Graeme Harper: Difference between revisions

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{{real world}}
:''For other individuals of the same name, see [[Harper]].''
{{Infobox Person
[[file:GraemeHarper.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Harper, discussing his role in filming ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'' on ''[[Doctor Who Confidential|Confidential]]'']]
|image      = GraemeHarper.jpg
'''Graeme Harper''' (born [[11th March]] [[1945]] in [[London]]) directed several ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stories and is unique in being the only [[director]] to have directed episodes from the original run of ''Doctor Who'' and the revived run. Prior to becoming a director, he was [[Assistant Floor Manager]] for ''[[Colony in Space]]'', ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]'' (with [[John Cook]] and [[Sue Hedden]]), and ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]''. He was then [[Production Assistant]] for ''[[The Seeds of Doom]]'' and ''[[Warriors' Gate]]''.
|job title  = [[Director (crew)|Director]], [[Production Assistant|production assistant]], [[Assistant Floor Manager|assistant floor manager]]
|birth date = [[11 March (people)|11 March]] [[1945 (people)|1945]]
|death date =
|story      =
|time      = 1966, 1971, 1973-74, 1976, 1981, 1984-85, 2006-09
|non dwu    = ''Angels'', ''The District Nurse'', ''[[Juliet Bravo]]'', ''[[Bergerac]]'', ''Star Cops'', ''Howard's Way'', ''Boon'', ''The New Statesman'', ''The House of Elliott'', ''[[The Bill]]'', ''Heartbeat'', ''Casualty'', ''Microsope'', ''[[EastEnders]]'', ''Grange Hill'', ''Byker Grove'', ''The Royal'', ''Robin Hood'', ''Dani's House'', ''[[Coronation Street]]'', ''Holby City'', ''Hollyoaks'', ''Inside No. 9''
|imdb      = 0363865
|twitter    = GraemeHarper5
|clip      = Good bye Rose - Dr Who Confidential - BBC sci-fi
}}
'''Graeme Harper''' (born [[11 March (people)|11 March]] [[1945 (people)|1945]]<ref>[http://guide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?name=GraemeHarper Doctor Who Guide]</ref> in [[London]]) has [[Director (crew)|directed]] several ''[[Doctor Who]]'' television stories, being the first (and only) [[Director (crew)|director]] of stories in both the classic 1963-1989 series of ''Doctor Who'' and the 2005 revived series.


He also has an uncredited onscreen appearance in ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'' as one of the faces of [[the Doctor]] during the mindbending contest.
Before becoming a director, he was [[Assistant Floor Manager|assistant floor manager]] for ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]'', ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'' (with [[John Cook]] and [[Sue Hedden]]) and ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]''. He was also [[Production Assistant|production assistant]] for ''[[The Seeds of Doom (TV story)|The Seeds of Doom]]'' and ''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]''. His directorial credits include episodes of the spin-off series ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''. The first ''Doctor Who'' story that he directed was ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'', although he also performed uncredited directorial work on ''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]'' during the short period where credited director [[Paul Joyce]] was fired from production.<ref>[[DWM 380]], ''[[Doctor Who The Handbook: The Fourth Doctor]]''</ref>


He has written about his experiences in directing ''Doctor Who'' in his book, ''[[Calling the Shots]]'', co-written with [[Adrian Rigelsford]].
His work on ''The Caves of Androzani'' was notable for his highly innovative directorial style at the time. Unlike his predecessors, who would observe filming from a booth and relay their instructions via the production assistant on the floor, Harper would work from the actual set, giving instructions to the actors in person. Additionally, Harper utilised more diverse and cinematic shots, offering freer and more dynamic camera control in filming. His energetic, personal style of directing was widely praised by the show's staff and audience, with [[Peter Davison]] himself stating that he would've stayed on the show longer had Harper's methods been more prevalent throughout his tenure ([[DCOM]]: ''The Caves of Androzani'').


==The "Harper treatment"==
[[File:Graham Harper.jpg|thumb|left|Harper during the filming of ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'']]
Graeme Harper has penchant for including a distorted image of a main character in most of the stories he has directed for BBC Wales. Though this does not appear in all of the stories, it has occurred often enough for it to be considered something of a directorial "signature". Characters are seen through magnifying glasses in ''[[Rise of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'', and ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', reflected in a series of mirrors in ''[[Turn Left]]'', and through a curved window that gives a fish-eye effect in ''[[Journey's End]]''.
 
