Timothy Combe (born 17 October 1936) is a retired British television director and actor's agent. As a director of BBC television drama from the late 1960s to the late 1970s, he worked on series such as Doctor Who, Z-Cars and The Brothers, as well as classic serials and plays.
Career
Combe attended the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he won the Shakespeare Cup and Margaret Rutherford Medal. He then joined the BBC in 1962 as an assistant floor manager. He was promoted to become a director in 1968. He directed Z-Cars, the popular and long-running police drama series, becoming one of the most prolific directors of the series.BD to Z Victor 1 - The Z Cars Casebook by David Brunt, p.21 He also directed two serials in the long-running science fiction series Doctor Who when it starred Jon Pertwee.The Doctor Who Programme Guide: Fourth Edition, by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier, iuniverse Press, 2003 Although highly regarded as a director by the series' then producer, Barry Letts,DVD special feature The Military Mind for The Mind of Evil (1971, 2013) he went over-budget on the second and was not asked to do more as a result.Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die, by Robert Smith and Graeme Burk, ECW Press 2013, p.100 Two classic serials, The Early Life of Stephen Hind and Ballet Shoes followed, the latter winning Emmy and BAFTA awards. He was then invited to direct Angela Huth's first TV play, The Summer House, and Richard Harris's When The Boys Come Out To Play. After directing episodes of the sixth and seventh series of The Brothers from 1976, he was asked to act as the BBC producer on Golden Soak, filmed in Australia and one of the first co-productions undertaken by the BBC. After directing Angels, he helped set up the BBC's first venture into video cassette production (VHS).
In 1980, he gave up directing in order to become an actor's agent.Screen International: The international film & television directory, Volume 3, p.206 He later lectured at the Guildford School of Acting for five years, helping graduating students prepare for entry into the business.
Filmography Source:Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors, by Jerry Roberts (Scarecrow Press, 2009) The Newcomers (1968–69) Doctor Who and the Silurians (BBC, 1970) Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil (BBC, 1971) The Doctors (BBC, 1970/71) Away from it All (BBC, 1973) Z-Cars (BBC, 1968-1973) Sporting Scenes (BBC, 1973) The Early Life of Stephen Hind (BBC Classic Serial 1974) Ballet Shoes (BBC TV Serial 1975). Emmy & BAFTA Awards The Brothers (BBC, 1976) Rupert Christmas Adventure. Westminster Theatre. 1977 Golden Soak. Producer. (six-part series filmed in Australia) Angels (BBC, 1976)
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