Roy Battersby
Updated: 12/11/2025, 3:06:16 PM Wikipedia source
Roy John Battersby (20 April 1936 – 10 January 2024) was a British television director, known for his work in drama productions such as Between The Lines, Inspector Morse, Cracker and A Touch of Frost. Early in his career, he made documentary features for the BBC programmes Tomorrow's World and Towards Tomorrow. In 2005, his film Red Mercury was shown at the Montreal World Film Festival. Battersby was married to actress Judy Loe and was the stepfather of actress Kate Beckinsale. Battersby was a Trotskyist for some years, becoming a full-time organiser for the now defunct Workers Revolutionary Party. The association had ended by 1981, but the connection led to his being blacklisted by the BBC. Battersby died after a stroke on 10 January 2024, at the age of 87.
Infobox
Born
Roy John Battersby(1936-04-20)20 April 1936Willesden, London, England
Died
10 January 2024(2024-01-10) (aged 87)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation
Television director
Spouse
mw- Judy Loe (m. 1997)
Children
5
Relatives
Kate Beckinsale (step-daughter)
Tables
· Filmography
1972
1972-1974
Role(s)
Play For Today
Notes
Better Than The Movies
The Operation
Role(s)
TV play written by Roger Smith
Role(s)
TV play written by Colin Welland and starring Elizabeth Spriggs
1975
Centre Play
Role(s)
Post Mortem
1975–1976
Role(s)
Couples
Notes
9 episodes
1981
A Change in Time
1983
No Excuses
The Home Front
Role(s)
At The Grammar
Low Key Lady on High Speed Train
The Poodle Strikes Back
Walk in My Shoes
1986
1990
Firing the Bullets
1990, 1991
Role(s)
The Play on One
Notes
Yellowbacks
Escape From Kampala
1991
Role(s)
Fat Chance
Notes
Crime drama starring John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Maurice Denham and Zoë Wanamaker.
1992-1993
Role(s)
Between The Lines
Notes
Lies and Damned Lies
A Watch & Chain of Course
Some Must Watch
Manoeuvre 11
1994-2006
Role(s)
A Touch of Frost
Notes
Widows and Orphans
Quarry
Dancing in the Dark
Endangered Species
1995
1997
The Moth
1998
Space Island One
Role(s)
A Child Is Born
1999
Doomwatch: Winter Angel
2000
In Defence
Role(s)
2 episodes
| Year | Title | Episodes | Comments |
| 1969, 1970 | ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Machine | TV play written by Hugh Charteris |
| Roll on Four O'Clock | TV play written by Colin Welland | ||
| 1970 | The Body | Documentary narrated by Vanessa Redgrave and Frank Finlay | |
| 1972 | Home and Away | ||
| 1972-1974 | Play For Today | Better Than The Movies | TV play written by John Elliot and starring Bryan Marshall |
| The Operation | TV play written by Roger Smith | ||
| Leeds United | TV play written by Colin Welland and starring Elizabeth Spriggs | ||
| 1975 | Centre Play | Post Mortem | |
| 1975–1976 | Couples | 9 episodes | |
| 1977 | The Palestinian | ||
| 1981 | A Change in Time | ||
| 1983 | No Excuses | ||
| The Home Front | At The Grammar | ||
| Low Key Lady on High Speed Train | |||
| The Poodle Strikes Back | |||
| Walk in My Shoes | |||
| 1984 | Winter Flight | ||
| 1986 | King of the Ghetto | 4 episodes | |
| Unnatural Causes | Evensong | ||
| Screenplay | The Act | ||
| 1990 | Eurocops | Pushed | Crime drama by Billy Hamon starring John Benfield as Jackson |
| Firing the Bullets | |||
| 1990, 1991 | The Play on One | Yellowbacks | |
| Escape From Kampala | |||
| 1991 | Inspector Morse | Fat Chance | Crime drama starring John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Maurice Denham and Zoë Wanamaker. |
| 1992-1993 | Between The Lines | Lies and Damned Lies | Crime drama starring Neil Pearson |
| A Watch & Chain of Course | |||
| Some Must Watch | |||
| Manoeuvre 11 | |||
| 1994-2006 | A Touch of Frost | Widows and Orphans | Crime drama starring David Jason |
| Quarry | |||
| Dancing in the Dark | |||
| Endangered Species | |||
| 1994 | Between The Lines | The End User | Crime drama starring Neil Pearson |
| 1995 | Cracker | Brotherly Love | Crime drama starring Robbie Coltrane and Geraldine Somerville |
| 1997 | The Moth | ||
| 1998 | Space Island One | A Child Is Born | |
| 1999 | Doomwatch: Winter Angel | ||
| 2000 | In Defence | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | Red Mercury |
· Awards
1996
1996
Year
1996
Result
Won
Award
BAFTA Alan Clarke award
2006
2006
Year
2006
Result
Nominated
Award
Montréal World Film Festival Grand Prix des Amériques
Comments
for Red Mercury (2005)
| Year | Result | Award | Comments |
| 1996 | Won | BAFTA Alan Clarke award | |
| 2006 | Nominated | Montréal World Film Festival Grand Prix des Amériques | for Red Mercury (2005) |
References
- IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061385/
- BBC Onlinehttps://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4146792.stm
- "Literature Study Guides - By Popularity - eNotes.com"http://www.enotes.com/topic/Judy_Loe
- Sanjiv Bhattacharya "Kate Beckinsale", GQ Magazine, February 2006, as reproduced on Bhattacharya's website.http://sanjivb.com/_site/archive/celebrity/kate_beckinsale/index.php
- Stephen Lacey Tony Garnett, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2007, p.76
- Roy Battersby Obituary: Nicholas Palmer, The Independent,https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary--nicholas-palmer-1620710.html
- Mark Hollingsworth and Richard Norton-Taylor Blacklist: The Inside Story of Political Vetting, London: Hogarth Press, p.
- "Kate Beckinsale announces her stepfather has died"https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/kate-beckinsale-announces-her-step-042112490.html?guccounter=1
- The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/jan/16/roy-battersby-obituary
- IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000123/1996