John Needham

John Needham began his career in the seventies as a film editor at the BBC's Ealing Film Studios working mainly for the Drama and Music & Arts Departments. He then joined the Music and Arts Department as a producer and was, for three years, the Deputy Series Producer of the BBC's award-winning flagship arts series Omnibus. He went on to become the first BBC producer to win the prestigious Italia Prize for Music for his film production of the Ballet Rambert's Cruel Garden which also won him an Ace Award in America. With five times Oscar-winning animation director and long-time friend, Chuck Jones, he made a number of films on the history of animation for the BBC, Warner Bros., FR3 and Turner Broadcasting. For ten years he was the Controller of Programmes of Mentorn Films, the UK's leading independent production company. While at Mentorn he won a Royal Television Society Award for light entertainment for the TV programme You Are, Are You Not, Russell Harty? For several years he was in partnership with Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson. One of the many projects they created was Firestorm, a 26-part sci-fi anime series made in Tokyo for Japanese television. He now writes, develops and produces film and television projects with his own company, Peculiar Pictures, and with third parties.