<gallery>
Harper made an uncredited on-screen appearance in ''[[Colony in Space (TV story)|Colony in Space]]'', where a photograph of him in costume was used to portray [[Martin Jurgens]], the [[Adjudicator]] whose credentials had been stolen by {{Delgado}}. The same photograph was later reused in ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' to portray a [[The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)|past incarnation of the Doctor]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/NNp4TKQGdcDpbL5S1txB7s/the-fourth-dimension The Fourth Dimension - The Brain of Morbius], [[BBC One]]</ref><ref>[https://www.patreon.com/posts/forgotten-lives-42809147 research] by [[Paul Hanley]]</ref>
file:MagnifiedDoctor.jpg|[[Army of Ghosts]]
 
file:42_Martha_distorted.JPG|[[42]]
[[John Nathan-Turner]] originally wanted Harper to direct ''[[Yellow Fever and How to Cure It (TV story)|Yellow Fever and How to Cure It]]'', an episode penned by [[Robert Holmes]] to be part of [[Season 23 (Doctor Who 1963)|season 23]]. However, the episode was abandoned when the show was put on hiatus. ([[INFO]]: ''[[The Mysterious Planet (TV story)|The Mysterious Planet]]'')
file:MagnifiedMaster.jpg|[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]
 
file:DonnaEyeMagnified.jpg|[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]
In [[1993 (production)|1993]], he had begun work to direct the planned 30th Anniversary film ''[[The Dark Dimension (TV story)|Lost in the Dark Dimension]]'', [[Writer|written]] by [[Adrian Rigelsford]]. The film was eventually cancelled, much to Harper's dismay. [[Gary Russell]] named Harper as his preferred director for an imagined scenario in which his [[1995 (releases)|1995]] [[Virgin Missing Adventures]] novel, ''[[Invasion of the Cat-People (novel)|Invasion of the Cat-People]]'', had been a televised story.
file:DonnaReflected.jpg|[[Turn Left]]
 
file:MickeyJackieSJSWarped.jpg|[[Journey's End]]
Harper has written about his experiences in directing ''Doctor Who'' in his book, ''[[Calling the Shots]]'', co-written with Rigelsford.
 
== The "Harper treatment" ==
Graeme Harper's trademark is including a distorted image of a main character in most of the stories he has directed. It has occurred often enough for it to be considered something of a directorial "signature". Characters are seen through magnifying glasses in ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]'', ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'', ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'' and ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]'', seen in reflections in ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]'' and ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'' and through a curved window that gives a fish-eye effect in ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''.
<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
File:MagnifiedDoctor.jpg|''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]''
File:42_Martha_distorted.JPG|''[[42 (TV story)|42]]''
File:MagnifiedMaster.jpg|''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''
File:DonnaEyeMagnified.jpg|''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]''
File:DonnaReflected.jpg|''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]''
File:MickeyJackieSJSWarped.jpg|''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Selected credits==
== Credits ==
===[[Director]]===
=== ''Doctor Who'' ===
====[[Doctor Who]]====
* ''[[Warriors' Gate (TV story)|Warriors' Gate]]'' (uncredited, partial contribution) ([[DWM 380]])
*[[Warrior's Gate|Warriors' Gate]] (uncredited)
* ''[[The Caves of Androzani (TV story)|The Caves of Androzani]]''
*[[The Caves of Androzani]]
* ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]''
*[[Revelation of the Daleks]]
* ''[[Rise of the Cybermen (TV story)|Rise of the Cybermen]]/[[The Age of Steel (TV story)|The Age of Steel]]''
*[[Rise of the Cybermen]] / [[The Age of Steel]]
* ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]/[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]''
*[[Army of Ghosts]] / [[Doomsday]]
* ''[[42 (TV story)|42]]''
*[[42]]
* ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''
*[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]
* ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]] (''uncredited'', ''partial contribution'')''
*[[Time Crash]]
* ''[[Time Crash (TV story)|Time Crash]]''
*[[Planet of the Ood]]
* ''[[Partners in Crime (TV story)|Partners In Crime]]'' (uncredited, partial contribution)
*[[The Unicorn and the Wasp]]
* ''[[Planet of the Ood (TV story)|Planet of the Ood]]''
*[[Turn Left]]
* ''[[The Unicorn and the Wasp (TV story)|The Unicorn and the Wasp]]''
*[[The Stolen Earth]] / [[Journey's End]]
* ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]''
*[[The Waters of Mars]]
* ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]/[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''
* ''[[The Waters of Mars (TV story)|The Waters of Mars]]''
 
=== ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' ===
* ''[[Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? (TV story)|Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?]]''
* ''[[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith (TV story)|The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith]]''
* ''[[Enemy of the Bane (TV story)|Enemy of the Bane]]''
 
