Hettie Macdonald is an English film, theatre and television director. Macdonald is known as the director of the Hugo Award-winning 2007 episode of Doctor Who, "Blink". She has won numerous awards including one BAFTA Television Award for Best Single Drama, one Hugo Award, and a Grand Prix award. She has been nominated for numerous awards, including two BAFTA Television Awards.

"Blink" is frequently named as the best episode of Doctor Who since the series' 2005 revival. In 2009, SFX named the episode's climax as the scariest moment in Doctor Who's history, citing its "perfect direction". Macdonald would return to the series in 2015 to direct the year's opening story.

She has also directed for the stage. She studied English at Bristol University, before training as a director at the Royal Court Theatre, and was formerly associate director at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.

Career

Macdonald made her feature-length film directorial debut on 1996's Beautiful Thing, which received mostly positive reviews and is considered by many to be an LGBTQ+ classic. She did not direct another film for cinemas until 2023's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which has also received positive reviews.

Selected credits

Film

YearTitleNotes
1996Beautiful Thing
2023The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Television

YearTitleNotes
1997Casualty2 episodes
2001In a Land of PlentyMiniseries
2003Servants3 episodes
2005–13PoirotEpisodes: "The Mystery of the Blue Train", "Curtain"
2006Banglatown BanquetTV movie
2007–15Doctor WhoEpisodes: "Blink", "The Magician's Apprentice", "The Witch's Familiar"
2008White GirlTV movie
2008The Fixer2 episodes
2010WallanderEpisode: "Faceless Killers"
2010Law & Order: UKEpisode: "Masquerade"
2012Hit & Miss3 episodes
2013The Tunnel2 episodes
2015–17Fortitude6 episodes
2017Howards End4 episodes
2020Normal People6 episodes
2026Steal3 episodes

Theatre

YearTitleVenueNotes
1997The Northern FoxAmbassadors Theatre
1998Hey Persephone!Aldeburgh Festival / Almeida Theatre
1998The StormAlmeida Theatre
2002She Stoops to ConquerTheatre Royal, Margate
2002Top GirlsCitizens Theatre
2004M.A.D.Bush Theatre
2006On Insomnia and MidnightRoyal Court
2025HeddaOrange Tree Theatre

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultNotes
2008Hugo AwardBest Dramatic Presentation, Short Form"Blink", Doctor WhoWon
2009BAFTA Television AwardsBest Single DramaWhite GirlWon
2013BAFTA Television Craft AwardsBest Director: FictionHit & MissNominated
2018BAFTA Television AwardsBest Mini-SeriesHowards EndNominated

See also

External links