Timothy Combe (born 17 October 1936) is a retired British television director and actor's agent. As a director of

BBC television drama BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importa ...

from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, he worked on series such as ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...

'' and '' The Brothers'', as well as classic serials and plays.

Career

Combe attended the

Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehen ...

in London, where he won the Shakespeare Cup and

Margaret Rutherford Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English actress of stage, film and television. Rutherford came to national attention following World War II in the film adaptations of Noël Coward's ''Blithe Spirit (1945 f ...

Medal. He then joined the BBC in 1962 as an assistant floor manager. He was promoted to become a director in 1968. He directed ''

'', the popular and long-running police drama series, becoming one of the most prolific directors of the series. He also directed two serials in the long-running science fiction series ''

'' when it starred

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

. Although highly regarded as a director by the series' then producer,

Barry Letts Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, ...

, he went over-budget on the second and was not asked to do more as a result. Two classic serials, ''The Early Life of Stephen Hind'' and ''Ballet Shoes'' followed, the latter winning

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 ...

and

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 ...

awards. He was then invited to direct

Angela Huth Angela Huth (born 29 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. Early life and career Huth is the daughter of the actor Harold Huth. She attended Lawnside School, which merged with Malvern St James in 1994. She left school at sixte ...

's first TV play, ''The Summer House'', and

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...

's ''When The Boys Come Out To Play''. After directing episodes of the sixth and seventh series of '' The Brothers'' from 1976, he was asked to act as the BBC producer on ''Golden Soak'', filmed in Australia and one of the first co-productions undertaken by the BBC. After directing ''

Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'', he helped set up the BBC's first venture into video cassette production (VHS). In 1980, he gave up directing in order to become an actor's agent. He later lectured at the Guildford School of Acting for five years, helping graduating students prepare for entry into the business.

Filmography''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors'', by Jerry Roberts (Scarecrow Press, 2009)

*'' The Newcomers'' (1968–69) *'' Doctor Who and the Silurians'' (BBC, 1970) *''Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil'' (BBC, 1971) *'' The Doctors'' (BBC, 1970/71) *''Away from it All'' (BBC, 1973) *''

'' (BBC, 1968-1973) *''Sporting Scenes'' (BBC, 1973) *''The Early Life of Stephen Hind'' (BBC Classic Serial 1974) *'' Ballet Shoes'' (BBC TV Serial 1975). Emmy & BAFTA Awards *'' The Brothers'' (BBC, 1976) *''Rupert'' Christmas Adventure. Westminster Theatre. 1977 *''Golden Soak''. Producer. (six-part series filmed in Australia) *''

'' (BBC, 1976)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Combe, Timothy Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art British television directors British theatre managers and producers Living people 1936 births