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Chris Shepherd (born 11 December 1967) is a double BAFTA nominated television/film writer and director. Born in
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
, Liverpool, Lancashire, in 1967. He is mainly known for combining live action with animation. His work fuses comedy with commentary on the darker side of human nature.


Early years

Shepherd's first animation was made in 1989 and it was called ''Safari''. He wanted to make a drama but didn't know any actors, so he made his cast out of
plasticine Plasticine is a putty-like modelling material made from calcium salts, petroleum jelly and aliphatic acids. Though originally a brand name for the British version of the product, it is now applied generically in English as a product category ...
. Using this film he won a place at
University for the Creative Arts The University for the Creative Arts is a specialist art and design university in the south of England. It was formed in 2005 as University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester when the Kent Ins ...
, Farnham. His first job in the industry was as production manager at Speedy Films which was the creative vehicle for director Paul Vester. His writing and commissioned directorial debut came in 1997 with a
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
film called '' The Broken Jaw''. This animated comedy illustrated the plight of a public house after it has been transformed into a fun pub. During the same year he animated the world stare-out championship for
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
comedy sketch show ''
Big Train ''Big Train'' is a British television sketch show created by Arthur Mathews and Graham Linehan. The first series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998, while the second, in which Linehan was not involved, aired in 2002. Overview The series starre ...
''. As well as being the producer on the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
/ MOMI scheme, he also worked as producer with ''
Cramp Twins ''The Cramp Twins'' is an animated television series created by cartoonist Brian Wood based on his 1995 graphic novel of the same name. The show was produced by Sunbow Entertainment (in season 1), Telemagination (in season 2), and TV-Loonland AG, ...
'' creator, Brian Wood, on his
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
film ''School Disco'' and "Bunny Schendler" on her BAFTA nominated "World of Interiors".


Slinky

In 2000 Shepherd set up Slinky Pictures and until its closure in 2010, the company produced many award-winning films and adverts. His 2003 '' Dad's Dead'', commissioned by animate!, featured
Ian Hart Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles are Rabbit in the Channel Four drama miniseries '' One Summer'' (1983), Joe O'Reilly in the biopic ''Michael Collins'' (1996 ...
as its narrator. This was the first collaboration of many with producer and Slinky Pictures co-founder Maria Manton. The film groundbreakingly combined animation with live action in a unique style which led the film to win 25 international awards including Best Short Film at the
British Independent Film Awards The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...
and BAFTA nomination. He directed and co-wrote a spoof general election series with Peter Holmes called ''People's Britain'' for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
in 2001. Other credits include animation on Channel 4 sitcom Nathan Barley and Channel 4 documentary ''Bollocks to Cancer''. 2005 saw him co-write and co-direct with artist
David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Early life and education Shrigley was born 17 September 1968 in Maccles ...
on a second animate! commission called '' Who I Am And What I Want''. The year after '' Silence Is Golden'' won the TCM Classic Shorts Award at the 2006
London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and sho ...
. It was during this period that Shepherd wrote several feature films including: ''Up in Heaven'', Directed by Shepherd, produced by
Nira Park Nira Louise Park (born December 1967) is a British television and film producer. Life and career Park founded award-winning UK film and television production company Big Talk in 1995. She left the company in July 2018 to launch a new produc ...
and Maria Manton for
Film4 Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, i ...
,
Big Talk Productions Big Talk Productions Limited is a British film and television production company founded by Nira Park in 1994. Big Talk was acquired by ITV Studios in 2013. Film Filmography Released Upcoming Critical reception Commercial performance ...
; and ''50% Off'', directed by Shepherd from an idea by him and
David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Early life and education Shrigley was born 17 September 1968 in Maccles ...
for
Warp Films Warp Films is an independent film and television production company based in Sheffield & London, UK. History 2001 – 2012 Warp Films was established by Warp Records founding partners Rob Mitchell and Steve Beckett. It was initially created with ...
. After being caught for five years in the development of ''Up in Heaven'', he vowed to make as many films as he could, regardless of length. There's still a lot of speculation about the progress of his feature film projects which, according to several websites, are still in development. His last Slinky film, '' Bad Night for the Blues,'' won the International Canal+ Award at
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. History In ...
and was transmitted on
BBC HD BBC HD was a 24-hour high-definition television channel provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007 before its discontinuation on 26 March 2013. It broadcast ...
on 27 February 2011. This is the first film in which Shepherd adopted an autobiographical approach without hiding characters involved.


