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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name        = Bob Spiers
| name        = Bob Spiers
| image      = Bob Spiers.jpg
| birth_name = Robert Alexander Spiers
| birth_name = Robert Alexander Spiers
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|9|27|df=yes}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|9|27|df=yes}}
| birth_place =  [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]<ref name="Independent"/>
| birth_place =  [[w:Glasgow|Glasgow]], [[w:Scotland|Scotland]], [[w:United Kingdom|UK]]<ref name="Independent"/>
| death_date=  {{Death date and age|2008|12|8|1945|9|27|df=yes}}<ref name="Independent"/>
| death_date=  {{Death date and age|2008|12|8|1945|9|27|df=yes}}<ref name="Independent"/>
| death_place=[[Devon]], [[England]], UK
| death_place=[[w:Devon|Devon]], [[w:England|England]], UK
| notable_works = ''[[Fawlty Towers]]''<br>''[[Press Gang]]''<br>''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''<br>''[[Spice World (film)|Spice World]]''
| notable_works = ''[[Fawlty Towers]]''<br>''[[Press Gang]]''<br>''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''<br>''[[w:Spice World (film)|Spice World]]''
| occupation  = [[Television director]] and [[television producer]]
| occupation  = [[w:Television director|Television director]] and [[w:television producer|television producer]]
}}
}}
'''Robert Alexander Spiers''' (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a Scottish television comedy director and producer. He worked on many sitcoms and won two [[British Academy Television Awards]] for ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' and ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. He also directed the film ''[[Spice World (film)|Spice World]]'' (1997).
'''Robert Alexander Spiers''' (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a Scottish television comedy director and producer. He worked on many sitcoms and won two [[w:British Academy Television Awards|British Academy Television Awards]] for ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' and ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''. He also directed the film ''[[w:Spice World (film)|Spice World]]'' (1997).


==Biography==
==Biography==
Born in [[Glasgow]], [[Scotland]], he attended [[Southgate College]] in the 1960s. "Jock", as he was affectionately known at the time, organised several student trips from the college to mainland Europe, including Brussels and Cologne, during this period. He was also already an accomplished tennis player, having achieved a very high national standard during the time he lived in Scotland.
Born in [[w:Glasgow|Glasgow]], [[w:Scotland|Scotland]], he attended [[w:Southgate College|Southgate College]] in the 1960s. "Jock", as he was affectionately known at the time, organised several student trips from the college to mainland Europe, including Brussels and Cologne, during this period. He was also already an accomplished tennis player, having achieved a very high national standard during the time he lived in Scotland.


Spiers joined the staff of the [[BBC]] in 1970,<ref name="Independent">Anthony Hayward, Jon Plowman [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bob-spiers-director-of-absolutely-fabulous-fawlty-towers-and-dads-army-1058046.html "Bob Spiers: Director of 'Absolutely Fabulous', 'Fawlty Towers' and 'Dad's Army'"], ''The Independent'', 9 December 2008</ref> working as an assistant floor manager and later a [[production assistant]], before eventually working his way up to become a director and producer. As a director he worked on several high-profile programmes, such as ''[[Dad's Army]]'', ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'' (also producing) and ''[[It Ain't Half Hot Mum]]'', all [[sitcom]]s, a genre with which he became particularly associated. During the 1970s he met his wife, Annie.<ref>Carl Oprey [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/aug/21/obituaries.mainsection "Other Lives Obituary: Annie Spiers"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 21 August 2007</ref>
Spiers joined the staff of the [[w:BBC|BBC]] in 1970,<ref name="Independent">Anthony Hayward, Jon Plowman [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bob-spiers-director-of-absolutely-fabulous-fawlty-towers-and-dads-army-1058046.html "Bob Spiers: Director of 'Absolutely Fabulous', 'Fawlty Towers' and 'Dad's Army'"], ''The Independent'', 9 December 2008</ref> working as an assistant floor manager and later a [[w:production assistant|production assistant]], before eventually working his way up to become a director and producer. As a director he worked on several high-profile programmes, such as ''[[Dad's Army]]'', ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'' (also producing) and ''[[It Ain't Half Hot Mum]]'', all [[w:sitcom|sitcom]]s, a genre with which he became particularly associated. During the 1970s he met his wife, Annie.<ref>Carl Oprey [https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/aug/21/obituaries.mainsection "Other Lives Obituary: Annie Spiers"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 21 August 2007</ref>


It was because of his talent for directing comedy that he was chosen to handle the second series of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' in 1979, which already had an enormous reputation on the basis of its initial six episodes in 1975, and it won him his first BAFTA award. Spiers subsequently provided a commentary for all the episodes he directed of ''Fawlty Towers'' when the series was released on DVD. Shortly after he directed the series and the unbroadcast pilot of ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', Spiers left the staff of the BBC to work as a freelance director.
It was because of his talent for directing comedy that he was chosen to handle the second series of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' in 1979, which already had an enormous reputation on the basis of its initial six episodes in 1975, and it won him his first BAFTA award. Spiers subsequently provided a commentary for all the episodes he directed of ''Fawlty Towers'' when the series was released on DVD. Shortly after he directed the series and the unbroadcast pilot of ''[[Not the Nine O'Clock News]]'', Spiers left the staff of the BBC to work as a freelance director.


