Timothy Combe (born 17 October 1936) is a retired British television director and actor's agent. As a director of

BBC television drama BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importan ...

from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, he worked on series such as ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...

'' and '' The Brothers'', as well as classic serials and plays.

Career

Combe attended the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to: *Webber, Kansas, a US city *Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA *Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA *Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA *Webber (surname) Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...

in London, where he won the Shakespeare Cup and

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, television and film. She came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's '' Blithe Spirit'', and Osca ...

Medal. He then joined the BBC in 1962 as an assistant floor manager. He was promoted to become a director in 1968. He directed ''

'', the popular and long-running police drama series, becoming one of the most prolific directors of the series. He also directed two serials in the long-running science fiction series ''

'' when it starred

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland "Jon" Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996) was an English actor, comedian, entertainer, cabaret performer and TV presenter. Born into a theatrical family, he served in the Royal Navy and the Naval Intelligence Division during ...

. Although highly regarded as a director by the series' then producer,

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of '' Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre ...

, he went over-budget on the second and was not asked to do more as a result. Two classic serials, ''The Early Life of Stephen Hind'' and ''Ballet Shoes'' followed, the latter winning

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and BAFTA awards. He was then invited to direct Angela Huth's first TV play, ''The Summer House'', and

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...

's ''When The Boys Come Out To Play''. After directing episodes of the sixth and seventh series of '' The Brothers'' from 1976, he was asked to act as the BBC producer on ''Golden Soak'', filmed in Australia and one of the first co-productions undertaken by the BBC. After directing ''

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'', he helped set up the BBC's first venture into video cassette production (VHS). In 1980, he gave up directing in order to become an actor's agent. He later lectured at the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate ...

for five years, helping graduating students prepare for entry into the business.

Filmography''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors'', by Jerry Roberts (Scarecrow Press, 2009)

*'' The Newcomers'' (1968–69) *'' Doctor Who and the Silurians'' (BBC, 1970) *''Doctor Who:

The Mind of Evil ''The Mind of Evil'' is the second serial of the Doctor Who (season 8), eighth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 January to 6 March 1971. In th ...

'' (BBC, 1971) *'' The Doctors'' (BBC, 1970/71) *''Away from it All'' (BBC, 1973) *''

'' (BBC, 1968-1973) *''Sporting Scenes'' (BBC, 1973) *''The Early Life of Stephen Hind'' (BBC Classic Serial 1974) *''

Ballet Shoes A ballet shoe, or ballet slipper, is a lightweight shoe designed specifically for ballet dancing. It may be made from soft leather, canvas, or satin, and has flexible, thin full or split soles. Traditionally, women wear pink shoes and men wear wh ...

'' (BBC TV Serial 1975). Emmy & BAFTA Awards *'' The Brothers'' (BBC, 1976) *''Rupert'' Christmas Adventure. Westminster Theatre. 1977 *''Golden Soak''. Producer. (six-part series filmed in Australia) *''

'' (BBC, 1976)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Combe, Timothy Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art British television directors British theatre managers and producers Living people 1936 births