John Howard Davies

John Howard Davies
Born	March 9, 1939 in Paddington, London, England
Died	August 22, 2011 in Blewbury, Oxfordshire, England from cancer
Notable Roles
Notable Episodes	Fawlty Towers: 1x02 - The Builders Mr. Bean: 1x01 - Mr. Bean
Awards	1 BAFTA TV Award

John Howard Davies is a British director, producer and TV executive best known for his work on such classic British comedies as Monty Python's Flying Circus, Fawlty Towers and Mr. Bean.

Biography

John Howard Davies was born on March 9, 1939 in London. Like Ron Howard in America, Davies was a child actor who became better known as an adult as a director and producer.

The son of TV writer Jack Davies, as a towheaded, cow-eyed boy, young John Howard easily found work in the Our Gang shorts and several other roles. But his first feature film would be his most famous: The title role in legendary director David Lean's 1948 classic adaptation of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist.

After he grew to adulthood, Davies tried his hand at a number of professions, including salesman and city clerk, before he entered his father's profession of television. He started at the BBC as a production assistant in 1966, but his first work as a director would come later that year with a four-part storyline on the popular science-fiction series Doctor Who. But he rose still higher very quickly, and the majority of his work was comedy. Within three years, he would make television history when he would become one of the director/producers responsible for the launch of the classic series Monty Python's Flying Circus. After leaving Monty Python's Flying Circus, he also produced another beloved BBC comedy, The Goodies.

In 1975, he first took the executive chair when he became Managing Director of EMI Television Productions. But before one year was out, he was back at the BBC as a producer, where he directed and produced the first season of the British all-time classic Fawlty Towers. In 1978, he was named Head of Comedy, and four years later was again promoted to Head of Light Entertainment.

His heart still lay in comedy, however, so in 1985, he again left the BBC, this time to work at ITV, best known for The Benny Hill Show and little else in comedy, as a producer. By 1987, he was again an executive serving as the Head of Light Entertainment at ITV, where he oversaw the end of The Benny Hill Show and the start of Mr. Bean.

In more recent years, he has once again returned to the BBC, where he produced and directed on series such as The Vicar of Dibley.

Roles

Starring Roles

Series	Role	Year(s)	Season(s)
Laughter in the House: The Story of British Sitcom	Himself	1999	1

Guest Starring Roles

Series	Role	Episode	Airdate
William Tell	Karl	1x05 - The Prisoner	October 13, 1958
William Tell	Bruno	1x12 - The Bear	December 1, 1958
Comedy Connections	Himself	2x04 - The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin	July 19, 2004
Comedy Connections	Himself	3x01 - Monty Python's Flying Circus	February 21, 2005
Comedy Connections	Himself	3x06 - Not the Nine O'Clock News	March 28, 2005
Comedy Connections	Himself	4x05 - To the Manor Born	April 10, 2006

Specials and Made-for-TV Movies

Title	Role	Airdate	Series/Banner
The Not the Nine O'Clock News Story	Himself	July 17, 1999
Felicity Kendal: A Passage from India	Himself	July 29, 2001
Who Got Benny's Millions?	Himself	August 13, 2002
Alec Guinness: A Secret Man	Himself	December 29, 2003
Fawlty Towers @ 30	Himself	August 27, 2005
The Ultimate Sitcom	Himself	January 2, 2006

Director

Staff Director

Series	Year(s)	Season(s)
Misleading Cases	1967-1971	1	2	3
All Gas and Gaiters	1968-1971	3	4	5
The World of Beachcomber	1968-1969	1	2
The Edwardians	1972	1
Steptoe and Son	1972	7
War and Peace	1972	1
Fawlty Towers	1975	1
All in Good Faith	1985-1987	1	2
We'll Think of Something	1986	1
Executive Stress	1986-1987	1	2
Andy Capp	1988	1
No Job for a Lady	1990-1992	1	2	3
Hope It Rains	1991-1992	1	2
Law and Disorder	1994	1

Episode Director

Series	Episode	Airdate	Credit
Doctor Who	4x07 - The Macra Terror	March 11, 1967
Oh in Colour	1x04 - Episode Four	October 20, 1970
Oh in Colour	1x05 - Episode Five	October 27, 1970
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin	1x01 - Hippopotamus	September 8, 1976
The Other One	1x01 - Episode One	November 11, 1977
Mr. Bean	1x01 - Mr. Bean (pilot)	January 1, 1990
Mr. Bean	1x02 - The Return of Mr. Bean	November 5, 1990
Mr. Bean	1x03 - The Curse of Mr. Bean	December 30, 1990
The Vicar of Dibley	1x07 - The Easter Bunny	April 8, 1996
The Bill	17x74 - Judas Kiss	December 7, 2001

Specials and Made-for-TV Movies Directed

Title	Credit	Airdate	Series/Banner
Danton		October 21, 1970	Biography
A Married Man		July 10, 1983
Kim		May 16, 1984
Sleeping Murder		January 11, 1987	Miss Marple

Producer

Series Produced

Series	Year(s)	Credit	Season(s)
Misleading Cases	1967 –1971	Producer	1	2	3
The World of Beachcomber	1968	Producer	1
All Gas and Gaiters	1968 –1971	Producer			3	4	5
As Good Cooks Go	1969 –1970	Producer	1
The Very Merry Widow	1969	Producer			3
Monty Python's Flying Circus	1969	Producer	1
Oh in Colour	1970	Producer	1
The Goodies	1970 –1972	Producer	1	2
Steptoe and Son	1972	Producer							7
No Strings	1974	Producer	1
The Good Life	1975 –1978	Producer	1	2	3	4
Fawlty Towers	1975	Producer	1
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin	1976	Producer	1
The Other One	1977	Producer	1
All in Good Faith	1985 –1987	Producer	1	2
We'll Think of Something	1986	Producer	1
Executive Stress	1986 –1987	Producer	1	2
Andy Capp	1988	Producer	1
Mr. Bean	1990	Producer	1
No Job for a Lady	1990 –1992	Producer	1	2	3
Hope It Rains	1991 –1992	Producer	1	2
After Henry	1992	Executive Producer				4
Law and Disorder	1994	Producer	1

Specials and Made-for-TV Movies Produced

Title	Credit	Airdate	Series/Banner
A Married Man	Producer	July 10, 1983
Parrot Sketch Not Included: Twenty Years of Monty Python	Producer (original series)	November 18, 1989	Monty Python

Awards and Accolades

BAFTA TV Awards

(7 Nominations / 1 Win)

• Nominated: Best Light Entertainment (1969)

Monty Python's Flying Circus

• Won: Best Situation Comedy (1975)

Fawlty Towers

• Nominated: Best Situation Comedy (1975)

The Good Life

• Nominated: Best Situation Comedy (1976)

The Good Life

• Nominated: Best Situation Comedy (1977)

The Good Life

• Nominated: Best Light Entertainment Programme (1990)

Mr. Bean

• Nominated: Best Comedy (Programme or Series) (1991)

Mr. Bean