Farren Blackburn (born 10 December 1968) is a British film and television director and screenwriter. His work includes Netflix's young adult love story, The Innocents, the French English-language psychological thriller Shut In starring Naomi Watts, Netflix and Marvel's Daredevil, Iron Fist and The Defenders.
Early life
He attended Caythorpe primary school, then the Sir William Robertson School in Welbourn. In Caythorpe, he lived on South Parade. Aged 20 in 1989, went to the US, to teach soccer over the summer. From 1987 he studied sports at the West London Institute of Higher Education.
As a young man he was on the books of Cambridge United Football Club and represented England at youth level. After being in London, he arranged a Career Development Loan, and completed an MA in Film and TV at Bournemouth University.
He found his way onto the BBC Production Training Scheme, for which there were ten places a year, with around five hundred applicants. He had a film featured at the BBC Short Film Festival.
Career
He directed The Fades for which he received a BAFTA for best Drama Series. He also directed the Golden Globe nominated crime series Luther, the movie Hammer of the Gods, BBC period drama The Musketeers and the Doctor Who episodes "The Rings of Akhaten" and the 2011 Christmas special, "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe". He directed Naomi Watts in the French English-language psychological thriller Shut In (2016), from Christina Hodson's Blacklist screenplay about a woman who discovers a shocking secret about her catatonic son. In June 2019 he announced via Twitter that he will direct 5 episodes of season 2 of A Discovery of Witches.
In years previous, he was also a regular director of BBC medical drama Holby City.
Awards
He won a BAFTA for best Drama Series for The Fades.
Family life
He is married to actress Verona Joseph and has two daughters and a son: Elsie-Mae Blackburn, Ruby-Rose Blackburn and Terrell Blackburn.
Filmography
The Fades (2011) Doctor Who "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe" (2011, Christmas Special) "The Rings of Akhaten" (2013, Series 7 Episode 8) Hammer of the Gods (2013) The Musketeers "The Challenge" (2014) "Musketeers Don't Die Easily" (2014) Daredevil (2015, season 1) "World on Fire", Episode 5 "Nelson v. Murdock", Episode 10 Shut In (2016) Iron Fist "Felling Tree with Roots", Episode 7 (2017, season 1) The Defenders "The Defenders", Episode 8 (2017, season 1) The Innocents (2018) A Discovery of Witches, Season 2 (TV Series) (2021)