David Andrews (director)

Leaving STV in 1990 Andrews returned to freelance work directing the drama series “Jupiter Moon” (BSB), "Families" (Granada) and “Grange Hill”, “EastEnders”, “River City” and “Strathblair” (BBC). He was also flagship director on “The Biz”, a six part BBC serial for “kidults”. In 1996 he joined Mersey Television as a Senior Director and Depute Producer, directing 220 episodes of “Hollyoaks”, 30 episodes of the new “Grange Hill” and producing 30 episodes of “Brookside”. He resigned from Mersey TV in 2006 after Phil Redmond sold it to All-3-Media.

In 1978 he became a Senior Producer-Director on the staff of Scottish Television where he directed about 170 episodes of “Take the High Road”. He also directed the network drama series “Charles Endell Esq.” and “Skin Deep”, the award-winning play “Extras”, the “Preview” and "Dramarama" anthology play series and the award-winning 6-part serial for children, “Stookie”. He made a number of other prime time dramas for STV and many educational, news, current affairs, music and local programmes and programmes for the fast-growing Gaelic audience.

In 1972 David Andrews joined the Central Office of Information where he directed documentaries for the Police, Prison and Fire Services. He produced promotional films for the Departments of Employment, Energy and Transport but his main portfolio consisted of recruiting commercials for the Army and Army Aviation, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. That was followed by a year directing the “AfterNoon” magazine programme for Thames Television.

David Andrews was originally an actor and had considerable success on television throughout the 1960s. He also appeared on the West End stage, on film and on radio. Offered a place on the BBC's television training course he became a full-time television director is the early 1970s. Born in England of Scottish and Irish descent he spent his early childhood in Scotland. He was educated at Kings College, Taunton and the Whitgift Middle School, Croydon (now the Trinity School of John Whitgift). In 1958, after National Service in the RAF, he graduated from the Central (now the Royal Central) School of Speech and Drama, winning the Gold Medal and Rawlings Cup. He was invited by George Devine to join the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre in London, taking part in an actors’ workshop to study Sandford Meisner’s improvisation technique under Anthony Page. That led to his first West End part in the historic Willis Hall play, “The Long and the Short and the Tall”. There followed several more West End roles and the beginning of his television career.

David Andrews (born 22 October 1935) is a British television character actor, director and writer. From 1959, he has worked almost continuously in television for more than 50 years, 40 of which were spent directing television drama and other genres.