Derek Wax is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

television executive producer. His work includes '' The Rig'', ''

The Sixth Commandment ''The Sixth Commandment'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring William Faversham. Plot John Brant, a devoted minister, is in love with Marian Calhoun, but must keep it a secret because she is engaged to ...

'', ''

Sex Traffic ''Sex Traffic'' is a two-part British-Canadian television thriller, written by Abi Morgan and directed by David Yates, that first broadcast on Channel 4 on 14 October 2004. The series, produced by Veronica Castillo and Derek Wax, stars John ...

'', '' Occupation'', '' The Hour,'' '' Troy: Fall of a City,'' ''

Capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

,'' ''

Humans Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'', '' Lip Service,'' '' Tsunami: The Aftermath'' and '' From There to Here''. He was a producer at

Granada TV ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

from 2001 to 2005 and an Executive Producer at

Kudos Kudos may refer to: * ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games * Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company * Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers in '' The Alge ...

from 2005 to 2017. Wax started his career working in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based theatres before moving to the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

to work in television production. He was an Executive Producer at Kudos from 2005 to 2017. He left Kudos to launch his new label Wild Mercury Productions in 2017. Wax's first major work came as a producer of the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

-nominated drama ''Flesh and Blood'' for

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

in 2002. This was followed by the Channel 4 series ''

'', which won a number of BAFTA awards including Best Serial, also the

RTS award The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

for Best Mini Series, and the

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

. His first role as an executive producer came on the BBC and

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

mini-series, '' Tsunami: The Aftermath''. In 2009, he produced the BAFTA and Prix Europa-winning BBC mini-series, '' Occupation''. Since then he has been executive producer on the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

-winning and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

-nominated '' The Hour''. In 2015, Wax was executive producer of the BBC miniseries ''Capital''. Between 2014 and 2018, he was executive producer of three seasons of

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

and

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

series ''

''. In 2020 he was announced as executive producer of the Amazon original series '' The Rig','' and of mini series ''

'' for

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

Early life and education

Wax was educated at

Manchester Grammar School The Manchester Grammar School (MGS) is a highly Selective school, selective Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom, private day school for boys aged 7-18 in Manchester, England, which was founded in 1515 by Hugh Oldham (then Bishop of Exeter). ...

and graduated from

Balliol College Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and ar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

with a degree in English Language and Literature. His brother Kenny Wax is a theatre producer, whose productions include ''

The Play That Goes Wrong ''The Play That Goes Wrong'' is a play by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields of Mischief Theatre Company. The story follows a performance of a murder mystery, where the ill-fated theatre company encounters numerous mishaps. The ...

'' and '' Six the Musical''.

Directing career

Theatre

His career began in theatre, starting as an assistant director at the

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ri ...

and

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

on a production of Chekhov's '' Three Sisters''. He was a staff director at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

in 1989 and 1990, before working at a number of

-based theatres where he directed numerous plays, including Ivan Klíma's ''Games'' at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

, ''Patrick's Day'' at the

Battersea Arts Centre The Battersea Arts Centre ("BAC") is a performance space specialising in Theater, theatre productions. Located near Clapham Junction railway station in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, it was formerly Battersea Town Hall. It is a ...

, ''No Remission'' at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith and ''The Life of the World to Come'' at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

Television

His TV career began in 1995 when he moved to BBC Drama Series and Serials as a

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

editor. He script edited the two-part

Minette Walters Minette Caroline Mary Walters Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 26 September 1949) is an English writer. Life and work Walters was born in Bishop's Stortford in 1949 to Samuel Jebb and Colleen Jebb. As her father was a serving army officer, the f ...

serial ''The Ice House'' and the Stella Tillyard

/ WGBH mini-series ''Aristocrats''. His debut as a TV producer came on the BBC series ''Waiting for the Whistle'', which aired on

BBC Choice BBC Choice was a British digital television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first United Kingdom, British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in Digital television, digital format, as well as t ...

. For the series he directed the TV film ''The King and Us'', which was written by

Peter Bowker Peter Bowker (born 5 January 1959) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the television serials ''Blackpool (TV series), Blackpool'' (2004), a musical drama about a shady casino owner in the Northern England, north of En ...

and starred

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably the Ninth Doctor, ni ...

