A tribute to the late Jim Goddard

Jim Goddard RIP

Hello again dear friends and Morse enthusiasts. Yes, it's been very quiet around here just lately in the absence of Endeavour, but while we wait for Russell Lewis to work his magic on four new scripts, I felt compelled to stop by briefly to raise a glass and pay tribute to the prolific television and film director Jim Goddard who sadly passed away recently.

While there are many directors who justifiably receive great acclaim and attention, there are just as many who are equally deserving of recognition but rarely find their fair share of the limelight. Indeed, many viewers outside of the film and television industry may struggle to name them but are intimately familiar with their work. It could be argued that dear Jim may fall into this latter category but I hope that the following might serve to either highlight or remind the reader of a remarkable career and an outstanding contribution to the art of film and television-making.

In a career that spanned over four decades, Jim's finest hour was perhaps the 1983 television mini-series Kennedy, although it was his 1989 Inspector Morse episode, The Secret of Bay 5B, that introduced me to his work and talent. Jim was a stylish and most versatile director who worked in many different genres from "arty" television plays to gritty and urban productions. He seemed equally comfortable with both contemporary and period-costume dramas as we shall see as we look back on some of his highlights and remember the late Jim Goddard...

Please note that the following dates reflect the years in which Jim worked on various productions and not necessarily those of entire series runs.

Born James Dudley Goddard on the second of February, 1936 in Battersea, South London, he first made an impression on the television industry as a production designer on shows such as The Avengers (1961-63) after which he undertook directorial duties on over two-hundred projects with equal style and distinction.

Dennis Waterman and John Thaw in 'The Sweeney'

Perhaps his most enduring contribution to the art of television, Jim excelled in and made an indelible mark on the TV crime genre, helping to shape a plethora of influential police-procedural-type dramas populated with an impressive array of detectives, private-eyes and secret agents, which in addition to Inspector Morse, include Public Eye (68-73), Special Branch (69-70), Callan (69-72), The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (71), New Scotland Yard (73), Van der Valk (73 & 91), The Awful Mr. Goodall (74), The Sweeney (75), Target (77), Hazell, Out (both 78), Fox (80), Reilly: Ace of Spies (83), The Impossible Spy (87), Rumpole of the Bailey (91), Ruth Rendell Mysteries and Dangerfield (both 96).

Barry Foster as Van der Valk

Edward Woodward as Callan

Jim proved his versatility as a director of various styles and genres with contrasting work in first and second World War material including titles such as Wings (77-78) and the TV movie, Hitler's SS: Portrait of Evil (85), and two Charles Dickens adaptations, A Tale of Two Cities (80) and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (82). He even had a go at science-fiction with The Guardians (71) and Space Precinct (94) but perhaps one of his most adventurous of career moves was his collaboration with Steven Berkoff in bringing Franz Kafka's challenging Metamorphosis to the screen in 1987. More recent credits include stints on The Bill (91-02), EastEnders (99) and Holby City (99-02).

Alan Lake and Sean Lynch in 'The Black Stuff'

However, were I foolish enough to highlight two productions that might showcase the great man's career, I would have to elect for the seminal The Black Stuff (80) written by Alan Bleasdale which provided much needed political and social commentary of the period and which still remains a powerful portrait of austerity and unemployment - my goodness, how frightening that these themes continue to haunt successive generations! My second choice is the aforementioned Kennedy (1983), a five-hour miniseries which was broadcast simultaneously in the UK, US and Germany to great critical acclaim and won Jim a much deserved BAFTA TV award for Best Drama Series.

Martin Sheen as John F. Kennedy

So, we have come to the end of this all too brief journey through the remarkable career of one of our most neglected of British directors. Of course, there are so many other shows that we haven't had time to mention, and I've deliberately not included a certain infamous and misconceived Hollywood production, but perhaps you might be encouraged to seek out and explore some of Jim's work that is readily available on DVD. Indeed, with the lack of fanfare that has accompanied his passing, it is difficult to assess his legacy and what impact his work has had on our current TV writers and directors - especially those working on police and crime dramas. Furthermore, who knows what debt we owe to the great Jim Goddard as we watch and savour shows like Inspector Morse, Lewis, and of course, Endeavour? Regardless, I'm the sort of chap who likes to err on the side of caution and so, with love and respect, I say simply... thank you Jim.

In Loving Memory

James Dudley Goddard

Born 2 February 1936

Died 17 June 2013