Hettie Macdonald
British film, theatre and television director
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hettie Macdonald is an English film,[1] theatre and television director.[2] Macdonald is known as the director of the Hugo Award-winning 2007 episode of Doctor Who, "Blink".[3][4] She has won numerous awards including one BAFTA Television Award for Best Single Drama,[5] one Hugo Award,[4] and a Grand Prix award. She has been nominated for numerous awards, including two BAFTA Television Awards.[6][7][8]
Hettie Macdonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | England, United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Bristol University |
| Occupations | Film director, theatre director, television director |
"Blink" is frequently named as the best episode of Doctor Who since the series' 2005 revival. In 2009, SFX named the episode's climax as the scariest moment in Doctor Who's history, citing its "perfect direction".[9] Macdonald would return to the series in 2015 to direct the year's opening story.
She has also directed for the stage. She studied English at Bristol University, before training as a director at the Royal Court Theatre, and was formerly associate director at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.
Career
Macdonald made her feature-length film directorial debut on 1996's Beautiful Thing, which received mostly positive reviews and is considered by many to be an LGBTQ+ classic.[10] She did not direct another film for cinemas until 2023's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which has also received positive reviews.
Selected credits
Film
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Beautiful Thing | [11] |
| 2023 | The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Casualty | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | In a Land of Plenty | Miniseries[12] |
| 2003 | Servants | 3 episodes[13] |
| 2005–13 | Poirot | Episodes: "The Mystery of the Blue Train", "Curtain" |
| 2006 | Banglatown Banquet | TV movie |
| 2007–15 | Doctor Who | Episodes: "Blink",[3] "The Magician's Apprentice", "The Witch's Familiar"[14] |
| 2008 | White Girl | TV movie[15] |
| 2008 | The Fixer | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Wallander | Episode: "Faceless Killers" |
| 2010 | Law & Order: UK | Episode: "Masquerade" |
| 2012 | Hit & Miss | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | The Tunnel | 2 episodes |
| 2015–17 | Fortitude | 6 episodes[15][16] |
| 2017 | Howards End | 4 episodes[15][16][17] |
| 2020 | Normal People | 6 episodes[17][18] |
| 2026 | Steal | 3 episodes |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Northern Fox | Ambassadors Theatre | |
| 1998 | Hey Persephone! | Aldeburgh Festival / Almeida Theatre | |
| 1998 | The Storm | Almeida Theatre | |
| 2002 | She Stoops to Conquer | Theatre Royal, Margate | |
| 2002 | Top Girls | Citizens Theatre | |
| 2004 | M.A.D. | Bush Theatre | |
| 2006 | On Insomnia and Midnight | Royal Court | |
| 2025 | Hedda [19] | Orange Tree Theatre |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form | "Blink", Doctor Who | Won | [4] |
| 2009 | BAFTA Television Awards | Best Single Drama | White Girl | Won | [5] |
| 2013 | BAFTA Television Craft Awards | Best Director: Fiction | Hit & Miss | Nominated | [6] |
| 2018 | BAFTA Television Awards | Best Mini-Series | Howards End | Nominated | [7] |