Throughout the 1980s, he worked on a number of programmes, of particular note being [[Channel 4]]'s anthology comedy series ''[[The Comic Strip Presents...]]'' and the BBC sketch shows ''[[French and Saunders]]'' and ''[[A Bit of Fry and Laurie]]''. He began his association with writer [[Steven Moffat]] in 1989, directing over half of the episodes of the teen comedy drama series ''[[Press Gang]]'' (1989–1993) for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network.<ref>[[Paul Cornell]] (1993) "Press Gang" In: {{cite book |last=Cornell |first= Paul |author2=Day, Martin |author2-link=Martin Day (writer) |author3=Topping, Keith |author3-link=Keith Topping |title=The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year=1993 |pages=218 |isbn=0-85112-543-3}}</ref> According to Moffat, Spiers was the "principal director" taking an interest in the other episodes and setting the visual style of the show. Spiers particularly used [[tracking shot]]s, sometimes requiring more dialogue to be written to accommodate the length of the shot. The other directors would come in and "do a Spiers".<ref name="Moffcomm">Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD [[audio commentary]]</ref> Spiers then directed all twelve episodes of Moffat's sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]'' (1993, 1995).<ref name="inlay">Gallagher, William. "Joking Apart", Inlay booklet, Series 2 DVD, ReplayDVD.</ref> The show won the [[Rose d'Or|Bronze Rose of Montreux]]<ref name="ott">{{cite web |first=Graham |last=Kibble-White |title=Fool If You Think It's Over |work=Off the Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |date=May 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-22 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061209070115/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-12-09}}</ref> and was entered for the [[Emmys]].<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |first=Shane |last=Jarvis |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/08/bvjoke08.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060611000658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/08/bvjoke08.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-06-11 |newspaper=The Telegraph |title=Farce that rose from the grave |date=2006-05-08 |accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref>
Throughout the 1980s, he worked on a number of programmes, of particular note being [[w:Channel 4|Channel 4]]'s anthology comedy series ''[[w:The Comic Strip Presents...|The Comic Strip Presents...]]'' and the BBC sketch shows ''[[w:French and Saunders|French and Saunders]]'' and ''[[A Bit of Fry and Laurie]]''. He began his association with writer [[w:Steven Moffat|Steven Moffat]] in 1989, directing over half of the episodes of the teen comedy drama series ''[[Press Gang]]'' (1989–1993) for the [[w:ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network.<ref>[[w:Paul Cornell|]] (1993) "Press Gang" In: {{cite book |last=Cornell |first= Paul |author2=Day, Martin |author2-link=Martin Day (writer) |author3=Topping, Keith |author3-link=Keith Topping |title=The Guinness Book of Classic British TV |publisher=Guinness |year=1993 |pages=218 |isbn=0-85112-543-3}}</ref> According to Moffat, Spiers was the "principal director" taking an interest in the other episodes and setting the visual style of the show. Spiers particularly used [[tracking shot]]s, sometimes requiring more dialogue to be written to accommodate the length of the shot. The other directors would come in and "do a Spiers".<ref name="Moffcomm">Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, ''Press Gang: Series 2'' DVD [[audio commentary]]</ref> Spiers then directed all twelve episodes of Moffat's sitcom ''[[Joking Apart]]'' (1993, 1995).<ref name="inlay">Gallagher, William. "Joking Apart", Inlay booklet, Series 2 DVD, ReplayDVD.</ref> The show won the [[Rose d'Or|Bronze Rose of Montreux]]<ref name="ott">{{cite web |first=Graham |last=Kibble-White |title=Fool If You Think It's Over |work=Off the Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm |date=May 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-22 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20061209070115/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/jokingapart.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-12-09}}</ref> and was entered for the [[Emmys]].<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news |first=Shane |last=Jarvis |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/08/bvjoke08.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060611000658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/08/bvjoke08.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2006-06-11 |newspaper=The Telegraph |title=Farce that rose from the grave |date=2006-05-08 |accessdate=2007-03-01}}</ref>


