James Strong
Director
Film, TV & Theatre
Film, TV & Theatre
James directed and executive produced the four part drama, MR BATES VS. THE POST OFFICE for ITV Studios. The show has been a phenomenal success, consolidating 16 million streams on ITV X so far, and attracting universal praise. It is ITV’s most watched drama for over a decade and prompted the British Government to commit to remedying the historic injustice portrayed in the series within 10 days of airing.
James also recently finished the feature film, ANNA, for Good Films. The film stars Maxine Peake, Jason Isaacs and Ciaran Hinds and is based on the journalist and human rights activist, Anna Politkovskaya, whose work exposed corruption within Russia under the governance of Vladimir Putin.
Prior to this James directed the FIRE COUNTRY pilot for CBS, which was the channel's most-watched series premiere of Autumn 2022 and was a huge success. A second series is planned. He was also lead director on THE SUSPECT for World Productions and directed the first series of VIGIL (World Productions/BBC 1), the UK’s most watched new drama in three years, which won Best Drama Series at the International Emmy’s and a Scottish BAFTA Best Director Award for James. In 2021, James directed CRIME for Buccaneer/ Britbox; its star, Dougray Scott won an International Emmy and Scottish BAFTA Award for his lead role in the drama.
Other credits include, VANITY FAIR for Mammoth Screen/ Amazon, as well as the hugely successful drama series LIAR for ITV, Bad Robot’s 11.22.63 and several projects for World Productions, including CODE OF A KILLER, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY and UNITED.
James is also known for his work on the BAFTA Award-winning series BROADCHURCH, for which he was BAFTA-nominated for Best Director. He won Best Director at the BAFTA Cymru Awards, 2008, for the DOCTOR WHO Special 'Voyage of the Damned'.
He is also represented by Praveen Pandian, Ted Miller and Jon Cassir at CAA and Jeremy Platt at Grandview in the US, and by Ridley Scott Associates for commercials.
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
MR BATES VS THE POST OFFICE 2023 | ITVS | Director of all four episodes and Executive Producer. |
FIRE COUNTRY 2022 | CBS | Pilot Director and Executive Producer. |
THE SUSPECT 2021 | World Productions | Lead Director. |
CRIME 2021 | Buccaneer/Britbox | Lead Director and Executive Producer. |
VIGIL 2019 - 2020 | World Productions / BBC One | Lead Director and Executive Producer. |
LIAR 2 2019 | Two Brothers/ ITV | Lead Director and Executive Producer. |
2019 | NBC/ Jerry Bruckheimer Television/ Universal TV | Pilot Director and Executive Producer. |
2017 - 2018 | Mammoth/Amazon/ITV | Lead Director and Executive Producer. |
LIAR 2016 - 2017 | ITV/Two Brothers Pictures | Lead Director and Executive Producer. |
DOUBT 2016 | CBS | Director. |
11.22.63 2015 | Bad Robot/ Hulu/ Warner Bros. | Director. |
KINGMAKERS 2015 | ABC Studios | Director. Pilot. |
CODE OF A KILLER 2014 | World Productions/ ITV 1 | Co-creator and Director. 2 x 90'. |
BROADCHURCH 2 2014 | Kudos/ITV | Lead Director. |
GRACEPOINT 2014 | Fox / Shine America | Director. Pilot and 3 episodes. |
FROM THERE TO HERE 2014 | Kudos/BBC 1 | Director, 3 x 60'. Drama. |
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY: A COPPER'S TALE 2013 | World Productions/ BBC 1 | Director. 90' feature. |
BROADCHURCH 2013 | Kudos/ITV | Lead Director, episodes 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. 8-part series. |
THE BEST POSSIBLE TASTE 2012 | Mammoth/BBC 4 | Director. 90' biopic on Kenny Everett. |
HUNTED 2012 | Kudos/ HBO Cinemax/ BBC 1 | 2 episodes. |
MISSING 2012 | ABC (US)/ Little Engine Productions | 2 episodes. New series. |
DOWNTON ABBEY 2 2011 | Carnival/ ITV | Writer: Julian Fellowes. |
LAW AND ORDER UK 2+3 2011 | NBC/ Wolf Films/ Kudos for ITV | Writers: Terry Cafolla, Nick Beak Saunders. |
WHITE VAN MAN 2010 | ITV Studios for BBC 3 | Director. Pilot. |
SILENT WITNESS 2010 | BBC 1 | Writer: Michael Crompton. |
DOCTOR WHO Easter Special 2009 | BBC Wales/BBC 1 | “Planet of The Dead”.1 x 80′. |
HUSTLE 2008 | Kudos for BBC 1 | Lead Director, 2 episodes. |
DOCTOR WHO 4 2008 | BBC Wales/BBC 1 | Lead Director. “Partners in Crime”. |
DOCTOR WHO Christmas Special 2007 | BBC Wales for BBC 1 | "Voyage of the Damned". 1 x 80′. |
DOCTOR WHO 3 2007 | BBC Wales/BBC 1 | 2-part episode, "Daleks in Manhattan" and "Evolution of the Daleks". Set and shot partly in New York. |
TORCHWOOD 2006 | BBC Wales/BBC 1 | Series 1, 2 episodes. |
DOCTOR WHO 2 2006 | BBC Wales for BBC 1 | 2-part episode, "Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit". |
ROCKET MAN 2005 | Coastal/ BBC 1 | 2 x 60'. |
THE GOOD CITIZEN 2004 | BBC 1 | 1 x 60'. Drama. |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
ANNA 2023 | Good Films Collective / Rolling Pictures | Director. |
UNITED 2011 | BBC/ World Productions /Content Films/ North East Screen | Director. |
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
MERCY | Last Man Films | Director. Feature film, in development. The story of the last men to be executed in Britain. |
ALBION | Participant Media/ Potboiler | Director. Feature film, in development. A tragic accident in a coastal English town sets of a series of violent events. |
STEEL CITY | Fox/Strong Films | Writer and Director. Feature film, in development. The story of Sheffield synth. |
Short Films
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
OF MARY 2010 | Lesata Prods | Producer and Co-writer with Adrian Lester. |
SOLD 2004 | Writer and Director. 15' short film. Comedy-drama set in the world of estate agents. |
Documentaries
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
HEAVEN 17 - THE STORY OF PENTHOUSE & PAVEMENT 2010 | Feature length documentary and concert film. |