Post Slinky and Random Acts 2011 to 2016

Shepherd's first work after Slinky was a pop promo, ''Falling into Pieces'', for ''Black Casino and the Ghost''. From 2011 saw Shepherd being a guest curator on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's late night arts strand Random Acts. Commissioned by Lupus films he's worked with the likes of
David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Early life and education Shrigley was born 17 September 1968 in Maccles ...
,
Phil Mulloy Phil Mulloy (born 29 August 1948) is an Irish-English animator. He was born in Wallasey, Merseyside and studied both painting and filmmaking. Mulloy worked as a screenwriter and director of live-action films until the late 1980s before becomin ...
and
Fred Deakin Lemon Jelly is a British electronic music duo from London that formed in 1998 and went on hiatus starting in 2008. Since its inception, the band members have always been Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. Lemon Jelly has been nominated for awards l ...
. As well as curating and producing sixty films for the strand he's also directed two. A recreation of a childhood visits to the dentist called "Drillerfiller" and a pop promo for protest singer
Grace Petrie Grace Petrie (, born 24 July 1987) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leicester, England. She was hailed in ''The Guardian'' as "a powerful new songwriting voice" in 2011. Biography Grace Petrie began performing in 2006 as ...
called "Grace Petrie: Rise". Both look at Shepherd's childhood landscape, the first as a memory and the second as a documentary. "Rise" was shot in Anfield in Liverpool just as Shepherd's childhood neighbourhood was being demolished. The film was later included in 2012's Anfield Home Tours as part of the 2up2down project. He also produced a documentary project with ''Tim Brunsden'' called ''Home Sweet Home'' which documented events after a major fire at Shepherd's family home. In 2013 Shepherd wrote and directed a new film called '' The Ringer''. Commissioned by Canal+ and CNC is a coproduction with Polkadot Productions, Autour De Minuit and the Bureau. It stars Kieran Lynn and
John Henshaw John Joseph Henshaw (born August 1950) is a British actor, best known for his roles as Ken Dixon the landlord in ''Early Doors'', Wilf Bradshaw in ''Born and Bred'' and PC Roy Bramwell in '' The Cops.'' Often associated with characters who are ...
. The Ringer saw Shepherd develop his autobiographical approach to his filmmaking, thus led to critical praise and the film winning many film awards. Shepherd revealed in 2018 that the film was inspired by when he met is estranged father Andy Fletcher. He created the film as both an examination of the events and a tribute to his father. The film is dedicated to his father as on the end credits it says "for my Dad". Andy Fletcher died on 19 September 2018. Also in 2013 saw Shepherd collaborate with
Robert Popper Robert Darren Popper (born 23 November 1967) is a British comedy producer, writer, actor, and author, best known as co-creator of the mock BBC documentary '' Look Around You'', and creator of Channel 4's sitcom ''Friday Night Dinner''. He also ...
called Anatole's Island which was voiced by
Peter Serafinowicz Peter Szymon Serafinowicz ( ; born 10 July 1972) is an English actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as the title character in the 2016 live-action series of '' The Tick'', Pete in ''Shaun of the Dead'' (2004) an ...
and Shepherd directed a series of Comedy ''Blaps!'' for Channel 4 with the comedy collective
the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society The Alternative Comedy Memorial Society (ACMS) is a British comedy night, where comedians are invited to perform sets that might not work at more mainstream comedy nights. It was founded by John-Luke Roberts and Thom Tuck at the New Red Lion Theatr ...
. Pop promo collaborations followed with the likes of
Holly Johnson William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he wa ...
, Kurt Wagner, Reverend and The Makers , Lambchop members new electronic band HeCTA and
The Wave Pictures The Wave Pictures are an English rock band consisting of David Tattersall (vocals and guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass guitar) and Jonny Helm (drums). Background The band has its origins in a group called Blind Summit, which David and Franic fo ...
. 2016 saw Shepherd return with another director/writer project for
Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...
called Johnno's Dead a loose sequel to his 2003 classic Dad's Dead. This sequel is set thirteen years after the original was set and starts the same cast. The film has played many international festivals such as Annecy, Clermont Ferrand, Tampere and the film picked up Best British Short Film at the London International Animation Festival held in the Barbican in London.


