Richard Senior
Episodes Broadcast: 2011
Richard Senior was a lifelong Doctor Who fan, having been an avid
viewer of Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor prior to the programme's 1989
cancellation. In 2002, he graduated from Bournemouth University with a
degree in film and television studies. Senior soon found work as a
runner on programmes such as Down To Earth and Spooks,
while going uncredited on films like Batman Begins and the 2005
version of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Around this
time, he became involved with the promotional side of television,
editing a number of Doctor Who trailers and winning an industry
award for an advertising campaign in support of spin-off series
Torchwood. Aware that Senior had ambitions to direct, executive
producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner gave him the opportunity to
shadow directors Joss Agnew and Graeme Harper while they made the 2008
season of Doctor Who's other sister show, The Sarah Jane
Adventures.
Following the departures of Davies and Gardner, Senior continued to find
work on Doctor Who under new executive producer Steven Moffat.
After providing some additional editing support during the show's 2010
season, he was finally given his first taste of the director's chair.
Senior was responsible for several short videos which would be included
on Doctor Who DVD releases from 2|entertain, material for the
Doctor Who Live touring show and the Doctor Who Experience
standing exhibition, as well as a pre-titles segment for the 2011
broadcast of the National Television Awards. When it was decided
that Doctor Who would contribute a pair of mini-episodes,
Space / Time, for the 2011 edition of the Red Nose Day
telethon, Senior was assigned to direct. His success on these projects
led Moffat to offer him a full Doctor Who episode: 2011's Let's Kill Hitler, starring Matt
Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, would be his first televised credit as a
director. It was also expected that Senior would direct for The Sarah
Jane Adventures during 2011, until the spin-off came to an abrupt
end following the untimely death of series star Elisabeth Sladen.
Senior maintained an association with Doctor Who through to 2013,
when he directed elements of the Doctor Who night for that year's
BBC Proms. Having established his credentials, he became the lead
director for the latter seasons of MI High. Subsequent credits
during the 2010s included episodes of Silent Witness,
Humans, and the revival of Poldark. Amongst Senior's work
during the Twenties was McDonald & Dodds and Tell Me
Everything.
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