Jean Stewart

Jean Stewart, director. Her films include Nervous Energy (written by Howard Schuman, starring Alfred Molina) and The Long Run (with Armin Muller-Stahl, shot in South Africa).  Her television drama credits include popular and high rating TV series (Eastenders, The Bill, Medics, Taggart etc), and the critically acclaimed Cracker (written by Jimmie McGovern, starring Robbie Coltrane), Born to Run (written by Debbie Horsfield), Butterfly Collectors (written by Paul Abbott) Loving You (starring Niamh Cusack and Dougie Henshall), William and Mary (starring Martin Clunes and Julie Graham).  She is known for her original vision – and her distinctive work with actors – such as with Alfred Molina in his role as a gay lover in Nervous Energy, discovering the unknown Jamie Draven and his unsettling partnership with Pete Postlethwaite in Butterfly Collectors, and her light touch in casting the Borgia-type family in Born to Run (with Billie Whitelaw in her first television role, as Keith Allen’s mother), and for casting Martin Clunes to play serious (and funny) in the very successful William and Mary. Having had a break from directing to concentrate on writing, she came back to direct episodes of Holby/ for BBC.

She is currently writing a novel The Changeling Boy and developing a feature film with writer Evan Pacey entitled Watermelon Seeds with BFI and producer Kate Swann.