Joe Orton

In 2017 Shepherd embarked upon a Joe Orton tribute project to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of the playwright. The project was masterminded by Shepherd with Doctor Emma Parker from the
University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...
. It centres around Orton's Edna Welthorpe letters. Orton wrote prank letters of complaint to poke fun at establishment figures such as vicars, companies and sometimes even his own plays. The project funded by the Arts Council England and the University of Leicester has seen many comedy writers such as Alec Baldwin,
David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine '' NME'', his writing credits have included ''On the Hour'', '' ...
, Caroline Moran, Phil Bowker, Arthur Mathews,
Jesse Armstrong Jesse David Armstrong (born 13 December 1970) is a British author, screenwriter, and producer. He is a co-creator of the Channel 4 comedy series ''Peep Show'' (2003–2015) and '' Fresh Meat'' (2011–2016), and the creator of the HBO satirica ...
write new Edna Welthorpe letters. These letters are to be read in two events. The first in
Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
with readings by Robin Ince, John-Luke Roberts and Joe Orton's sister Leonine Orton Barnet. The second is at the Little Theatre in Orton's hometown on the anniversary of Orton's death on 9 August 2017. With readings by Leonie Orton,
Frances Barber Frances Barber (née Brookes, born 13 May 1958) is an English actress. She received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays '' Camille'' (1985), and ''Uncle Vanya'' (1997). Her film appearances include three collaborations with Gar ...
,
David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine '' NME'', his writing credits have included ''On the Hour'', '' ...
and John Shuttleworth. In addition Shepherd has directed a short animated film called
Yours Faithfully Edna Welthorpe (Mrs) __NOTOC__ Yours may refer to: Music Albums * ''Yours'' (Nathaniel album), a 2015 album by Nathaniel Willemse * ''Yours'' (Russell Dickerson album), a 2017 album by Russell Dickerson * ''Yours'' (Sara Gazarek album), a 2005 album by Sara Gazarek ...
which features the voices of
Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as M ...
and
Robin Sebastian Robin Sebastian is a British actor, best known for his portrayals of Kenneth Williams. A native of London, he has played Williams in recreations of ''Round the Horne'' and ''Hancock's Half Hour'' on stage, screen and radio. Personal life Raised i ...
.


Current work

Shepherd directed a short film for Arte France with regular collaborators Autour De Minuit called Brexicuted which premiered in Edinburgh Film Festival on 27 June 2018. and a feature film which he is attached to direct written by
David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine '' NME'', his writing credits have included ''On the Hour'', '' ...
. In 2020 he created animations for
Sara Pascoe Sara Patricia Pascoe (born 22 May 1981) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has appeared on television programmes including ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' for Channel 4, '' QI'' for BBC and '' Taskmaster'' for the digital chan ...
's sitcom with illustrator
Stephen Collins Stephen Weaver Collins (born October 1, 1947) is an American former actor and writer. He is known for playing Eric Camden on the television series '' 7th Heaven'' from 1996 to 2007. Afterwards, Collins played the roles of Dayton King on the ABC ...
for BBC 2 called Out Of Her Mind. Since lockdown Shepherd has frequently mentioned that he’s writing a graphic novel called Anfield Road.


Filmography


References


Sources


Chris Shepherd
at
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Chris 1966 births Living people Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts English dramatists and playwrights English animators English film directors British animated film directors English male dramatists and playwrights