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{{Short description|English television director and producer}}
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{{other people5|Lawrence Clarke (disambiguation){{!}}Lawrence Clarke|Laurence Clark (disambiguation){{!}}Laurence Clark}}
{{BLP IMDb refimprove|only=yes|date=March 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{other people5|Lawrence Clarke (disambiguation){{!}}Lawrence Clarke|Laurence Clark (disambiguation){{!}}Laurence Clark}}{{Multiple issues|
{{Notability|Biographies|date=April 2020}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2020}}
}}


{{Infobox person
'''Lawrence Gordon Clark''', also known as '''Laurence Gordon-Clark''', is an English television director and producer, perhaps best known for his ''[[A Ghost Story for Christmas]]'' series of mostly [[M.R. James]] ghost stories, which were broadcast annually by the [[BBC]] throughout the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/interviews/ghosts-christmas-past-mr-james-lawrence-gordon-clark|title=Ghosts of Christmas past: M.R. James, Lawrence Gordon Clark and ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’|website=British Film Institute}}</ref>
| name = Lawrence Gordon Clark
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|06|15}}
| occupation = [[Television director]], [[Television producer]], [[Screenwriter]], [[Author]]
| years_active = 1964–present
| notable_works = ''[[A Ghost Story for Christmas]]'', ''[[Casting the Runes (television drama)|Casting the Runes]]''
| website = https://www.lawrencegordonclark.com/
}}


'''Lawrence Gordon Clark''' is an English [[television director]] and [[Television producer|producer]], [[screenwriter]], and [[author]], best known for creating the [[Supernatural film|supernatural]] [[anthology series]] ''[[A Ghost Story for Christmas]]'', which originally aired on [[BBC One]] from 1971–1978, with Clark directing all but the final instalment as well as writing and producing the first two, ''[[The Stalls of Barchester]]'' (1971) and ''[[A Warning to the Curious (film)|A Warning to the Curious]]'' (1972).<ref>{{cite web |date=30 June 2015 |title=Ghosts of Christmas past: M. R. James, Lawrence Gordon Clark and 'A Ghost Story for Christmas' |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/interviews/ghosts-christmas-past-mr-james-lawrence-gordon-clark |website=British Film Institute}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-02-05 |title=Who is Lawrence Gordon Clark? |url=https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/lawrence-gordon-clark/ |access-date=2020-04-20 |website=This Is Horror |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=An Interview with Lawrence Gordon Clark, Master of Ghostly Horror {{!}} Smug Film (1/7/13 – 12/19/16) |url=https://smugfilm.com/an-interview-with-lawrence-gordon-clark/ |access-date=2020-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> The first five of these were based on the [[Ghost story|ghost stories]] of [[M. R. James]], as was ''[[Casting the Runes (television drama)|Casting the Runes]]'' (1979) which he directed for the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] anthology series ''[[Playhouse (British TV series)|Playhouse]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Casting the Runes (1979) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6fd5d487 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230034043/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6fd5d487 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |website=BFI}}</ref>
These are:
*''[[The Stalls of Barchester]]'' (1971)
*''[[A Warning to the Curious]]'' (1972)
*''[[Lost Hearts]]'' (1973)
* ''[[The Treasure of Abbot Thomas]]'' (1974)
*''[[The Ash Tree]]'' (1975)
*''[[The Signal-Man|The Signalman]]'' (1976)
*''Stigma'' (1977)


He also directed two other ghost stories: an adaptation of James' ''Casting The Runes'' in 1979 for [[Yorkshire Television]], and an adaptation of K. M. Peyton's novel [[A Pattern of Roses]] in 1983, which was the acting debut of [[Helena Bonham-Carter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6fd5d487|title=Casting the Runes (1979)|website=BFI}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b755913f9|title=A Pattern of Roses (1983)|website=BFI}}</ref> Elsewhere, Clark has directed four episodes of the 1979 series ''[[Flambards (TV series)|Flambards]]'', which starred [[Christine McKenna]], and later went on to be a director of continuing dramas for BBC One including ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'', ''[[Pie in the Sky (TV series)|Pie in the Sky]]'' and ''[[Dangerfield (TV series)|Dangerfield]]''.
He began his career in [[Television documentary|documentary]] at the [[BBC]], directing episodes of the series ''The Human Side'' (1964–1965)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Human Side (1964–1965) Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4887692/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=[[IMDB]]}}</ref> and ''Six Sides of a Square'' (1966)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Six Sides Of A Square (1966) Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10953256/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=[[IMDB]]}}</ref> before being inspired by [[Jonathan Miller]]'s ''[[Whistle and I'll Come to You (Omnibus)|Whistle and I'll Come to You]]'' (1968) to create ''A Ghost Story for Christmas''. His other directing credits include the miniseries ''[[Harry's Game]]'' (1982) and ''[[Jamaica Inn (1983 TV series)|Jamaica Inn]]'' (1983), ''A Pattern of Roses'' (1983),<ref>{{cite web |title=A Pattern of Roses (1983) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b755913f9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230073121/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b755913f9 |archive-date=30 December 2018 |website=BFI}}</ref> two TV movies in the [[Spy film|espionage]] series ''[[Frederick Forsyth Presents]]'' (1989–1990), and episodes of ''[[Flambards (TV series)|Flambards]]'', ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'', ''[[Pie in the Sky (TV series)|Pie in the Sky]]'', and ''[[Dangerfield (TV series)|Dangerfield]]''.


