Otto Benjamin Charles Bathurst (born 18 January 1971) is a British television and film director. In 2014, he won a BAFTA for his work on BBC drama Peaky Blinders. He was also previously BAFTA nominated for his work on BBC series Criminal Justice and Five Days.

Early life

Bathurst was born on 18 January 1971, the son of Elizabeth Mary (Thompson) and Christopher Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe. He grew up in Dudley and Bridgnorth. He began to study engineering at university, but dropped out to move to London and work in film.

Family life

The Bathurst family has lived in Bath, Somerset since 2013. Otto enjoys cooking and his favourite restaurant serves classic Indian cuisine.

Career

Bathurst began his career in editing and then worked on commercials, before moving into television. He has taught filmmaking at Oxford and London universities.

In 2009, Bathurst directed Margot, a biopic of Margot Fonteyn starring Anne-Marie Duff, which focused upon the relationship between Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.

In 2011, he directed "The National Anthem", the first episode of the anthology television series Black Mirror.

He has also directed episodes of Urban Gothic, Teachers, and Hustle. In 2013, he was described by Express & Star as "Britain's most exciting director".

In 2018, he made his feature film directorial debut with Robin Hood. It starred Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, Jamie Foxx as Little John, Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Taron Egerton as the eponymous hero. The film was universally panned and was estimated to have lost the studio US$83.7 million.

He directed episodes of the historical drama series Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, broadcast in January 2025.

Filmography

Feature film

Television

YearTitleDirectorExecutive ProducerNotes
2000-2001Urban GothicYesNo4 episodes
2002Comedy LabYesNoEpisode "Shoreditch Tw*t"
Guardian of the AmazonYesNoTV movie
200320 Things to Do Before You're 30YesNo3 episodes
TeachersYesNo3 episodes
UGetMeYesNo6 episodes
2004NY-LONYesNoEpisode "Something About Chemicals"
2005-2006HustleYesNo4 episodes
2007Five DaysYesNo3 episodes
2008Criminal JusticeYesNo3 episodes
2009MargotYesNoTV movie
2011Black MirrorYesNoEpisode "The National Anthem"
2013Peaky BlindersYesNo3 episodes
2014HysteriaYesYesUnaired pilot
2019His Dark MaterialsYesYesEpisodes "Armour" and "The Lost Boy"
2022Billy the KidYesYes2 episodes
2022-2024HaloYesYes4 episodes
2023The Winter KingYesYes4 episodes
2025Lockerbie: A Search for TruthYesYes4 episodes
The AbandonsYesYes2 episodes

External links