontarans take their opportunity and follow them in their invasion until they are destroyed by the Doctor.
The FactoryThe Factory · 1981
The Factory
10.01981
MovieDramaTV Movie
A factory's workforce is dwindling as divisions between the workers and management widen.
The Sons and Daughters of TomorrowThe Sons and Daughters of Tomorrow · 1971
The Sons and Daughters of Tomorrow
1971
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
The small East Anglian village of Plampton has one distinction - a famous unsolved murder. A cynical journalist decides to go there to see what he can stir up. But Plampton is a community linked by telepathy and led by a witch.
Doctor Who: The Abominable SnowmenDoctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen · 1967
Doctor Who: The Abominable Snowmen
7.51967
MovieDramaAdventure
Mysterious forces are at work in 1930s Tibet. The once gentle Yeti have turned savage and besieged a Buddhist monastery. The Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive expecting a friendly welcome from the abbot, but soon become ensnared in the plans of the extradimensional being known as the Great Intelligence.
Whistling WallyWhistling Wally · 1982
Whistling Wally
1982
MovieDramaTV Movie
17 year old Kevin discovers that his sick father, Whistling Wally, is dying.
TishooTishoo · 1982
Tishoo
1982
MovieDramaTV Movie
It is the mid-1980s. The economy has not improved. For 17 years Professor Frank Merrick has been ensconced in a research lab of a provincial university working on a cure for the common cold. He is very near success. Can he avoid becoming yet another victim of the eternal cutbacks?
Coronation StreetCoronation Street · 1960
Coronation Street
5.41960
SeriesSoap
The residents of Coronation Street are ordinary, working-class people, and the show follows them through regular social and family interactions at home, in the workplace, and in their local pub, the Rovers Return Inn. Britain's longest-running soap.

Filmography

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CompactCompact · 1962
Compact
5.01962
SeriesDramaSoap
Compact was a British television soap opera shown by the BBC between 1962 and 1965. The series was created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, who together went on to devise Crossroads. In contrast to the kitchen sink realism of Coronation Street, Compact was a distinctly middle-class serial, set in the more "sophisticated" arena of magazine publishing. An early "avarice" soap, it took the viewer into the business workplace, and aligned the professional lives of the characters with more personal storylines. The show was scheduled for broadcast on Tuesdays and Thursdays, thus avoiding a clash with ITV's Coronation Street on Mondays and Wednesdays. When Compact began, the editor was a woman, Joanne Minster, yet it was not long before she was replaced by Ian Harmon, the son of the magazine's owner. Despite being largely criticised by reviewers, Compact was popular with the general public, and in 1964 a regular omnibus edition was introduced, broadcast on Sundays. Morris Barry, a some-time actor and BBC director – he directed several Doctor Who stories in the 1960s – took over as producer and was given a brief to spice the series up in view of the criticism it had received from the national press. But the BBC, never comfortable with the concept of soap opera, quietly dropped the series in 1965.

Director

The ExpertThe Expert · 1968
The Expert
9.01968
SeriesDrama
The Expert is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1976. The series starred Marius Goring as Dr. John Hardy, a pathologist working for the Home Office and was essentially a police procedural drama, with Hardy bringing his forensic knowledge to solve various cases. The Expert was created and produced by Gerard Glaister. The series was also one of the first BBC dramas to be made in colour, and throughout its four series had numerous high quality guest appearances by actors such as John Carson, Peter Copley, Rachel Kempson, Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Palmer, Peter Barkworth, Jean Marsh, Ray Brooks, George Sewell, Anthony Valentine, Bernard Lee, Lee Montague, Geoffrey Bayldon, Mike Pratt, Edward Fox, André Morell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Stock, Philip Madoc and Warren Clarke.

Director

The Onedin LineThe Onedin Line · 1971
The Onedin Line
7.01971
SeriesDrama
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin. Around this central theme are the lives of his family, most notably his brother and partner, shop owner Robert, and his sister Elizabeth, giving insight into the lifestyle and customs at the time, not only at sea, but also ashore. The series also illustrates some of the changes in business and shipping, such as from wooden to steel ships and from sailing ships to steam ships. It shows the role that ships played in affairs like international politics, uprisings and the slave trade.

Director