PRODUCTIONS
D I R E C T O R - P R O D U C E R - E D I T O R - P H O T O G R A P H E R
1 9 8 7 - 2007
AN IMPOSSIBLE JOB
DIRECTOR/EDITOR
In October 2005 Channel Four broadcast the "50 Greatest Documentaries" and Ken McGill's ground breaking film was 35th.
Screened as part of the Cutting Edge series on Channel Four, this film chronicled the most devastating two years in the career of the former England football manager Graham Taylor. 6.3 million viewers choked on their cocoa as a nightmare unfolded and the media had a field day both before and after transmission. The television critic of the Daily Mirror wrote, "It was a moving, macabre and majestic piece of television which left me thinking about the cruel irony of our country". The film went on to win a Royal Television Society award and was hailed by the judges as a "masterpiece".
CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
GAZZA - THE FIGHT BACK
DIRECTOR/EDITOR
The first film in the "Gazza Trilogy" mapped Gascoigne's life after his disastrous knee injury sustained during the 1991 FA Cup Final. From the surgeons table, to his first goal 14 months later, McGill was Gascoigne's trusted confidant. The film revealed Gascoigne's steely determination to return to full fitness, but also showed his vulnerability to depression. Networked on ITV and repeated on Channel Four.
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​CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
GAZZA'S COMING HOME
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
6.3 million people watched as Paul Gascoigne bared his soul to the nation on subjects as diverse as alcoholic binges with his team mates, to his pathological fear of being on his own. As Ian Wooldridge wrote in the Daily Mail "Here was a dim child attempting to explain the meaning of his life. There wasn't any, outside football, a point quite brilliantly conveyed by the maker of this outstanding documentary". For Channel 4.
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​CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
GAZZA
DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER
McGill got inside Paul Gascoigne's head for the 9 months it took to make this film. Gascoigne went to China to ply his trade as a last desperate attempt to prolong his career, but he had demons. His estrangement from his wife and kids, his psychological tics, his battle with the bottle, and his looming retirement from the game, all came crowding in on the alien streets of China. This film tells how he fought the demons and came out the other end a different man. The Sunday Times wrote...."Without exploiting this damaged, difficult man, this film depicts the horrible truth behind the tabloid headlines, another casualty of a game that divorces mental and physical fitness with destructive results". For BBC3.
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CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/PHOTOGRAPHER
McGill became a member of the Lennox Lewis boxing team as they prepared for the biggest fight of his life, the unification of the heavyweight championship. From the initial announcement, to the post fight press conference, this film captured the drama of one of the most controversial fights of the century. Produced, directed and photographed by Ken McGill for Universal Pictures. Broadcast on BBC1.
KEN McGILL FILMS
BOTHAM'S ASHES - THE SUMMER OF '81
DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER
McGill's telling of one of England's greatest sports stories was a great critical success for Channel Four when it was broadcast in July 2001. Beautifully photographed by the producer/director, McGill was able to elicit fascinating interviews with the men who mattered in the summer of 1981. The television critic of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Botham's Ashes...provided more sheer pleasure than any other recent television programme...it was made with unusual care and skill." Nominated for a Royal Television Society award. Broadcast twice by Channel 4.
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SUNSET & VINE
SIR ALF
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/PHOTOGRAPHER
The moving and compelling story of England's greatest football manager. The Daily Telegraph wrote "...his story was placed within the context of some fascinating social history and told with genuine passion." The Times stated "...Ken McGill's poignant biography of Sir Alf Ramsey, was a sharp reminder of how great Ramsey's achievement actually was, and a reminder of what a mean-spirited, churlish place mid-20th-century Britain could be." For Channel Four Television.
KEN McGILL FILMS
BILLY CONNOLY'S WORLD TOUR OF ENGLAND, IRELAND & WALES
PHOTOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR
McGill toured England, Ireland and Wales with Billy Connolly for 8 weeks. Photographed and directed by McGill, this visually stunning, 8 part series was a huge success with both viewers and critics. Nominated for a National Television Award 2002. Broadcast in the spring of 2002 on BBC1.
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TICKETY BOO PRODUCTIONS
RICH HALL'S ELECTION SPECIAL
PHOTOGRAPHER/DIRECTOR
Three weeks in Montana USA with comedians Rich Hall and Mike Wilmott produced this little gem of a film. Ostensibly a study of US politics, Hall and Wilmott created a comedy classic. Set in stunning wilderness, Ken McGill was able to produce awesome visuals and comedy drama of the first order. Broadcast on BBC 4 and BBC 2 on the eve of the 2004 US elections.
OPEN MIKE PRODUCTIONS
BRIT SCHOOL
DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER
Ken McGill spent seven month filming Britain's only free Performing Arts and Technology school. It's a school like no other, with everyone taking academic subjects as well as producing actors, dancers, film makers, artists and music stars. Based in South London, it's one of the few places where the staff have to throw students out each night. For CBBC.
TOUCH PRODUCTIONS
IT'S ONLY A GAME
DIRECTOR
This short film received rave reviews when broadcast on Channel Four in November 1998. A affectionate look at a collection of football devotees and their sometimes worrying obsession with the game. With sizable contributions from Nick Hornby we visit Di Anderson and her full size cardboard cut-out of Stuart Pearce. Mick Derby, who needed an articulated lorry to roll over him before you could prevent him watching his beloved Derby County, and Dave Downs who not only close marks people on the bus, but thinks he's devised a system to guide a space craft from the centre circle of Reading FC to an alternative universe.
CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
DIRECTOR
A film celebrating the 75th anniversary of the infamous Italian road race the Mille Miglia. It charts the glorious and ultimately fatal history of the original 1000 mile dash from Brescia to Rome and back, through the experience of travelling the route of the modern version of the race, This visually stunning film compares the heroism and madness of the old race against the pomposity of the new one and is at times both hilarious and profoundly sad. Weep at the sight of wrecked Ferrari's, gasp at some of the most gorgeous scenery Italy has to offer. For RTE television.
VTV LTD
RAY OF HOPE
DIRECTOR
Ray Kennedy is 39 years old and endures the agony and frustration of Parkinson's Disease. He also happens to be one of the most successful and admired footballers England has ever produced. This film tells the moving story of Ray's early life and spectacular career, culminating in his struggle with a cruel affliction, and his hope for a cure. This award winning documentary was screened by Channel Four.
CHRYSALIS TELEVISION
