Bob Spiers

Directing

Bob Spiers

Born September 27, 1945 · Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Died December 8, 2008 · aged 63

Robert Alexander "Bob" Spiers (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a director. He is particularly noted as the director of the early series of Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2001), the musical comedy Spiceworld, and of the second series of Fawlty Towers (1979). He also worked with Steven Moffat on Press Gang and Joking Apart. Spiers won a BAFTA Award twice for his work as a television comedy d…

Known For

Spice WorldSpice World · 1997
Spice World
★ 4.91997
MovieAdventureFantasy
World-famous pop group the Spice Girls zip around London in their luxurious double-decker tour bus having various adventures and performing for their fans.
That Darn CatThat Darn Cat · 1997
That Darn Cat
★ 5.01997
MovieFamilyComedy
While making his nightly rounds in the neighborhood, Patti's pet cat D.C. finds himself the carrier of a call for help from a kidnap victim. Patti enlists skeptical law enforcement help to find the victim before it's too late.
Up LineUp Line · 1987
Up Line
1987
MovieComedy
Three alternative comedians get involved in a pyramid-selling organization, Pathway, in order to finance their act. They gain great success by deploying their skills as entertainers, only to eventually discover the sinister purpose behind the Pathway organization.
French and Saunders' Christmas CarolFrench and Saunders' Christmas Carol · 1994
French and Saunders' Christmas Carol
1994
MovieComedy
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders reprise some of their favourite characters for a yuletide airing, while Charles Dickens and the Oscar-winning film The Piano feel the lash of their satirical humour.
Five Go Mad in DorsetFive Go Mad in Dorset · 1982
Five Go Mad in Dorset
1982
MovieComedy
In the 1950s, four children, Anne, described as a 'proper little housewife', the rather butch George who has an unhealthy relationship with her dog Timmy and their brothers Dick and Julian, whose relationship seems to be more than fraternal, go on a cycling holiday in Dorset where their flair for detection - plus their snobbery and xenophobia - gets a whole string of suspicious characters arrested.
Chilly DogsChilly Dogs · 2001
Chilly Dogs
★ 5.52001
MovieAdventureAction
A man must participate in the Iditarod dog race across Alaska to inherit property from his legendary grandfather, but ends up getting much more than he bargained for.
A Fistful of Travellers' ChequesA Fistful of Travellers' Cheques · 1984
A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques
★ 7.01984
MovieWesternComedy
Two students calling themselves Carlos and Miguel arrive in Spain dressed as gunslingers to live out their dream of being in a spaghetti Western. At a cafe in a remote town they meet two Australian girls who have picked up a scruffy hitch-hiker and a would-be rapist dressed as a matador.
French And Saunders - Christmas Special '88French And Saunders - Christmas Special '88 · 1988
French And Saunders - Christmas Special '88
1988
MovieComedy
Parodies of Christmas movies, hair gel ads, and Bananarama.

Filmography

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Joking ApartJoking Apart · 1993
Joking Apart
★ 7.01993
SeriesComedy
Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark and Becky, who fall in love and marry, before getting separated and finally divorced. The twelve episodes, broadcast between 1993 and 1995, were directed by Bob Spiers and produced by Andre Ptaszynski for independent production company Pola Jones. The show is semi-autobiographical; it was inspired by the then recent separation of Moffat and his first wife. Some of the episodes in the first series followed a non-linear parallel structure, contrasting the rise of the relationship with the fall. Other episodes were ensemble farces, predominantly including the couple's friends Robert and Tracy. Paul Mark Elliott also appeared as Trevor, Becky's lover.

Director