Directing
James Ferman
Born April 11, 1930 · New York, New York, USA
Died December 24, 2002 · aged 72
James Alan Ferman was an American television and theatre director. He was the Secretary of the British Board of Film Classification from 1975 to 1999.
Known For
Emmanuelle: A Hard Look · 2001Emmanuelle: A Hard Look
★ 5.72001
MovieDocumentary
Documentary about the Emmanuelle movies, looking at their making as well as their social and cultural impact.
What's a Carry On? · 1998What's a Carry On?
★ 7.71998
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 'Carry On' comedy film series. Archive clips and out-takes are mixed with interviews with the cast.
Edward G: Like the Filmstar · 1973Edward G: Like the Filmstar
1973
MovieDramaTV Movie
Edward G is nothing like a film star; his life has been ordinary - until now. But he's just had a shattering experience.
A Distant Thunder · 1970A Distant Thunder
★ 8.01970
MovieDramaTV Movie
Peter Barkham hero-worships his distinguished father. However, this is threatened by the intrusion of events and people from his father's wartime past.
The Pigeon Fancier · 1971The Pigeon Fancier
★ 8.01971
MovieDramaTV Movie
When Len Shelton retires from a life of work in the coal mines, he turns to his first love - pigeons, which become a symbol of hope for him.
Death of a Private · 1967Death of a Private
★ 9.01967
MovieTV MovieDrama
An army private is driven to murder when his wife falls in love with another man.
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape · 2010Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape
★ 6.82010
MovieDocumentary
A documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
When the Bough Breaks · 1971When the Bough Breaks
★ 10.01971
MovieDramaTV Movie
NSPCC social worker Margaret Ashdown is given the case of investigating into the Gosse family, when the young mother, Sheila, is unable to explain her baby's fractured skull at the hospital. She discovers the family live in poverty and ignorance, and have a tradition of instability.
Movies
Emmanuelle: A Hard Look · 2001Emmanuelle: A Hard Look
★ 5.72001
MovieDocumentary
Documentary about the Emmanuelle movies, looking at their making as well as their social and cultural impact.
What's a Carry On? · 1998What's a Carry On?
★ 7.71998
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 'Carry On' comedy film series. Archive clips and out-takes are mixed with interviews with the cast.
Edward G: Like the Filmstar · 1973Edward G: Like the Filmstar
1973
MovieDramaTV Movie
Edward G is nothing like a film star; his life has been ordinary - until now. But he's just had a shattering experience.
A Distant Thunder · 1970A Distant Thunder
★ 8.01970
MovieDramaTV Movie
Peter Barkham hero-worships his distinguished father. However, this is threatened by the intrusion of events and people from his father's wartime past.
The Pigeon Fancier · 1971The Pigeon Fancier
★ 8.01971
MovieDramaTV Movie
When Len Shelton retires from a life of work in the coal mines, he turns to his first love - pigeons, which become a symbol of hope for him.
Death of a Private · 1967Death of a Private
★ 9.01967
MovieTV MovieDrama
An army private is driven to murder when his wife falls in love with another man.
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape · 2010Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape
★ 6.82010
MovieDocumentary
A documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
When the Bough Breaks · 1971When the Bough Breaks
★ 10.01971
MovieDramaTV Movie
NSPCC social worker Margaret Ashdown is given the case of investigating into the Gosse family, when the young mother, Sheila, is unable to explain her baby's fractured skull at the hospital. She discovers the family live in poverty and ignorance, and have a tradition of instability.
Chariot of Fire · 1970Chariot of Fire
★ 9.01970
MovieDramaTV Movie
A prison visitor becomes involved with a convicted sex offender.
The Criminals · 1958The Criminals
1958
MovieTV MovieDrama
A small construction company's new year's eve party is taken over by a crook who has intricate knowledge of the men's private lives, forcing them into an incredible bank robbery plot.
Alma Mater · 1971Alma Mater
★ 8.01971
MovieDramaTV Movie
Jimmy Nicholson returns from working in the Middle East to visit his son at boarding school. He went to the same public school himself and is disturbed to find that things have changed and the traditions by which he has always lived and been guided now seem to be obsolete.
The Interior Decorator · 1965The Interior Decorator
★ 10.01965
MovieTV MovieDrama
An interior decorator takes a millionaire's wife on a guided tour of her new home.
Tomorrow, Just You Wait · 1965Tomorrow, Just You Wait
★ 4.01965
MovieTV MovieDrama
Jimmy is young, earning good money and going out with a smashing girl. What more could a man wish for?
Video Nasties: Draconian Days · 2014Video Nasties: Draconian Days
★ 7.42014
MovieDocumentaryHorror
The highly anticipated follow-up to their critically acclaimed VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP & VIDEOTAPE documentary, director Jake West and producer Marc Morris continue uncovering the shocking story of home entertainment post the 1984 Video Recordings Act. A time when Britain plunged into a new Dark Age of the most restrictive censorship, where the horror movie became the bloody eviscerated victim of continuing dread created by self-aggrandizing moral guardians. With passionate and entertaining interviews from the people who lived through it and more jaw dropping archive footage, get ready to reflect and rejoice the passing of a landmark era.
The Last Days of the Board · 1999The Last Days of the Board
★ 9.51999
MovieDocumentary
A look at the last days of James Ferman's rule as Chief Censor of the British Board of Film Classification.
