Otto Benjamin Charles Bathurst (born 18 January 1971) is a British television and film director. In 2014, he won a BAFTA for his work on BBC drama Peaky Blinders. He was also previously BAFTA nominated for his work on BBC series Criminal Justice and Five Days.
Otto Bathurst | |
|---|---|
 Bathurst in 2015 | |
| Born | Otto Benjamin Charles Bathurst 18 January 1971 Hammersmith, London England |
| Occupations |
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| Children | Three |
Early life
Bathurst was born on 18 January 1971, the son of Elizabeth Mary (Thompson) and Christopher Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe. He grew up in Dudley and Bridgnorth. He began to study engineering at university, but dropped out to move to London and work in film.
Family life
The Bathurst family has lived in Bath, Somerset since 2013. Otto enjoys cooking and his favourite restaurant serves classic Indian cuisine.
Career
Bathurst began his career in editing and then worked on commercials, before moving into television. He has taught filmmaking at Oxford and London universities.
In 2009, Bathurst directed Margot, a biopic of Margot Fonteyn starring Anne-Marie Duff, which focused upon the relationship between Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.
In 2011, he directed "The National Anthem", the first episode of the anthology television series Black Mirror.
He has also directed episodes of Urban Gothic, Teachers, and Hustle. In 2013, he was described by Express & Star as "Britain's most exciting director".
In 2018, he made his feature film directorial debut with Robin Hood. It starred Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, Jamie Foxx as Little John, Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Taron Egerton as the eponymous hero. The film was universally panned and was estimated to have lost the studio US$83.7 million.
He directed episodes of the historical drama series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, broadcast in January 2025.
Filmography
Feature film
- Robin Hood (2018)
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-2001 | Urban Gothic | Yes | No | 4 episodes |
| 2002 | Comedy Lab | Yes | No | Episode "Shoreditch Tw*t" |
| Guardian of the Amazon | Yes | No | TV movie | |
| 2003 | 20 Things to Do Before You're 30 | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| Teachers | Yes | No | 3 episodes | |
| UGetMe | Yes | No | 6 episodes | |
| 2004 | NY-LON | Yes | No | Episode "Something About Chemicals" |
| 2005-2006 | Hustle | Yes | No | 4 episodes |
| 2007 | Five Days | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Criminal Justice | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 2009 | Margot | Yes | No | TV movie |
| 2011 | Black Mirror | Yes | No | Episode "The National Anthem" |
| 2013 | Peaky Blinders | Yes | No | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | Hysteria | Yes | Yes | Unaired pilot |
| 2019 | His Dark Materials | Yes | Yes | Episodes "Armour" and "The Lost Boy" |
| 2022 | Billy the Kid | Yes | Yes | 2 episodes |
| 2022-2024 | Halo | Yes | Yes | 4 episodes |
| 2023 | The Winter King | Yes | Yes | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Lockerbie: A Search for Truth | Yes | Yes | 4 episodes |
| The Abandons | Yes | Yes | 2 episodes |