Siobhan Finneran Siobhan Margaret Finneran (born 27 April 1966) is an English actress. She made her screen debut in the independant film '' Rita, Sue and Bob Too'' (1986) and subsequently worked consistently in television drama including roles in ''Coronation St ...

and Eddie Large.The film covered the story of

Denis Law Denis Law (24 February 1940 – 17 January 2025) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchest ...

's goal that relegated

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

from the First Division in 1974. Shortly after working on ''The King and Us'', Wax left the BBC to join

Granada television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

as a producer, while also working with

Red Production Company Red Production Company Limited was a British independent television drama production company that was founded by Nicola Shindler and owned by French production & distribution company StudioCanal. Background Red Production Company was formed i ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. In 2001, he worked on a collaborative project for Red Productions and BBC Serials, which aired on

. The single film, ''Flesh and Blood'', was written by Peter Bowker, directed by

Julian Farino Julian Farino (born 12 December 1965) is an English film and television producer and director. He is most well-known for directing much of the first three seasons of the HBO series '' Entourage''. Career Farino was born and raised in London a ...

and starred

. It received a number of awards including a BAFTA nomination for Best Single Drama. Within the 12 months of its release, it won the Prix Europa for European Fiction Film of the year. Domestically, it also received

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

awards, with Best Writer and Best Actor awards going to Peter Bowker and Christopher Eccleston respectively. In 2002, Wax produced Sally Wainwright's three-part mini-series '' Sparkhouse'' for Red Productions and

. While at Granada, he worked as a script executive on '' Hornblower'' and also ''

Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by the English writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is Christie's most famous and longest-running character, appearing in 33 novels, two plays (''Black Coffee (play), Black Coffee'' and '' ...

''. The third season of '' Hornblower'' also received an Emmy nomination. Wax developed and produced for Granada the 2004

and

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, ''

''. The two-part thriller, written by Abi Morgan, directed by

David Yates David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English filmmaker, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the Harry Potter (film series), ''Harry Potter'' series ...

and starring

Anamaria Marinca Anamaria Marinca (born 1 April 1978) is a Romanian actress. She made her screen debut with the Channel 4 film ''Sex Traffic'', for which she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. Marinca is also known for her performance in ...

and

John Simm John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Sam Tyler in ''Life on Mars'', the Master in ''Doctor Who,'' and DS Roy Grace in ''Grace.'' His other television credits include '' ...

, told the story of two girls trafficked from

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

to Britain and explored both the social and political aspects of

trafficking Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

. The show won the 2005 BAFTA award for Best Drama Serial, and won eight of the 15 BAFTA production awards on offer. It also won four RTS Awards. He joined the British production company

in 2005. His first role as executive producer was on the mini-series '' Tsunami: The Aftermath''. The show starred

Tim Roth Timothy Simon Roth (; born 14 May 1961) is an English actor. He was among a group of prominent British actors known as the " Brit Pack". After garnering attention in television productions '' Made in Britain'' (1982) and '' Meantime'' (1983), ...

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Laurence Olivier Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emm ...

and

Toni Collette Toni Collette (born Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television, blockbusters and independent films, her accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, wit ...

, and was directed by

Bharat Nalluri Bharat Nalluri (born 1965) is a British–Indian film and television director. Personal life Nalluri was born in India. He moved to England at a young age with his family and grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he attended the Royal Grammar ...

. It aired on both the BBC and

. Wax was the executive producer on the single drama '' West 10 LDN'', written by

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is an English actor, writer, director and producer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010), he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and ...

and directed by

Menhaj Huda Menhaj Huda (born 20 March 1967) is a Bangladesh-born British film and television director and producer best known for the film '' Kidulthood''. Career Huda's first directing job was the 1993 television series ''Hypnosis''. He directed ''Jump B ...

for

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

in 2008. He also worked as executive producer on the Channel 4 sitcom ''Plus One'', in 2009, starring

Daniel Mays Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor having had television roles in ''EastEnders'' (2000), ''Rehab'' (2005), '' Red Riding'' (2008), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2010), '' Outcasts'' (2011), '' Mrs Biggs'', ''Line of Duty'', '' Des'' ...

