James Hawes directed several episodes of the first two series of the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who. He won a Welsh BAFTA for his direction of The Christmas Invasion and a Hugo Award for The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances.
He was to be a producer and lead director on Torchwood, but withdrew from these duties to focus on other projects. In particular, he eschewed Torchwood to direct the first few episodes of Merlin, in which he was instrumental in getting the largely young cast ready to shoulder the responsibilities of carrying a prime-time drama.[1]