June Wyndham Davies (born 27 June 1929) is a British

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

. For her work as Co-Producer (with Pippa Cross) of the film ''August'' starring, and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, she won the BAFTA Wales award for Best Drama in 1997. She is also a writer, having written several short stories and plays, including ‘Green Shutters’.

Life

June Wyndham Davies was born in Cardiff in 1929 to Mervyn and Despina Wyndham Davies of Llandaff. Her father served as an officer in WW2, and her mother, eldest daughter of the engineer and inventor James Wyndham, had been a ballet dancer. She attended Elm Tree House convent before moving to London to train at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

. Wyndham Davies entered the industry as a BBC Director in 1965, when most television drama was transmitted live from the studio. She directed ''30 Minute Theatre'', ''Sunday Afternoon Theatre'', and ''Out of Town Theatre'', as well as single plays such as ''The House Mouse'', ''Why Me?'' ''The Heart Grows Cold'' and ''The Lariat''. She also devised, wrote, and directed the 6-part documentary series ''Why Would You Believe It?'' based on the idea of truth often being stranger than fiction. Going freelance in 1969, Wyndham Davies continued her career with BBC, Anglia, Granada, and Yorkshire Television, directing ''Boy Meets Girl'', ''Love Story'', ''The Dolly Spike'', ''The Folly'', and ''Don’t Shoot the Cook''. She moved into directing episodes for long-running television series and serials, such as ''Coronation Street'', ''Castle Haven'', ''Kate'', ''Crown Court'', and children’s television adaptations of classics, such as ''Pollyanna'' (starring

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

) and Johanna Spyri’s ''Heidi'' (featuring Dame Flora Robson and Kathleen Byron), which received an EMMY nomination in the United States for best television serial in 1975. From 1976 onwards, Wyndham Davies worked almost exclusively for Granada Television, producing dark and thought-provoking dramas, often dealing with the supernatural as with the series Shades of Darkness, as well as Victorian crime themes, such as the ground-breaking Sergeant Cribb series with Alan Dobie in the title role. With a knack for spotting talent, Wyndham Davies gave the young

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

his first chance in theatre, along with early opportunities for

Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...

and

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

. Her inspired casting ideas whilst working for the Drama department at Granada included the suggestion of the late

Jeremy Brett Peter Jeremy William Huggins (3 November 1933 – 12 September 1995), known professionally as Jeremy Brett, was an English actor. He played fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in four Sherlock Holmes (1984 TV series), Granada TV series from 1984 ...

for the part of Sherlock Holmes in ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes''. To this day, Brett is still widely considered to have given the definitive portrayal of Conan Doyle’s detective. Wyndham Davies went on to produce the second series: ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'', as well as ''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' in 1994, and several feature-length television films including: ''Sherlock Holmes – The Sign of Four'', also starring

Jenny Seagrove Jennifer Ann Seagrove (born 4 July 1957) is an English actress. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and first came to attention playing the lead in a television dramatisation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's '' A Woman of Substance'' ...

Awards

*BAFTA Cymru - Best Drama:‘August’ 1997 *Chicago International Film Festival – Silver Plaque: ‘The Lady’s Maid’s Bell’ (Shades of Darkness) 1985

Selected filmography

Producer

* '' Send in the Girls'' * ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a collection of twelve short stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, first published on 14 October 1892. It contains the earliest short stories featuring the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes, w ...

'' * ''

Cribb ''Cribb'' (''Sergeant Cribb'' in North America) is a television police drama, which debuted in 1979 as a 90-minute TV film from Granada Television in the United Kingdom. Later, thirteen 50-minute episodes were produced, which ran from 1980 to ...

Director

* ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

'' * ''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Used ...

'' * ''

Pollyanna ''Pollyanna'' is a 1913 novel by American author Eleanor H. Porter, considered a classic of children's literature. The book's success led to Porter's soon writing a sequel, ''Pollyanna Grows Up'' (1915). Eleven more ''Pollyanna'' sequels, know ...

