Karl Neilson
Karl Neilson is a British television director.
He left school and started work as a van driver for an electrical goods company in Southport. Harbouring an ambition to be a director, he returned to education at the Liverpool Community College. He won a place on the Media Production Bachelor of Arts course at Bournemouth University, and graduated with first class honours in 1996.
Neilson's television career began as an assistant director on EastEnders all the way back in 1998. Alongside EastEnders, he was also the assistant director for Silent Witness. It was then in September 2001 that Neilson appeared officially in the credits as a director, when he directed his first episode of EastEnders. In 2004, a double episode set in the launderette with Dot Cotton telling Den Watts she had cancer won a TV Moments award, named as 'Best Popular Drama Moment' of 2004.
As well as directing for the BBC, he has also directed episodes of The Bill and Family Affairs for TalkbackThames. In 2008 he began directing the new series of Minder for FIVE which was later axed due to poor viewing figures.
In 2015, EastEnders celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with a Live Week. Neilson directed the live week episodes along with the flashback episode. Commenting upon directing the dramatic culmination of the week, Neilson said: "As a director it's an absolute gift of a week, because it's a story where the audience are continually looking for meaning in every line and every reaction. Because of that I was determined to get very specific performances which would steer the story as I wanted it to be steered throughout the week."
Filmography
The following is a table of notable episodes and television shows directed by Neilson.| Show | Episode | Date | Reference |
| Kat & Alfie: Redwater | Episode 6 | ||
| Kat & Alfie: Redwater | Episode 5 | ||
| Casualty | "A History of Violence" | 6 July 2013 | |
| EastEnders | Episode dated 17 February 2015 | 17 February 2015 | |
| EastEnders | Episode dated 18 February 2015 | 18 February 2015 | |
| EastEnders | Thirtieth Anniversary: "Look Back in Anger" | 19 February 2015 | |
| EastEnders | Flashback | 19 February 2015 | |
| EastEnders | Fully live | 20 February 2015 | |
| Family Affairs | Episode dated 2 December 2005 | 2 December 2005 | |
| Holby City | "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" | 3 November 2014 | |
| Holby City | "Chaos in Her Wings" | 10 November 2014 | |
| Holby City | "Good Girls Don't Lie" | 2 February 2015 | |
| Holby City | "The Beat Goes On" | 9 February 2015 | |
| Holby City | "Blue Christmas" | 22 December 2015 | |
| Holby City | "Beginnings" | 29 December 2015 | |
| Hollyoaks | Episode dated 23 June 2015 | 23 June 2015 | |
| Hollyoaks | Episode dated 24 June 2015 | 24 June 2015 | |
| Hollyoaks | Episode dated 25 June 2015 | 25 June 2015 | |
| Minder | "The Art of the Matter" | 18 February 2009 | |
| Minder | "Thank Your Lucky Stars" | 4 March 2009 |