TV Shows
Play for Today · 1970Play for Today
★ 6.61970
SeriesDrama
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted. The individual episodes were between fifty and a hundred minutes in duration.
Theatre 625 · 1964Theatre 625
★ 7.21964
SeriesDrama
Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
Thirty-Minute Theatre · 1965Thirty-Minute Theatre
★ 4.21965
SeriesDrama
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.
The Wednesday Play · 1964The Wednesday Play
★ 5.21964
SeriesDrama
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.
ITV Saturday Night Theatre · 1969ITV Saturday Night Theatre
★ 7.01969
Series
Anthology series of dramatic works.
ITV Play of the Week · 1955ITV Play of the Week
★ 4.01955
SeriesDramaComedy
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.
Centre Play · 1973Centre Play
★ 7.01973
SeriesDrama
Anthology series of half hour plays produced in BBC's Television Centre's studios.
Emergency: Ward 10 · 1957Emergency: Ward 10
★ 6.51957
SeriesDrama
Emergency: Ward 10 is a British television soap shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like The Grove Family, a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, Emergency: Ward 10 is considered to be one of British television's first major soap operas. Set in Oxbridge General Hospital, this soap opera focused equally on the lives and loves of its medical staff and the pressure of their work.
Ghost Squad · 1961Ghost Squad
★ 6.01961
SeriesCrimeDrama
Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third series, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work. Despite the show and characters being fictional, an actual division did exist within the Metropolitan Police Service at the time.
Inspiration for the series was taken from a book of the same name, written by John Gosling — a retired police officer and former member of the team. Although the real-life squad only operated in London, the fictionalised team travelled internationally; however — as was typical of the time — most foreign locations were actually a combination of stock footage and sets at Independent Artists Studio at Beaconsfield and Elstree Studios. Music was by Philip Green.
The show was produced by ITC Entertainment, along with Rank Organisation TV and ATV. It was the first ITC show filmed to fit the one hour time-slot — setting the trend for the majority of ITC's future output. Another common ITC trait was to feature an American, in this case Michael Quinn, in a leading role so as to increase the chances of international sales. At 6' 3", Quinn often towered over his co-workers. This was especially noticeable in the first series title sequence showing him walking through a crowd walking in the opposite direction. He frequently smoked in the show as did many others. The second series had a different title sequence and Neil Hallett sometimes replaced Quinn. Hallett looked more like a spy while Quinn looked a bit like a playboy. Quinn was replaced by Australian actor, Ray Barrett in the third series. Ray Austin played Billy Clay in and was also Stunt Director on all series bringing the action to life. Austin went on to become a renowned TV director in Hollywood and the UK.
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries · 1973Orson Welles' Great Mysteries
★ 6.81973
SeriesMysteryDrama
Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries is a British television anthology series produced by Anglia Television for the ITV network and broadcast between 1973 and 1974. The series presents standalone adaptations of classic mystery, crime, and supernatural stories drawn from literary sources including Dickens, Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Balzac, Maugham, O. Henry, and others.
Each episode is framed by original introductory and closing sequences performed by Orson Welles, who serves as the series’ host and sole recurring on-screen presence. These segments, written and directed by Welles (uncredited), function as stylized narrative framing devices rather than dramatic participation in the stories themselves. The dramatic content of each episode is performed by separate casts and directors, with no continuing characters or serialized narrative, establishing the series as a unified television anthology rather than a collection of standalone films.
Fall of Eagles · 1974Fall of Eagles
★ 7.01974
SeriesDrama
"Fall of Eagles" is a 13-part British television drama aired by the BBC in 1974. The series portrays historical events from 1848 to 1918, dealing with the collapse of the ruling dynasties of Austria-Hungary (the Habsburgs), Germany (the Hohenzollerns) and Russia (the Romanovs).
Theatre Night · 1957Theatre Night
1957
SeriesDrama
A BBC television series of forty-five-minute excerpts from stage plays running in London.
The Sextet · 1972The Sextet
★ 10.01972
SeriesDrama
An anthology series of BBC television dramas on sexual themes. The same cast are featured in each production.
Thirteen Against Fate · 1966Thirteen Against Fate
★ 10.01966
Series
Thirteen Against Fate is a series of thirteen hour-long episodes based on the novels of Georges Simenon. Noted for the sound psychology of his characters, Simenon's stories deal with many nationalities and are set in numerous European cities and villages. There are sequences filmed in these locations integrated into the episodes. In each of the novels chosen for this series, Fate plays a leading role in the development of the story and the characters.
Zodiac · 1974Zodiac
★ 5.01974
SeriesCrimeDrama
Zodiac was a six-part series transmitted by ITV in 1974. Starring Anton Rogers and Anouska Hempel as cynical detective David Gradley and his astrologer associate Esther Jones, the unusual astrological premise set this show apart from the humdrum detective dramas of the time. Little seen since its original broadcast, the series has garnered something of a cult status.
Armchair Theatre · 1956Armchair Theatre
★ 6.01956
SeriesDrama
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.
Late Night Line-Up · 1964Late Night Line-Up
★ 6.71964
Series
Late Night Line-Up was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Late Night Line-Up returned for a special one-off edition on BBC Parliament in 2008.
The Plane Makers · 1963The Plane Makers
★ 6.31963
SeriesDrama
The Plane Makers is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firken. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by The Power Game, which ran for an additional three series from 1965 to 1969. Firkin continued as producer for the first two series, and David Reid took over for series 3.