Alan Gibson (director)


Alan Gibson was a Canadian director active in British film and television. He was particularly notable in his early years for his work in horror. The films he directed include Journey to Midnight, Crescendo, Dracula A.D. 1972, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, Checkered Flag or Crash, Witness for the Prosecution and A Woman Called Golda starring Ingrid Bergman. His television work includes Eh Joe, The Capone Investment, Churchill and the Generals and The Charmer.
Alan Gibson came up with the idea for The Flipside of Dominick Hide, a Play for Today he co-wrote with Jeremy Paul and directed. As a child he had overheard his family discussing a recent UFO report and thought to himself: "Since there had been sightings of flying saucers recorded throughout history, it occurred to me that they were man-made machines, time machines from the future". The two men collaborated again on its sequel Another Flip for Dominick. "The Flipside of Dominick" Hide attained viewing figures of 5.3 million and a reaction index of 75 – compared to an average Play for Today score of 59. The Radio Times letter editor claimed that "No other single new BBC TV play in 1980 attracted so much correspondence" – highlighting the public's affection for the show.

Awards

Churchill and the Generals was nominated for five BAFTA awards IMBd , and A Woman Called Golda won a Golden Globe and several Emmy awards IMBd .

Filmography

1987
  • The Charmer
1985
  • Martin's Day
  • The Best of All Time Horror Classics
1984
1980 - 1982
  • Play for Today
- Another Flip for Dominick
- The Flipside of Dominick Hide
- The Skeleton Key
- The Absence of Emily
- Operation Safecrack
- The Way to Do It
- There's One Born Every Minute
- The Two Faces of Evil
- The Silent Scream
1979
  • Churchill and the Generals
  • Atom Spies
1978
  • Z Cars
- Prey
  • People Like Us
- Another War
- The Biter Bit
- Re-Arrangements
- Breakout
- The First Lessons in Love
1977
  • 1990
- What Pleases the Prince
- Hire and Fire
- Witness
- Decoy
- Creed of Slaves
  • Checkered Flag or Crash
  • Raffles
- The Chest of Silver
- The Gold Cup ...
1976
  • Dangerous Knowledge
- Dividends
- Surrender Value
- Death Risk
- Clause for Concern
- A Deadly Policy
  • Thriller
- Sleepwalker
- Murder in Mind
1975
Quiller
- Mark the File Expendable
  • Village Hall
- The Rough and the Smooth
- Distant Islands
- Dancing in the Dark
  • Churchill's People
- O Canada
- The Coming of the Cross
1974
The Capone Investment
- Final Innings
- One Killer Makes Two
- Money in the Bank
- The Citizen from Chicago
- The Grass Is Greener
1973-1974
  • Orson Welles Great Mysteries
- The Furnished Room
- Ice Storm
- Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl
- The Monkey's Paw
- Money to Burn
1973
  • Crown Court
- The Black Poplar: Part 3
- The Black Poplar: Part 2
- The Black Poplar: Part 1
- Who Was Kate Greer: Part 3
- Who Was Kate Greer: Part 2
1972-1973
- The Witch
- Clown on Horseback
- Mantrap
- The Viking Helmet: Part 2
- The Viking Helmet: Part 1
1970-1972
  • ITV Sunday Night Theatre
- Last Year's Confetti
- Consequences
- Time Lock
- The Silver Collection
- The Policeman and the Cook
  • Dracula A.D. 1972
  • Budgie
- Twenty-Four Thousand Ball Point Pens
1970
  • Confession
- The Wind Blew Her Away
  • Goodbye Gemini
  • Crescendo
1969
- The Marquise
- Detective
- Elimination Round
  • Plays of Today
- The English Boy
1967-1969
  • Thirty-Minute Theatre
- Remote Control
- Another Moon Called Earth
- Teeth
1968-1969
- Poor Butterfly
- Somewhere in a Crowd
- Jane Brown's Body
1968
  • Journey to Midnight
1967-1968
  • Boy Meets Girl
- Purposes of Love
- A High-Pitched Buzz
1965-1968
  • Theatre 625
- Home Sweet Honeycombe
- The Lost Years of Brian Hooper
- The Cupboard
- On the March to the Sea
- The Melody Suit
1968
  • Mogul
- The Wrecking of the Sierra Nevada
- The Day the Sea Caught Fire
- Stop It, You're Breaking My Heart
1968
  • Public Eye
- There's No Future in Monkey Business
1966-1967
  • The Wednesday Play
- Kippers and Curtains
- The Private Tutor
1966
  • Double Image
- Impossible Odds ...
- A Separate Peace ...
  • A Separate Peace
  • Eh, Joe?
1965
- Episode #1.6
- Episode #1.5
1964-1965
  • Story Parade
- The Unbearable Bassington
- The Flaw in the Crystal
- Shadow of Guilt
- Not for Every Eye
1964-1965
  • Thursday Theatre
- The Kidders
- Write Me a Murder

Personal life

Alan Gibson was born in Canada and moved to the UK to train at the Bristol Old Vic. After working as an actor in the theatre, he started directing when BBC2 was launched. He worked on film and TV for the rest of his career.
He lived in London with his wife Kate and their daughters Sarah-Kate and Jessica and died of cancer in 1987 at the age of 49, just a few months before his last work The Charmer was broadcast.
His brother is the Canadian writer Graeme Gibson.