Actress

*1963-1964 - ''Compact'' (TV Series) -Radiographer / Mrs. Stenton *1964 - ''On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!'' - Mrs.Stenton *1963 - ''Shock Tactics'' - Radiographer *1963 - ''On the Edge'' - Radiographer *1964 - ''Curtain of Fear'' (TV Series) Secretary *1964 - ''The Linton Compact'' - Secretary *1958 - ''Saturday Playhouse'' (TV Series) - Secretary to Mrs. Wentross *1958 – ''Trespass'' - Secretary to Mrs. Wentross

Director

1986 - ''Shades of Darkness'' (TV Series) (1 episode) * Agatha Christie's The Last Seance 1980-1981 - ''Cribb'' (TV Series) (3 episodes) * Mad Hatter's Holiday (1981) * Swing, Swing Together (1980) * Waxwork (1980) 1981 - ''Christmas Spirits'' (TV Movie) 1979 - ''Screenplay'' (TV Series) 1973-1977 - ''Crown Court'' (TV Series) (7 episodes) * One for the Road: Part 1 (1977) * The Personator: Part 1 (1975) * A Case of Murder: Part 1 (1974) * Traffic Warden's Daughter: Part 1 (1974) * A Message to Ireland: Part 3 (1973) 1975-1976 - ''Coronation Street'' (TV Series) * Episode #1.1655 (1976) * Episode #1.1481 (1975) 1974 - ''Heidi'' (TV Mini-Series) (6 episodes) 1973 - ''Pollyanna'' (TV Mini-Series) (6 episodes) 1970-1972 - ''Kate'' (TV Series) * Back to Square One (1972) * A Nice Rest (1972) * Accidents Will Happen (1972) * The Woman Behind the Man (1972) * I Belong to Somebody (1972) 1969 - ''Who-Dun-It'' (TV Series) (1 episode) * Don't Shoot the Cook 1967 - Boy Meets Girl (TV Series) (1 episode) * Love with a Few Hairs

Producer

1998 -''The Cater Street Hangman'' (TV Movie) 1996 - ''August'' (Film) 1994 -''The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'' (TV Mini-Series) (6 episodes) * The Cardboard Box (1994) * The Mazarin Stone (1994) * The Red Circle (1994) * The Golden Pince-Nez (1994) * The Dying Detective (1994) •The Three Gables (1994) * 1992-1993 - The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (TV Mini-Series) (producer - 3 episodes) * The Eligible Bachelor (1993) * The Last Vampyre (1993) * The Master Blackmailer (1992) 1990 - ''Made in Heaven'' (TV Series) (producer - 4 episodes) * A Fair Mix Up * The Big Match * Falling for Love * Best of Enemies 1989 - ''The Heat of the Day'' (TV Movie) 1988 - ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (TV Movie) 1986-1988 - ''The Return of Sherlock Holmes'' (TV Mini-Series) * The Bruce Partington Plans (1988) * Wisteria Lodge (1988) * Silver Blaze (1988) * The Devil's Foot (1988) * The Six Napoleons (1986) 1987 - ''The Sign of Four'' (TV Movie) 1987 - ''The Death of the Heart'' (TV Movie) 1983-1986 - Shades of Darkness (TV Series) (producer - 9 episodes) * Agatha Christie's The Last Seance (1986) (Starring

Jeanne Moreau Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...

) * The Demon Lover (1986) * Bewitched (1983) * Seaton's Aunt (1983) * The Maze (1983) 1981 - ''The Member for Chelsea'' (TV Series) * Episode #1.3 * Episode #1.2 * Episode #1.1 1980-1981 - ''Cribb'' (TV Series) (producer - 14 episodes) * Invitation to a Dynamite Party * Murder Old Boy? (1981) * The Choir That Wouldn't Sing (1981) * The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1981) * The Last Trumpet (1981) 1981 - ''Christmas Spirits'' (TV Movie) 1978 - ''Send in the Girls'' (TV Series) (producer - 7 episodes) * Goosepimples (1978) * Chickabiddy (1978) * Beware the Gentle People (1978) * Away All Boats (1978) * A Hardy Breed of Girl (1978) 1966 - ''Out of Town Theatre'' (TV Mini-Series) (producer - 1 episode) * Why Me? (1966)

References and links

Interview with June Wyndham-Davies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyndham-Davies, June British television producers British television directors Living people British actresses 1929 births British women television producers British women television directors