The Mill: Production biographies

4 July 2013

John Fay – Writer

John Fay began writing for television when he joined Brookside in 1999.  He has also written for many other TV shows including Coronation Street, Torchwood and Clocking Off.  He lives in Liverpool and still remembers his very first visit to Quarry Bank Mill on a school trip back in the 1970s.

 

James Hawes – Director

James’ recent work includes The Challenger, BBC Two’s film about the investigation into the shuttle disaster, starring William Hurt; The Suspicions of Mister Whicher for ITV and the second season of Mad Dogs, for Sky.  Nominated for Best Director at the 2010 BAFTAs for his film Enid starring Helena Bonham Carter, James has made something of a speciality of fact-based drama, though he has also dabbled in fantasy, launching David Tennant as the tenth Doctor Who, and piloting Merlin for the BBC and NBC.

 

Caroline Levy - Producer

Caroline has spent the last eighteen months researching, developing and bringing on board the team for The Mill. Prior to this her credits include the fourth season of George Gently for BBC, a single drama Excluded for BBC Two, Apparitions for BBC, Cape Wrath for Channel 4 and the US cable channel Showtime and Oil Storm for the US cable channel FX. Caroline has written and produced a number of factually inspired dramas both in the UK and the US. Her career began at the BBC in the Current Affairs and Documentaries departments working on Newsnight, Assignment and Rough Justice. 

 

David Luther – Director of Photography

David Luther originally shot The Children, a three-part thriller for ITV directed by David Evans and starring Kevin Whately plus the BBC produced Wide Sargasso Sea, set in 19th century Jamaica starring Rafe Spall and Rebecca Hall. In 2010 he shot Jimmy McGovern’s Accused, directed by Richard Laxton. In 2011 David shot the Sky Atlantic and HBO co-production Hit & Miss, which is now BAFTA nominated for Best Direction by Hettie MacDonald and stars Chloe Sevigny.

 

Luke Dunkley – Editor

Luke has edited some of the most exciting pieces of British drama in the last two decades. He was part of the team that created the cult hit This Life. Other credits include Ronan Bennett’s Countdown to War, The Trial of Tony Blair with director Simon Cellan Jones, the Emmy Award-winning documentary Hiroshima and the drama Forgiven, for which Luke won an RTS Award for Best Editing. Other credits include Bruce Goodison’s award-winning My Murder and last year’s controversial Channel 4 drama series Utopia.

 

Dominic Barlow – Executive Producer

After producing the RTS award-winning first series of Garrow's Law, Dominic Barlow moved to Twenty Twenty television as Executive Producer for Drama, continuing to oversee Garrow’s Law and expand the drama output which included a new series for BBC One Daytime, Privates.  In 2011 Dominic was asked to Executive Produce DSP’s The Mill for Channel 4, which was quickly followed by a two part drama for BBC Three, The Crash.

 

Julian Ware – Executive Producer (Creative Director, DSP)

Julian Ware is the Joint Creative Director for DSP, working closely with top broadcasting commissioners in the UK, US and around the world. His credits in include The Falling Man, The Somme, The Beckoning Silence and he was recently the Executive Producer on Richard III: The King in the Car Park. Julian joined DSP in 2004 as Head of Special Projects and was appointed as Creative Director in 2011. He was previously Director of Programmes at ITN Factual.

 

Emily Roe – Creative Director, DSP
Emily Roe joined DSP in 2011 and has recently been promoted to Creative Director. Latest commissions include factual drama The Crash for BBC Three and Dead or Alive for National Geographic Channels International Wild.  Emily has 15 years’ experience in the TV industry and was Head of Development at Windfall Films where she developed Inside Nature’s Giants and Surgery Live for Channel 4. She has previously worked at Twenty Twenty and ITN Factual. Emily has played a key role in the creation of The Mill, working closely with Channel 4’s Julia Harrington to develop the original idea, inspired by the records at Quarry Bank.

 

Pat Campbell – Production Designer

Pat Campbell has collaborated with James Hawes before on the BBC drama The 39 Steps.  Other recent projects include The Making of a Lady, directed by Richard Curson-Smith, and Mrs Biggs directed by Paul Whittington. She has collaborated with director Peter Kosminsky on The Promise, Britz and The Innocents. Pat designed the first series of the award-winning The Street, written by Jimmy McGovern and directed by Terry McDonagh and David Blair.

 

Joanna Eatwell – Costume Designer

Joanna comes from a background in theatre design and pop promos, having worked with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Queen, Diana Ross and Elton John. Joanna's career in television drama started with a long standing collaboration with Lynda La Plante. More recently Joanna designed the drama The Promise for Peter Kosminsky; then returned to her roots for Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. She was nominated for a BAFTA and RTS award for Eric and Ernie and most recently designed the BBC’s flagship costume drama The Paradise before starting work on The Mill.

 

Karen Hartley-Thomas– hair and make-up hair and make-up

Karen Hartley-Thomas has been doing hair and make-up for television since 1994. Her credits include The Shadow Line, The Virgin Queen and Secret State.

 

Peter Saville – Music Supervisor

Peter has spent the last 6 months working alongside the team behind the soundtrack for Channel 4’s The Mill. Credits include UK feature film Leave To Remain (original soundtrack by 2012 Mercury Prize winners Alt J),  Inspector George Gently (BBC One), Beaver Falls (E4), The Last Weekend (ITV), award winning drama My Murder (BBC Three- Best Single Drama, Broadcast Awards 2012) and Excluded (BBC Two). His career began launching and managing Carbon Lodge Recording Studios which continues in its online reincarnation as Carbon Logic, an independent destination promoting new artists, bands and producers.

 

Julia Harrington – Commissioning Editor, History, Channel 4

After a career as a filmmaker, Julia joined Channel 4 in 2009, where she has been responsible for commissioning history projects. Her central objectives are to make Channel 4 history resonate with contemporary society, reach broad audiences, innovate and represent the best in historical journalism. Prior to The Mill, some of her key commissions include Richard III: King in the Car Park, The Queen’s Mother in Law and The Queen’s Hidden Cousins – all of which have attracted some of highest ratings for Channel 4.

 

Sophie Gardiner – Commissioning Editor, Drama, Channel 4

Sophie worked in documentary television before buying the rights to the novel, Eureka Street and producing it as an award-winning four-part drama for BBC Two.  She worked extensively as a freelance producer before creating and executive producing, Sinbad, for Sky and Impossible Pictures. She returned to Channel 4 as commissioning editor of Drama in November 2011 and recent projects include Dates, Utopia, My Mad Fat Diary as well as dramas due to air later this year including Southcliffe and Top Boy Series ll.

 

David Sekers – Historical Consultant

David was Museum Director at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal before becoming the National Trust’s Director of the Regions until 2001. He is a leading expert on Quarry Bank Mill,specialising in the Greg family’s history and in particular Hannah Greg. Prior to joining the National Trust he was director of the Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, Stoke on Trent, where he wrote The Potteries and Popular Staffordshire Pottery. He has recently published A Lady of Cotton: Hannah Greg, Mistress of Quarry Bank Mill.