, Nigel Harman,

Ingrid Oliver Ingrid Oliver (born 25 February 1977) is a British actress and comedian, and one half of the comic double act '' Watson & Oliver''. She played Petronella Osgood, a supporting character in the BBC television series ''Doctor Who''. Career Oliver ...

and Steve John Shepherd. Also broadcast on BBC One in 2009, Wax executive produced the three-part drama series, '' Occupation'', working with writer Peter Bowker. The drama traced the fraught interwoven journeys of three British soldiers who take part in the invasion of Iraq and then return to Manchester, before being drawn back to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

. The drama featured

James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994). ...

Stephen Graham Stephen Graham (born 3 August 1973) is an English actor and film producer. He began his career in 1990, with early notable roles in '' Snatch'' (2000) and ''Gangs of New York'' (2002), before his breakthrough role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne ...

and Warren Brown, and was directed by Nick Murphy. A year later, ''Occupation'' won the 2010 BAFTA award for Best Drama Serial, a

Prix Europa PRIX EUROPA – The European Broadcasting Festival – is Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. The event takes place in the third week of October in Berlin, Germany. PRIX EUROPA awards the best European Televisi ...

award for Best European Series and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Serial. Later in 2010, Wax executive produced two seasons of the Harriet Braun created, Glasgow-based TV show, '' Lip Service'', which aired on BBC Three. Starring

Fiona Button Fiona Button is an English actress. She is best known for playing Rose Defoe in '' The Split''. Early life and education Button was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and grew up in Newbury, Berkshire. She made her professional stage debut at th ...

, Heather Peace, Ruta Gedmintas,

Emun Elliott Emun Elliott (born 28 November 1983) is a Scottish actor, known for portraying Dr. Christian King in ''Paradox'', Richie in ''Threesome'', John Moray in '' The Paradise'', Kenny in ''Guilt'', and Tony Brightwell in The Gold. Background Elliot ...

, Natasha O'Keefe,

Laura Fraser Laura Fraser (born 24 July 1975) is a Scottish actress. She has played Door in the urban fantasy series ''Neverwhere'' (1996), Kate in the film '' A Knight's Tale'' (2001), Cat MacKenzie in the BBC Three drama series '' Lip Service'' (2010–20 ...

and Neve Mackintosh. In 2011, Wax executive produced the

Abi Morgan Abigail Louise Morgan (born December 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as '' Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films ''Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', ''Shame'' and ''Suffragette''. ...

written drama series, '' The Hour'', set in a BBC newsroom during the 1956 Suez crisis. Starring

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director, producer, and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (20 ...

Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Whishaw, various accolades, including three British Academy Television Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...

Anna Chancellor Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is an English actress who has appeared widely on TV, film and in the theatre. She received a nomination for BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lix Storm in '' The Hour'' (201 ...

Oona Chaplin Oona Castilla Chaplin (; born 4 June 1986) is a Spanish-Swiss-British actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series ''Game of Thrones'', Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama '' The Crimson Field'', and Zilpha Geary in the series ...

and

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...

. It was broadcast on

and

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series). Unlike the BBC's ...

. It was commissioned for a second series but cancelled after the second series was transmitted. ''The Hour'' was also nominated for Best Mini-Series at the 70th Golden Globe Awards. Abi Morgan later won the

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

for Outstanding Writing in a Mini-Series. Wax teamed up with

in 2014 for the three-part mini-series about the IRA bombing in Manchester, which was titled '' From There to Here''. The drama starred

Philip Glenister Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William Bell ...

Morven Christie Morven Christie is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama '' The A Word,'' Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama ''Grantchester'', and Detective Sergeant Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series '' The Bay.'' ...

Bernard Hill Bernard Hill (17 December 1944 – 5 May 2024) was an English actor. He was known for his versatile roles in both television and film, and his career spanned over fifty years. Hill first gained prominence as the troubled hard man Yosser Hughes ...

Steven Mackintosh Steven Mackintosh (born 30 April 1967) is an English actor and narrator. He is perhaps best known for his role as List of Underworld characters#Andreas Tanis, Andreas Tanis in the action horror films ''Underworld: Evolution'' (2006) and ''Unde ...

Saskia Reeves Saskia Reeves (born 16 August 1961) is a British actress, known for her roles in films including '' Close My Eyes'' (1991) , ''I.D.'' (1995), and '' Our Kind of Traitor'' (2016), in the 2000 miniseries '' Frank Herbert's Dune'', and in TV seri ...

, Liz White and

Daniel Rigby Daniel Rigby (born 6 December 1982) is an English actor and comedian. He received a BAFTA TV Award for his leading role as Eric Morecambe in the 2011 BBC television film '' Eric and Ernie''. Early life Rigby was born in Stockport, Greater Ma ...