His association with comedians [[Dawn French]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]] from directing their sketch show led to him working on individual projects from each of them during the 1990s. With French he worked on the macabre comedy anthology series ''[[Murder Most Horrid]]'', with some episodes written by Moffat (such as "Overkill"). He helmed Saunders' ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' throughout the decade, the show having originated in a sketch from an episode of ''[[French and Saunders]]'' which had also been directed by Spiers. ''Absolutely Fabulous'' won Spiers his second BAFTA award.
His association with comedians [[w:Dawn French|Dawn French]] and [[w:Jennifer Saunders|Jennifer Saunders]] from directing their sketch show led to him working on individual projects from each of them during the 1990s. With French he worked on the macabre comedy anthology series ''[[w:Murder Most Horrid|Murder Most Horrid]]'', with some episodes written by Moffat (such as "Overkill"). He helmed Saunders' ''[[w:Absolutely Fabulous|Absolutely Fabulous]]'' throughout the decade, the show having originated in a sketch from an episode of ''[[French and Saunders|French and Saunders]]'' which had also been directed by Spiers. ''Absolutely Fabulous'' won Spiers his second BAFTA award.


Spiers directed the pop group the [[Spice Girls]] in their film ''[[Spiceworld (film)|Spiceworld]]'' (1997). He had been working in America on the [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] film ''[[That Darn Cat (1997 film)|That Darn Cat]]'' at the peak of the Spice Girls' popularity, and was unaware of the group when first offered the job of directing ''Spiceworld'' until friend [[Jennifer Saunders]] advised that he take it. He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel unaware of what they looked like.<ref>Bob Spiers and Stacey Adair, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2 Episode 2, DVD audio commentary, replaydvd.co.uk</ref> He also directed two episodes of the Australian [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] series ''[[The Adventures of Lano and Woodley]]''.
Spiers directed the pop group the [[Spice Girls]] in their film ''[[w:Spiceworld (film)|Spiceworld]]'' (1997). He had been working in America on the [[w:Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] film ''[[w:That Darn Cat (1997 film)|That Darn Cat]]'' at the peak of the Spice Girls' popularity, and was unaware of the group when first offered the job of directing ''Spiceworld'' until friend [[w:Jennifer Saunders|Jennifer Saunders]] advised that he take it. He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel unaware of what they looked like.<ref>Bob Spiers and Stacey Adair, ''Joking Apart'', Series 2 Episode 2, DVD audio commentary, replaydvd.co.uk</ref> He also directed two episodes of the Australian [[w:Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] series ''[[w:The Adventures of Lano and Woodley|The Adventures of Lano and Woodley]]''.


He died of cancer in December 2008 in [[Widecombe]], [[Devon]] at a family home after a long illness.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Chaundy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/dec/18/obituary-bob-spiers-tv-comedy |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Bob Spiers obituary |date=2008-12-18 |accessdate=2021-01-11}}</ref>
He died of cancer in December 2008 in [[w:Widecombe|Widecombe]], [[w:Devon|Devon]] at a family home after a long illness.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Chaundy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/dec/18/obituary-bob-spiers-tv-comedy |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Bob Spiers obituary |date=2008-12-18 |accessdate=2021-01-11}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==

Revision as of 13:32, 26 August 2022

Bob Spiers
Bob Spiers.jpg
Born
Robert Alexander Spiers

(1945-09-27)27 September 1945
Glasgow, Scotland, UK[1]
Died8 December 2008(2008-12-08) (aged 63)[1]
Devon, England, UK
Occupation(s)Television director and television producer
Notable workFawlty Towers
Press Gang
Absolutely Fabulous
Spice World

Robert Alexander Spiers (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a Scottish television comedy director and producer. He worked on many sitcoms and won two British Academy Television Awards for Fawlty Towers and Absolutely Fabulous. He also directed the film Spice World (1997).

Biography

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he attended Southgate College in the 1960s. "Jock", as he was affectionately known at the time, organised several student trips from the college to mainland Europe, including Brussels and Cologne, during this period. He was also already an accomplished tennis player, having achieved a very high national standard during the time he lived in Scotland.

Spiers joined the staff of the BBC in 1970,[1] working as an assistant floor manager and later a production assistant, before eventually working his way up to become a director and producer. As a director he worked on several high-profile programmes, such as Dad's Army, Are You Being Served? (also producing) and It Ain't Half Hot Mum, all sitcoms, a genre with which he became particularly associated. During the 1970s he met his wife, Annie.[2]

It was because of his talent for directing comedy that he was chosen to handle the second series of Fawlty Towers in 1979, which already had an enormous reputation on the basis of its initial six episodes in 1975, and it won him his first BAFTA award. Spiers subsequently provided a commentary for all the episodes he directed of Fawlty Towers when the series was released on DVD. Shortly after he directed the series and the unbroadcast pilot of Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spiers left the staff of the BBC to work as a freelance director.

