| Activity | Alan James Gwynne Cellan Jones was born in Swansea, Wales.
He was educated at Dragon School in Oxford, Charterhouse School in Surrey; St St John's College, Cambridge, UK
He worked at BBC Television from 1955 as a call boy. He began directing for the BBC in 1960.
From 1963, he directed over 50 television series and films, specialising in dramas.
He became associated with the 'Classic Serial' during the 'golden age' of BBC drama. Some of his most significant work was in televising late 19th-century and 20th-century British literary works.
In 1967, he directed seven episodes of the award-winning 26-part adaptation of 'The Forsyte Saga', which became a massive national and international hit.
In the 1970s, he directed two notable historical biographic sagas: the award-winning miniseries 'Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill' (1976), and the 13-episode miniseries 'The Adams Chronicles' (1976), about the American Adams political family.
From 1976 through 1979, Cellan Jones was Head of Plays at the BBC, where he was responsible for up to 85 productions a year.
Upon leaving the post, he became a freelance television director, and continued to work steadily for 20 years. Highlights of this period include the World War II miniseries 'Fortunes of War' (1987) starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and the award-winning television film 'Harnessing Peacocks' (1993).
He was chairman of BAFTA from 1983 to 1985.
He was chairman and honorary president of the Directors Guild of Great Britain. |