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A collection of Clark's original short stories entitled ''Telling Stories'' was published late 2011 by Avalard Publishing.<ref>{{cite news | title= Coming Winter 2011: Two Chilling Books By Lawrence Gordon Clakr| date= 4 June 2011| url = http://publishing.avalard.com/?p=38| work = Avalard Publishing| accessdate = 6 June 2011 }}</ref>
In the 1980s he directed every episode of the television series ''[[Harry's Game]]'' (1982) and ''[[Jamaica Inn (1983 TV series)|Jamaica Inn]]'' (1983), and in the 1990s two spy films in the ''[[Frederick Forsyth Presents]]'' series, as well as two more spy firms based on [[Jack Higgins]]'s novels - ''Midnight Man'' (1996) and ''[[On Dangerous Ground]]'' (1997).


For his work on ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'', Clark is regarded as one of the greatest British [[Horror film|horror]] directors.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1: Disc 3: Commentary for Lost Hearts |date=2022-12-05 |last=Newman |first=Kim |last2=Hogan |first2=Sean |type=DVD |publisher=BFI |orig-date=''Lost Hearts'', first broadcast December 25, 1973 |quote=Lawrence Gordon Clark as kind of a slightly unsung, you, know, horror, UK horror director - - Oh, absolutely.}}</ref> Additionally, he has been described as an auteur for his level of creative control on the first two instalments<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1: Disc 3: Commentary for Lost Hearts |date=2022-12-05 |last=Newman |first=Kim |last2=Hogan |first2=Sean |type=DVD |publisher=BFI |orig-date=''Lost Hearts'', first broadcast December 25, 1973 |quote=Yeah, although as you say, this is kind of the moment where the series slightly pivots away from what it was where, Lawrence Gordon Clarke was, was kind of the auteur of the series, he was the writer, the producer, the director, and now with Lost Hearts it, it, was initially the series was under the umbrella of the documentary department, and now it comes under the head of the drama department, and all of a sudden he's kept on a slightly tighter leash and isn't permitted to write his own scripts anymore.}}</ref> and for setting the standard of the series being shot entirely on location on [[16 mm film|16mm film]].
⚫
A collection of Clark's original short stories entitled ''Telling Stories'' was published late 2011 by Avalard Publishing.<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title= Coming Winter 2011: Two Chilling Books By Lawrence Gordon Clakr| date= 4 June 2011| publisher= | url = http://publishing.avalard.com/?p=38| work = Avalard Publishing| pages = | accessdate = 6 June 2011 | language = }}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
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==External links==
==External links==
*{{imdb name|0164196}}
*{{IMDb name|0164196}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Lawrence Gordon}}
[[Category:British television directors]]
[[Category:English television directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Latest revision as of 07:07, 5 August 2024

For other people with similar names, see Lawrence Clarke and Laurence Clark.
Lawrence Gordon Clark
Born (1938-06-15) June 15, 1938 (age 86)
Occupation(s)Television director, Television producer, Screenwriter, Author
Years active1964–present
Notable workA Ghost Story for Christmas, Casting the Runes
Websitehttps://www.lawrencegordonclark.com/

Lawrence Gordon Clark is an English television director and producer, screenwriter, and author, best known for creating the supernatural anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas, which originally aired on BBC One from 1971–1978, with Clark directing all but the final instalment as well as writing and producing the first two, The Stalls of Barchester (1971) and A Warning to the Curious (1972).[1][2][3] The first five of these were based on the ghost stories of M. R. James, as was Casting the Runes (1979) which he directed for the ITV drama anthology series Playhouse.[4]

He began his career in documentary at the BBC, directing episodes of the series The Human Side (1964–1965)[5] and Six Sides of a Square (1966)[6] before being inspired by Jonathan Miller's Whistle and I'll Come to You (1968) to create A Ghost Story for Christmas. His other directing credits include the miniseries Harry's Game (1982) and Jamaica Inn (1983), A Pattern of Roses (1983),[7] two TV movies in the espionage series Frederick Forsyth Presents (1989–1990), and episodes of Flambards, Casualty, Pie in the Sky, and Dangerfield.

A collection of Clark's original short stories entitled Telling Stories was published late 2011 by Avalard Publishing.[8]

For his work on A Ghost Story for Christmas, Clark is regarded as one of the greatest British horror directors.[9] Additionally, he has been described as an auteur for his level of creative control on the first two instalments[10] and for setting the standard of the series being shot entirely on location on 16mm film.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ghosts of Christmas past: M. R. James, Lawrence Gordon Clark and 'A Ghost Story for Christmas'". British Film Institute. 30 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Who is Lawrence Gordon Clark?". This Is Horror. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. ^ "An Interview with Lawrence Gordon Clark, Master of Ghostly Horror | Smug Film (1/7/13 – 12/19/16)". Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Casting the Runes (1979)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
  5. ^ "The Human Side (1964–1965) Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Six Sides Of A Square (1966) Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  7. ^ "A Pattern of Roses (1983)". BFI. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Coming Winter 2011: Two Chilling Books By Lawrence Gordon Clakr". Avalard Publishing. 4 June 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  9. ^ Newman, Kim; Hogan, Sean (5 December 2022) [Lost Hearts, first broadcast December 25, 1973]. Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1: Disc 3: Commentary for Lost Hearts (DVD). BFI. Lawrence Gordon Clark as kind of a slightly unsung, you, know, horror, UK horror director - - Oh, absolutely.
  10. ^ Newman, Kim; Hogan, Sean (5 December 2022) [Lost Hearts, first broadcast December 25, 1973]. Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 1: Disc 3: Commentary for Lost Hearts (DVD). BFI. Yeah, although as you say, this is kind of the moment where the series slightly pivots away from what it was where, Lawrence Gordon Clarke was, was kind of the auteur of the series, he was the writer, the producer, the director, and now with Lost Hearts it, it, was initially the series was under the umbrella of the documentary department, and now it comes under the head of the drama department, and all of a sudden he's kept on a slightly tighter leash and isn't permitted to write his own scripts anymore.
[edit]


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