. Shortly after, Wax worked as executive producer for the Channel 4 and

sci-fi series ''

''. The first series of the show, written by Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley and set in a parallel present, explored the impact of a suburban family who buy a

humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of ...

robot. The show quickly received acclaim in both the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' calling the show the "biggest drama hit in 20 years" for Channel 4. Due to the show's popularity, it was renewed for a second season. In 2015, he was announced as the executive producer on the drama ''

''. It was based on

John Lanchester John Henry Lanchester (born 25 February 1962) is a British journalist and novelist. He was born in Hamburg, brought up in Hong Kong and educated in England; between 1972 and 1980 at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk, then at St John's College, ...

's novel of the same name. The three-part serial was adapted by Peter Bowker for BBC One, was directed by

Euros Lyn Euros Lyn (; born 1971) is a Welsh Film director, film and television director, best known for his work in ''Doctor Who'', ''Sherlock (TV series), Sherlock'', ''Black Mirror'', ''Daredevil (TV series), Daredevil'', ''His Dark Materials (TV seri ...

, and aired in November 2015. It starred

Toby Jones Toby Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. He is known for his extensive character actor roles on stage and screen. From 1989 ...

, Rachel Stirling, Adeel Akhtar, Lesley Sharp, Wunmi Mosaku, and Gemma Jones. The drama won the International

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Best Mini-Series in November 2016. In early 2017, Wax left Kudos to set up the independent production company Wild Mercury under Banijay Group. Wax continued in his executive producer role on Kudos' eight-part second series of ''

'' which aired to critical acclaim on

in October 2016. Humans was recommissioned for a third season in 2017, and aired in June 2018 as a co-production between

and Wild Mercury Productions. Wild Mercury Productions Wax's first production for Wild Mercury was '' Troy: Fall of a City'' for

and

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

, David Farr's retelling of the Trojan War, produced in association with

. Starring Bella Dayne, Louis Hunter,

David Threlfall David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In Ap ...

, David Gyasi,

Jonas Armstrong Jonas Armstrong (born 1 January 1981) is an Irish-English actor who rose to prominence playing the title character on the BBC's ''Robin Hood'' (2006–2009). He has since appeared in miniseries such as '' Dark Angel'' (2016), '' Troy: Fall of a ...

, Lex King, Tom Weston-Jones, Frances O’Connor,

Chloe Pirrie Chloe Pirrie (born 25 August 1987) is a Scottish actress. Her most notable performance was in the film ''Shell'' (2012). Other credits include '' The Game'' (2014), and ''An Inspector Calls'' (2015), '' War & Peace'' (2016), ''Youth'' (2015), ' ...

, and

Joseph Mawle Joseph Daniel Turner Mawle (born 21 March 1974) is an English actor. Mawle is best known for his roles as Jesus Christ in ''The Passion (TV serial), The Passion'' (2008), Benjen Stark in ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2017), Pete in ''Shell (2012 f ...

. The show won the 2019

BAFTA Craft award The British Academy Television Craft Awards is an accolade presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a charitable organisation established in 1947, which: "supports, promotes and develops the art forms of the moving ima ...

for Best Special, Visual & Graphic Effects. In 2020 Wax was announced as executive producer of ''The Rig'', a six-part original supernatural thriller series for

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

, set on an oil rig in the North Sea. Written by David Macpherson, directed by John Strickland, the series was filmed in 2021. Cast included

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the Resident Evil (film series), ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont, Jorah Morm ...

Emily Hampshire Emily Hampshire is a Canadian-American actress. Her best known roles include Angelina in the 1998 romantic comedy ''Boy Meets Girl (1998 film), Boy Meets Girl'', Vivienne in the 2006 film ''Snow Cake'', Jennifer Goines in the Syfy drama series ' ...

Martin Compston Martin Compston is a Scottish actor and former professional footballer. He played Anti-Corruption Unit Detective Inspector Steve Arnott in the BBC drama ''Line of Duty'', Liam in Ken Loach's '' Sweet Sixteen'', Paul Ferris in '' The Wee Man'', ...

