Ben Wheatley

Born: 7th May 1972 (as Benjamin Wheatley)
Episodes Broadcast: 2014

Biography

Ben Wheatley was born in Billericay, Essex. He was an avid viewer of Doctor Who as a child, notably during the period when Tom Baker played the Fourth Doctor. While he was a teenager, Wheatley met Amy Jump; she would become his wife and his frequent collaborator. During the early twenty-first century, they garnered attention for their numerous short films and animations. This led Wheatley to find work as both a writer and a director on shows like Time Trumpet, Modern Toss, The Wrong Door and Ideal. In 2009, he directed his first feature film: the crime drama Down Terrace. More movies followed during the early 2010s, including Kill List and Sightseers.

By this time, Wheatley and Jump had a son, who had become a Doctor Who fan like his father. Wheatley was eager to work on a project that they could enjoy as a family, and so he asked his agent to make inquiries with the Doctor Who production team. As a result, Wheatley was brought aboard Peter Capaldi's first two adventures as the Twelfth Doctor: 2014's Deep Breath and Into The Dalek. The following year, he directed the movie adaptation High-Rise starring Tom Hiddleston, based upon the same JG Ballard novel which had directly inspired 1987's Paradise Towers. Other work included the ensemble movie Free Fire with Brie Larson and Cillian Murphy, as well as three episodes of the period drama Strange Angel. Amongst Wheatley's work during the Twenties was a remake of the gothic thriller Rebecca, plus the horror movie In The Earth, which he also wrote.

Credits
Director
Deep Breath
Into The Dalek

Updated 27th November 2022