Francis George "Franc" Roddam (born 29 April 1946) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher, best known as the creator of ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

'' and the director of ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the two previous being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, Whil ...

'' (1979). He is a graduate of the

London Film School London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK.

Career

Roddam's films include ''

'', '' K2'', ''

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

'', ''

The Lords of Discipline ''The Lords of Discipline'' is a 1980 novel by Pat Conroy that was later adapted in a 1983 film of the same name. The story centers on Will McLean, who is in his fourth year at the fictional Carolina Military Institute in Charleston, South C ...

'' and '' War Party''. He created the worldwide TV franchise, ''

MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with the UK version in July 1990. The format was revived and updated for the BBC in February 2005 by executive producers Roddam and John ...

'', which is shown in 200 countries worldwide and there are 47 locally produced versions. He also produced formats for ''

'', ''

Making Out Making out is a term of American origin dating back to at least 1949, and is used to refer to kissing, including extended French kissing or heavy kissing of the neck (called ''necking''), or to acts of non-penetrative sex such as heavy petti ...

'', and ''

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

'', all of which were highly successful TV dramas. He directed the award-winning TV drama ''Dummy'', which won the prestigious

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...

Drama Prize. He directed the Grammy-nominated/Golden Globe nominated US mini-series ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship ''Pequod'', for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant whit ...

'' and ''Cleopatra''. He won awards for his BBC documentaries, ''Mini'' and ''The Family''. He is the founder and Chairman of Ziji Publishing, whose many titles include ''The Last Templar'' which sold over 5 million copies worldwide. He is a sponsor and former Governor of the London Film School and is an active member of the Greenworld Campaign.

Filmography

Films

* ''

'' (1979) - Director/Co-Writer * ''

'' (1983) - Director * '' The Bride'' (1985) - Director * ''

'' (1987) - Co-director * '' War Party'' (1988) - Director * '' K2'' (1991) - Director

Television

* ''Birthday'' (1969) - Director * ''The Fight'' (1973) - Executive Producer * '' The Family'' (1974) - Co-Director * ''Mini'' (1975) - Director (episode of '' Inside Story'' documentary series) * ''Dummy'' (1977) - Director/Producer * ''

'' (1983-2004) - Format Creator, Executive Producer, Writer * ''

Johnny Oddball Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...

'' (1985) - Director (episode of '' 40 Minutes'' documentary series; sequel to ''Mini'') * ''

'' (1989) - Format Creator * ''

An Ungentlemanly Act ''An Ungentlemanly Act'' is a 1992 BBC television film about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. Production The film was written and directed by Stuart Urban, and commissioned to mark the tenth anniversary of the ...

'' (1992) - Executive Producer * ''

'' (1993-1995) - Format Creator, Executive Producer * ''

The Crow Road ''The Crow Road'' is a novel by the Scottish writer Iain Banks, published in 1992. Plot introduction The novel describes Prentice McHoan's preoccupation with death, sex, his relationship with his father, unrequited love, sibling rivalry, a mis ...

'' (1996) - Executive Producer * ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...

'' (1999) - Director (2 x 90 mins) * ''

'' (1998) - Director (2 x 90 mins) * ''

The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''Masterpiece, ...

'' (2003) - Format Creator, Executive Producer * ''

'' (2007-2015) - Format Creator, Executive Producer

Commercials

Director on numerous accounts, including: * Shell * The Observer * Campbell Soups * BP * COI – Aids Campaign

In development

* ''Waltzing Matilda'' — Producer/Director/Co-Writer * ''Let's Face It'' — Producer/Director/Co-Writer * ''IGGY'' — Format Creator/Co-Writer * ''Win-Win'' — Format Creator/Co-Producer * ''2 in a Million'' — Format Creator/Producer

References

External links

*
Ziji Publishing - Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roddam, Francis English film directors 1946 births Living people People from Norton, County Durham English screenwriters English male screenwriters English television producers English businesspeople English publishers (people) Mountaineering film directors Alumni of the London Film School