=== Unproduced stories ===
* ''[[Yellow Fever and How to Cure It (TV story)|Yellow Fever and How to Cure It]]''
* ''[[The Dark Dimension (TV story)|The Dark Dimension]]''
 
=== Documentary appearances ===
* ''[[IMC Needs You! (documentary)|IMC Needs You!]]''
* ''[[Direct Route (documentary)|Direct Route]]''
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=0363865}}
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{NameSort}}


====[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]====
*[[Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?]]
*[[The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith]]
*[[Enemy of the Bane]]
{{wikipediainfo}}
==External links==
*{{imdb name|id=0363865|name=Graeme Harper}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Graeme}}
[[fr:Graeme Harper]]
[[fr:Graeme Harper]]
{{NameSort}}
 
[[Category:Doctor Who directors|Harper, Graeme]]
[[Category:Doctor Who directors]]
[[Category:SJA directors|Harper, Graeme]]
[[Category:SJA directors]]
[[Category:Worked on 1963 and 2005 versions of Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Worked on 1963 and 2005 versions of Doctor Who]]
[[Category:Worked on EastEnders|Harper, Graeme]]
[[Category:Crew members interviewed on Doctor Who Confidential|Harper, Graeme]]
[[Category:Doctor Who floor managers]]
[[Category:Doctor Who floor managers]]
[[Category:Doctor Who production assistants]]
[[Category:Doctor Who production assistants]]
[[Category:Doctor Who uncredited cast]]
[[Category:Hugo award winners]]
[[Category:BAFTA award winners]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed The Doctor (The Brain of Morbius)]]
[[Category:Directors interviewed on Doctor Who Confidential]]
[[Category:Directors interviewed on Toby Hadoke's Who's Round]]

Latest revision as of 20:34, 3 November 2024

RealWorld.png

Graeme Harper (born 11 March 1945[1] in London) has directed several Doctor Who television stories, being the first (and only) director of stories in both the classic 1963-1989 series of Doctor Who and the 2005 revived series.

Before becoming a director, he was assistant floor manager for Colony in Space, Planet of the Daleks (with John Cook and Sue Hedden) and Planet of the Spiders. He was also production assistant for The Seeds of Doom and Warriors' Gate. His directorial credits include episodes of the spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. The first Doctor Who story that he directed was The Caves of Androzani, although he also performed uncredited directorial work on Warriors' Gate during the short period where credited director Paul Joyce was fired from production.[2]

His work on The Caves of Androzani was notable for his highly innovative directorial style at the time. Unlike his predecessors, who would observe filming from a booth and relay their instructions via the production assistant on the floor, Harper would work from the actual set, giving instructions to the actors in person. Additionally, Harper utilised more diverse and cinematic shots, offering freer and more dynamic camera control in filming. His energetic, personal style of directing was widely praised by the show's staff and audience, with Peter Davison himself stating that he would've stayed on the show longer had Harper's methods been more prevalent throughout his tenure (DCOM: The Caves of Androzani).

Harper during the filming of The Caves of Androzani

Harper made an uncredited on-screen appearance in Colony in Space, where a photograph of him in costume was used to portray Martin Jurgens, the Adjudicator whose credentials had been stolen by the Master. The same photograph was later reused in The Brain of Morbius to portray a past incarnation of the Doctor.[3][4]

John Nathan-Turner originally wanted Harper to direct Yellow Fever and How to Cure It, an episode penned by Robert Holmes to be part of season 23. However, the episode was abandoned when the show was put on hiatus. (INFO: The Mysterious Planet)

In 1993, he had begun work to direct the planned 30th Anniversary film Lost in the Dark Dimension, written by Adrian Rigelsford. The film was eventually cancelled, much to Harper's dismay. Gary Russell named Harper as his preferred director for an imagined scenario in which his 1995 Virgin Missing Adventures novel, Invasion of the Cat-People, had been a televised story.

Harper has written about his experiences in directing Doctor Who in his book, Calling the Shots, co-written with Rigelsford.

The "Harper treatment"[[edit] | [edit source]]

Graeme Harper's trademark is including a distorted image of a main character in most of the stories he has directed. It has occurred often enough for it to be considered something of a directorial "signature". Characters are seen through magnifying glasses in Rise of the Cybermen, Army of Ghosts, Utopia and The Unicorn and the Wasp, seen in reflections in The Caves of Androzani and Turn Left and through a curved window that gives a fish-eye effect in Journey's End.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Sarah Jane Adventures[[edit] | [edit source]]

Unproduced stories[[edit] | [edit source]]

Documentary appearances[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]