Owen Teale Owen Teale (born 20 May 1961) is a Welsh character actor having appeared in many films, including ''Robin Hood'' (1991), '' The Hawk'' (1993), ''King Arthur'' (2004), '' The Last Legion'' (2007), '' Tolkien'' (2019), and '' Dream Horse'' (2020) ...

Mark Bonnar Richard Mark Bonnar (born 19 November 1968) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in ''Guilt (British TV series), Guilt'', Duncan Hunter in ''Shetland (TV series), Shetland'', Bruno Jenkins in ''Casualty (TV series), Casualty'', ...

Rochenda Sandall Rochenda Sandall (born 1988) is a British actress who played Lisa McQueen in the television series ''Line of Duty'', and has featured in other productions including '' Small Axe'' and ''Doctor Who and Amandaland'' Biography Rochenda Sandall ...

Mark Addy Mark Ian Addy is an English actor best known for his roles as DC Gary Boyle in the sitcom '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–96), Andy Richmond in '' Trollied'' (2011–13), King Robert Baratheon in the first season of ''Game of Thrones'' (2011) ...

Calvin Demba Calvin Arron A. Demba is an English actor, writer and director. He is known for his roles in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' (2011–2012), the E4 series ''Youngers'' (2013–2014), and the BBC One drama ''Life'' (2020). Early life Dem ...

r, Molly Vevers, Richard Pepple, Abraham Popoola,

Stuart McQuarrie Stuart McQuarrie (born 19 March 1963) is a Scottish actor who has performed extensively in theatre. In television he has appeared in ''Taggart'' (1990), ''Rab C. Nesbitt'' (1992), ''London's Burning (TV series), London's Burning'' (1994), ''Bug ...

and

. In February 2023 it was announced that ''The Rig'' will be returning for a second series. In 2022 Wax also executive produced ''The Sixth Commandment'', a four-part true crime drama for

, written by

Sarah Phelps Sarah Phelps is a British television screenwriter, radio writer, playwright and television producer. She is best known for her work on ''EastEnders'', a number of BBC serial adaptations including Agatha Christie's ''The Witness for the Prosecuti ...

, directed by

Saul Dibb Saul Dibb (born 18 August 1968) is an English director and screenwriter. His father is the documentary maker Mike Dibb. Born in London, England, Saul Dibb is a graduate of the University of East Anglia. He is best known for co-writing and direc ...

, starring

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. S ...

Éanna Hardwicke Éanna Hardwicke is an Irish actor and filmmaker. He began his career as a child actor in Conor McPherson's '' The Eclipse'' (2009). His films since include '' Lakelands'' (2022). On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC One series '' ...

Anne Reid Anne Reid (born 28 May 1935) is an English stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role as C ...

Annabel Scholey Annabel Scholey (born 1983 or 1984) is an English actress. She has performed extensively on stage and is known for her roles in the BBC supernatural drama '' Being Human'' in 2009 and as Anne-Marie Blake in the true crime drama miniseries '' Th ...

, Ben Bailey Smith,

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

, Connor MacNeil, Amanda Root and

Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in '' The Woman in Black'' (1989) and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in '' Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early ...

Credits

* ''The Ice House'' - Script Editor (1997) * ''Aristocrats'' - Script Writer (1999) * ''Waiting for the Whistle'' - Producer (2001) * ''The King and Us'' - Producer (2002) * '' Sparkhouse'' - Producer (2002) * ''Flesh and Blood'' - Producer (2002) * ''

'' - Producer (2004) * '' Tsunami: The Aftermath'' - Executive Producer (2005) * '' West 10 LDN'' - Executive Producer (2009) * ''Plus One'' – Executive Producer (2009) * '' Occupation'' - Executive Producer (2009) * '' Lip Service'' - Executive Producer (2010-2012) * '' The Hour'' - Executive Producer (2012-2013) * ''From There to Here'' - Executive Producer (2014) * ''

'' - Executive Producer (2015–2018) * ''

'' - Executive Producer (2015) * '' Troy: Fall of a City'' - Executive Producer (2018) * ''The

Rig Rig or RIG may refer to: Objects and structures * Rig (fishing), an arrangement of items used for fishing * Drilling rig, a structure housing equipment used to drill or extract oil from underground * Rig (stage lighting) * rig, a horse-drawn c ...

'' - Executive Producer (2023) * ''

'' - Executive Producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wax, Derek Artists from Manchester Living people British male television writers Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Mass media people from Manchester People educated at Manchester Grammar School