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Declan Lowney

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Declan Lowney
Born(1960-04-23)23 April 1960(age 64)
Wexford,County Wexford,Ireland
Occupation(s)Filmandtelevision director
Years active1980–present

Declan Lowney(born 23 April 1960) is anIrishtelevision and film director. Known initially for directing musical events such as the1988 Eurovision Song Contest,Lowney is perhaps best known for his work on Irish and British television comedies such asCold Feet,Little BritainandFather Tedfor which he was awarded aBAFTA Awardin 1995.[1]He was awarded a second BAFTA Award in 2006 for his work on BBC comedyHelp.[2]

He has directed two feature films,Wild About Harryin 2000,[3]andAlan Partridge: Alpha Papain 2013.[4]

Background

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Lowney was born inWexfordinCounty Wexford,Irelandon 23 April 1960. At the age of 12, he began using his uncle'sSuper 8camera to make short films, and became the winner of local amateur film competitions. His parents wanted him to go into a career in law, but he decided to continue making films instead.[5]In 1977, he directedThe Rose that Bloomed,a documentary film about the 25th Wexford Film Festival.[6]

Career

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In 1980, Lowney releasedWavelength,a 17-minuteshort subjectabout pirate radio in Dublin that he directed and produced. It won the Critics Choice for Outstanding Irish Film at the 1980 Cork Film Festival. Throughout the 1980s, he worked for Irish national broadcasterRTÉincluding as a producer on the show TV Ga Ga (1985). He became known for directing musical events, including the1988 Eurovision Song Contest,[7]for which he won aJacob's Award.[8]Lowney courted controversy shortly before the contest, when he stated in an interview that Eurovision was "just an excuse for a load of TV executives to go on the piss on expenses".[5]Into the 1990s, he directed theBob MarleybiopicTime Will Tell(1991) andThe Velvet Underground's 1993 tourLive MCMXCIII.[7]

After directing somePenn and Tellershows and theJo BrandseriesThrough the Cake Hole,Lowney met with writersArthur MathewsandGraham Linehanabout directing a new sitcom they had written calledParis.He did not get the job, but Matthews and Linehan remembered him when they were putting together a production team for their next sitcom,Father Ted.[9]Lowney took input from Linehan and Matthews on set, and the three often refined the scripts during filming. One of Lowney's favourite episodes is "Song for Europe",which mocks the frequency Ireland wins the Eurovision Song Contest, and features a music video scene.[9]For his work on two series andthe Christmas special,Lowney was the co-recipient of the 1995 BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series).[10]Lowney was met byChristine Langan,aGranada Televisionproducer who wanted him to directCold Feet,an ITV Comedy Premiere. Lowney agreed andCold Feetwas filmed in 1996, though not broadcast until 1997.[11]It was a success, winning theGolden Rose of Montreuxand aBritish Comedy Award.Langan asked Lowney if he would like to return to direct the first two episodes of the recently commissioned series ofCold Feet.He declined the invitation because the production schedules clashed with his first feature film,Mattie.[12]Written byHugh Leonard,Mattiewas to starTerence StampandMia Farrow.Funding for the film fell through the week before principal photography was due to begin.[13]Lowney was offered the first episodes ofCold Feetagain and this time accepted. The episodes were broadcast in 1998.[12]

After the failure ofMattie,Lowney finally got the chance to direct a debut feature withWild About Harry(2000). The following year, he directed the first series ofPaul Whitehouse'sHappiness,which was nominated for a BAFTA.[14]He returned for the second series in 2003. In 2005, he directed Whitehouse'sHelp,and the third series ofLittle Britain.Helpwon Lowney his second BAFTA andLittle Britainsecured him another nomination.[15]In 2008, he directed a major television advertising campaign forRevealmagazine.[16]In 2009, he directed the RTÉ sitcomNever Mind the Nursing Home[17]and three episodes of the ITV romantic comedyMarried Single Other,[18]which were broadcast in early 2010. In 2010, Lowney directed a performance ofRiverdancein Beijing in high-definition. The performance was scheduled for release on Blu-ray to mark 15 years of the troupe.[19]

Lowney played a role developingEddie the Eagle,a biographical film aboutEddie 'the Eagle' Edwards,and was reportedly set to direct.[20][21]However the film was eventually directed byDexter Fletcher.

In 2013 Lowney directedSteve Cooganin theAlan Partridgefeature film,Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.[22]

Personal life

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Lowney is married to Jenny, and they have two sons, Danny and Ted, and a daughter, Joya. Ted was named afterthe title characterofFather Tedas a tribute to actorDermot Morgan,who died the day after Lowney and Jenny learned she was pregnant.[23]Danny made an appearance in the first episode ofHappiness,playing Josh.[24]

References

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  1. ^"Television nominations 1995".British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
  2. ^"Doctor Who is Bafta award winner".8 May 2006.
  3. ^"Wild About Harry (2000) - Overview".TCM.com.Retrieved3 April2018.
  4. ^"Armando Iannucci On Alan Partridge Movie".Empire. 2012.Retrieved1 May2012.
  5. ^abBoyd, Brian (21 April 2001). "PopMart director talks about new film".The Irish Times.
  6. ^Staff (1977). [Untitled column].Film making(Penblade Publishers)15:p. 82.
  7. ^abHopper, p. 209.
  8. ^Staff (17 October 1988). "Jacob's Award for McAnally".The Irish Times.
  9. ^abNolan, Paul (20 June 2007). "Ted reckoning".Hot Press(Cityrove).
  10. ^"Television nominations 1995".British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
  11. ^Tibballs, p. 13.
  12. ^abTibballs, p. 28.
  13. ^Taylor, Richie (4 November 1997). "Hollywood plans Ted and buried".The Mirror(MGN).
  14. ^"Television nominations 2001".British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
  15. ^"Television nominations 2005".British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
  16. ^Sweeney, Mark (11 August 2008). "Carol Vorderman adds star touch to Reveal revamp".guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved on 27 August 2008.
  17. ^Staff (6 October 2009). "Sideline Joins Irish Contingent at Mipcom".The Irish Film & Television Network. Retrieved on 20 October 2009.
  18. ^McMahon, Kate (25 February 2009). "Mackie reunites the Cold Feet team for rom-com".Broadcast(Emap Media).
  19. ^"15th Anniversary of the First Performance".Riverdance. Retrieved on 22 February 2010.
  20. ^Tilly, Chris (8 August 2007). "Knowing me Steve Coogan, playing you Eddie the EagleArchived2007-08-20 at theWayback Machine".Time Out.
  21. ^Sweeney, Ken (22 November 2009). "The Diary: Irish director makes leap of faith in casting for 'Eagle' biopicArchivedFebruary 17, 2010, at theWayback Machine".Sunday Tribune(Tribune Newspapers).
  22. ^"Armando Iannucci On Alan Partridge Movie".Empire. 2012.Retrieved1 May2012.
  23. ^Tibballs, p. 34.
  24. ^"Personality Crisis".Happiness.BBC Two. 20 March 2001.

Bibliography

  • Hopper, Keith (2001). "Declan Lowney"in Yoram Allon, Del Cullen, Hannah Patterson:Contemporary British and Irish Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide.London: Wallflower Press.ISBN1-903364-21-3.
  • Tibballs, Geoff (2000).Cold Feet: The Best Bits....London: Granada Media.ISBN0-233-99924-8.
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