RichardThomas
- Producer
- Executive
Richard Thomas had a passion for documentary. After directing for the BBC's legendary doco series Man Alive, he moved downunder and became head of Television One’s information programme department. Following a short spell as Director of Television at the ABC in Australia, he settled in New Zealand to make some compelling television documentaries — and inspire others to do the same.
Screenography
Biography
Richard Thomas had a lengthy career in broadcasting, as a director, producer, executive and educator.
Thomas arrived in Aotearoa in the mid 1970s, seconded from the BBC to become Head of Information Programmes for TV One. Raised in the English city of Newcastle, he’d started at the Beeb in radio, before moving into television in 1965, where he worked on documentary series Man Alive. Within a year he went from research to directing. "I directed probably 20 or 25 of them", Thomas recalled. Next came a jobs show, which focused on "ordinary people doing ordinary jobs".
Awards
2012 New Zealand Television Awards
Nominated for Best Popular Documentary (with Bryan Bruce): Inside Child Poverty
“Although I began my broadcasting life as a social documentary maker, battles with autocratic managements convinced me that finding different ways to organise the creative process was crucial.”