Films for Prime-time Audiences - 2001-2015
Alongside his work for schools and colleges, Andrew has written and directed a succession of historical films for prime-time audiences.
For Channel 4 (UK), he made ‘Gunpowder, Treason and Plot’, ‘Who Killed Thomas Becket?’, and ‘Pilate: the Man Who Killed Christ’
For National Geographic, he made ‘Julius Caesar and the Druids: Revealed’
For the History Channel, he directed two episodes of ‘America: the Story of US’
For TLC, he directed the celebrity genealogy show ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot
A feature-length drama-doc on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Wall to Wall TV for Channel 4. Produced by Ben Goold; directed by Andrew Chater.
“Historical Fact is made more gripping than a Hollywood thriller” (Daily Mail)
“The reconstructions and performances are superb. A class act” (Time Out)
“A vastly engrossing historical documentary” (The Guardian)
“The format may have been familiar enough - historians interspersed with dramatized reconstructions - but I have seldom seen it done so well” (Telegraph)
Who Killed Thomas Becket?
The strange truth behind the most notorious murder in British medieval history. With Guy Henry as Becket, and Rupert Wickham as Henry II. October Films / Lodestar Productions for Channel 4. Exec Producer Adam Bullmore; written, directed and produced by Andrew Chater.
“Flamboyantly entertaining talking heads and stylish reconstructions make this a compelling retelling of a not-so-familiar story” (Mail on Sunday)
“I was pinned to the sofa” (The Guardian)
Pilate: the man who killed christ
Shot on location in Morocco for Channel 4's Easter schedules in 2004. With Rob Marni as Jesus and Christopher Hunter as Pilate. October Films / Lodestar Productions. Exec Producer Adam Bullmore; written, produced and directed by Andrew Chater.
“Serious and stimulating history, vivid and full of surprises” (Financial Times)
“Timely and fascinating” (Daily Mail)
Julius Caesar and the Druids: revealed
An everyday story of human sacrifice and cannibalism. Change Productions for C5 and Nat Geo. Exec Producer Ben Goold; produced and directed by Andrew Chater.
“One of those programmes from Five that offers both entertainment and enlightenment. A captivating chronicle” (The Guardian)
“A startling documentary. Stunning reconstructions bring the Druids to life, while new archaeological finds expose their secrets” (Daily Mirror)
“Spine-tingling” (The Times)
“Racily educational” (Daily Mail)
Catholics in Elizabethan England were a persecuted minority - an 'enemy within’.