Throughout the 1980s, he worked on a number of programmes, of particular note being Channel 4's anthology comedy series The Comic Strip Presents... and the BBC sketch shows French and Saunders and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. He began his association with writer Steven Moffat in 1989, directing over half of the episodes of the teen comedy drama series Press Gang (1989–1993) for the ITV network.[3] According to Moffat, Spiers was the "principal director" taking an interest in the other episodes and setting the visual style of the show. Spiers particularly used tracking shots, sometimes requiring more dialogue to be written to accommodate the length of the shot. The other directors would come in and "do a Spiers".[4] Spiers then directed all twelve episodes of Moffat's sitcom Joking Apart (1993, 1995).[5] The show won the Bronze Rose of Montreux[6] and was entered for the Emmys.[7]

His association with comedians Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders from directing their sketch show led to him working on individual projects from each of them during the 1990s. With French he worked on the macabre comedy anthology series Murder Most Horrid, with some episodes written by Moffat (such as "Overkill"). He helmed Saunders' Absolutely Fabulous throughout the decade, the show having originated in a sketch from an episode of French and Saunders which had also been directed by Spiers. Absolutely Fabulous won Spiers his second BAFTA award.

Spiers directed the pop group the Spice Girls in their film Spiceworld (1997). He had been working in America on the Disney film That Darn Cat at the peak of the Spice Girls' popularity, and was unaware of the group when first offered the job of directing Spiceworld until friend Jennifer Saunders advised that he take it. He arrived at a meeting with them in a New York hotel unaware of what they looked like.[8] He also directed two episodes of the Australian ABC series The Adventures of Lano and Woodley.

He died of cancer in December 2008 in Widecombe, Devon at a family home after a long illness.[9]

Filmography

Television

Title Year(s) Notes
Dad's Army 1974, 1977 Production assistant on season 7, directed 1 episode ("The Miser's Hoard")
It Ain't Half Hot Mum 1975, 1976 Production assistant on season 2, directed 6 episodes
Come Back Mrs. Noah 1977-1978 6 episodes
Are You Being Served? 1977-1983 UK version, 13 episodes, also producer
Sykes 1978 1 episode ("Television Film")
Christmas Snowtime Special Assistant producer
Seaside Special Assistant producer on season 4
Snowtime Special Assistant producer on 2 episodes
Fawlty Towers 1979 Season 2
Not the Nine O'Clock News Unaired pilot only
The Goodies 1977–82 10 episodes
Are You Being Served? 1980-1981 Australian version, also producer
Both Ends Meet 1981
The Comic Strip Presents... 1982-1988 8 episodes, also played the Vicar in "Queen of the Wild Frontier"
Little Armadillos 1984
What a Way to Run a Revolution 1986 TV movie
Up Line 1987
Familie Oudenrijn
French and Saunders 1988-1995 18 episodes
Press Gang 1989-1993
Tygo Road 1990
Lazarus and Dingwall 1991
Murder Most Horrid 1991-1994
Joking Apart 1993-1995
Absolutely Fabulous 1992-1995, 2001 All episodes of seasons 1-3, and three of season 4
Bottom 1995 Season 3
A Bit of Fry and Laurie Season 4
Agony Again All episodes
The Adventures of Lano and Woodley 1997 2 episodes ("The Girlfriend", "Starquest")
The Ruby Wax Show
Days Like These 1999
Privates Pilot
A Tribute to the Likely Lads 2002 TV short

Film

Title Year Notes
That Darn Cat 1997
Spice World
Kevin of the North 2001 Also known as "Chilly Dogs"

References

  1. ^ a b c Anthony Hayward, Jon Plowman "Bob Spiers: Director of 'Absolutely Fabulous', 'Fawlty Towers' and 'Dad's Army'", The Independent, 9 December 2008
  2. ^ Carl Oprey "Other Lives Obituary: Annie Spiers", The Guardian, 21 August 2007
  3. ^ [[w:Paul Cornell|]] (1993) "Press Gang" In: Cornell, Paul; Day, Martin; Topping, Keith (1993). The Guinness Book of Classic British TV. Guinness. p. 218. ISBN 0-85112-543-3.
  4. ^ Steven Moffat & Julia Sawalha, Press Gang: Series 2 DVD audio commentary
  5. ^ Gallagher, William. "Joking Apart", Inlay booklet, Series 2 DVD, ReplayDVD.
  6. ^ Kibble-White, Graham (May 2006). "Fool If You Think It's Over". Off the Telly. Archived from the original on 9 December 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  7. ^ Jarvis, Shane (8 May 2006). "Farce that rose from the grave". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 June 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2007.
  8. ^ Bob Spiers and Stacey Adair, Joking Apart, Series 2 Episode 2, DVD audio commentary, replaydvd.co.uk
  9. ^ Chaundy, Bob (18 December 2008). "Bob Spiers obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2021.

External links

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