Piers Haggard
Encyclopedia
Piers Inigo Haggard is a British
film
and television
director, although he has worked mostly in the latter medium.
He is the great grandnephew of H. Rider Haggard
, the son of the actor Stephen Haggard
and father of the actress Daisy Haggard
.
Haggard began his career directing plays for the anthology drama series Thirty-Minute Theatre in the 1960s, later working on the more prestigious anthology shows Armchair Theatre
(for ITV
) and Play for Today
(for the BBC
). He directed for a variety of programmes throughout the 1970s, such as The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
and Love for Lydia
. In 1971, he directed the feature film Satan's Skin, also known as Blood on Satan's Claw
. He also directed the horror film Venom
.
Probably his best known work came later in the decade. In 1978 he was the director of Dennis Potter
's landmark drama serial Pennies From Heaven for the BBC, and the following year he directed the expensive science-fiction serial Quatermass
, a Euston Films
production for Thames Television
, shown on the ITV network. Both of these productions are available on DVD
, and the Pennies From Heaven release includes an audio commentary from Haggard.
In 1983, Haggard became one of the founder members of the Director's Guild of Great Britain
, which was formed at a meeting of various film and television directors at Ronnie Scott
's Club in London.
More recent work has included the Gerry Anderson
science-fiction series Space Precinct
(1994), the Canadian film Conquest
(1998) and various one-off TV dramas such as Cold Enough For Snow (1997) and The Hunt (2001). He directed Academy Award winners, Vanessa Redgrave
and Maximilian Schell
in the 2006 mini-series, The Shell Seekers
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
director, although he has worked mostly in the latter medium.
He is the great grandnephew of H. Rider Haggard
H. Rider Haggard
Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. He was also involved in agricultural reform around the British Empire...
, the son of the actor Stephen Haggard
Stephen Haggard
- Early life :Haggard was born on March 21, 1911, in Guatemala City, Guatemala and was the son of Sir Godfrey Haggard, a British diplomat and his wife Georgianna Ruel Haggard. He was the grandnephew of H. Rider Haggard, whose sister Virginia Haggard was the companion of the painter Marc Chagall,...
and father of the actress Daisy Haggard
Daisy Haggard
-Family:The daughter of film director Piers Haggard and his wife Anna Slovsky, she was raised and educated in Dulwich, South London at the James Allen's Girls' School.-Career:...
.
Haggard began his career directing plays for the anthology drama series Thirty-Minute Theatre in the 1960s, later working on the more prestigious anthology shows Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
(for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
) and Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
(for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
). He directed for a variety of programmes throughout the 1970s, such as The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (television series)
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is a British television series that was co-produced by Thames Television and originally broadcast on the ITV Network...
and Love for Lydia
Love for Lydia
Love for Lydia is a semi-autobiographical novel written by British author H. E. Bates, first published in 1952.-Plot:Lydia Aspen, a seemingly shy girl from a wealthy but isolated background, is encouraged by her aunts, her new carers, to discover the delights of growing up...
. In 1971, he directed the feature film Satan's Skin, also known as Blood on Satan's Claw
Blood on Satan's Claw
Blood on Satan's Claw is a 1970 British horror film made by Tigon British Film Productions and directed by Piers Haggard. The film was written by Robert Wynne-Simmons, with additions by Piers Haggard, and stars Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden and Barry Andrews...
. He also directed the horror film Venom
Venom (1981 film)
Venom is a 1981 horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson and Sarah Miles.-Plot:A maid , a psychotic chauffer and an international terrorist attempt to kidnap a wealthy ten-year-old boy from his elegant London townhouse...
.
Probably his best known work came later in the decade. In 1978 he was the director of Dennis Potter
Dennis Potter
Dennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
's landmark drama serial Pennies From Heaven for the BBC, and the following year he directed the expensive science-fiction serial Quatermass
Quatermass (TV serial)
Quatermass is a British television science fiction serial produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, Quatermass was written by Nigel Kneale...
, a Euston Films
Euston Films
Euston Films was a British film and television production company. It was a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network...
production for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
, shown on the ITV network. Both of these productions are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, and the Pennies From Heaven release includes an audio commentary from Haggard.
In 1983, Haggard became one of the founder members of the Director's Guild of Great Britain
Director's Guild of Great Britain
The Directors Guild of Great Britain is a professional organization which represents directors across all media, including film, television, theatre, radio, opera, commercials, music videos, corporate film/video and training, documentaries, multimedia and "new technology"...
, which was formed at a meeting of various film and television directors at Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
's Club in London.
More recent work has included the Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
science-fiction series Space Precinct
Space Precinct
Space Precinct is a British television series that aired from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One and later on BBC Two in Britain, and in syndication in North America on the SyFy Channel....
(1994), the Canadian film Conquest
Conquest (1998 film)
Conquest is a 1998 British-Canadian romantic comedy film set in the dying prairie town of Conquest, Saskatchewan, most of whose remaining residents are in their 70s and depressed...
(1998) and various one-off TV dramas such as Cold Enough For Snow (1997) and The Hunt (2001). He directed Academy Award winners, Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
and Maximilian Schell
Maximilian Schell
Maximilian Schell is an Austrian-born Swiss actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Judgment at Nuremberg in 1961...
in the 2006 mini-series, The Shell Seekers
The Shell Seekers (mini-series)
The Shell Seekers is a 2006 mini-series starring Academy Award-winners, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell. The British-German co-production was directed by Piers Haggard. It is an adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's 1987 novel-of-the-same-name and premiered on Germany's ZDF on December 25th,...
.