Alan James Gwynne Cellan Jones was a British television and film director. From 1963, he directed over 50 diverse television series and films, specialising in dramas. He was particularly associated with the "Classic Serial" during the golden age of BBC drama, and some of his most significant work was in televising late 19th-century and 20th-century British literary works. Two of his most ambitious and successful directorial adaptations were the miniseries The Forsyte Saga, which became a national and international hit, and Fortunes of War ; and he was also noted for his award-winning productions of and Harnessing Peacocks. Cellan Jones was Head of Plays at BBC Television, chairman of BAFTA, and chairman of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.
Early life and education
James Cellan Jones was born in 1931 in Swansea, Wales, the son of surgeon Cecil Cellan-Jones and his wife Lavinia. James later dropped the hyphen in his surname. He was educated in England, attending Dragon School in Oxford, and Charterhouse School in Surrey. From a family of physicians, he studied natural sciences at St John's College, Cambridge, where he received his BA in 1952, later raised to an MA in 1978.
Career
Cellan Jones's true interest was acting and directing rather than medicine, however, and he began working at BBC Television in 1955 as a callboy, and rose steadily to become a production manager. In 1960 he began directing for the BBC, and by 1965 was directing several major productions a year. In 1967, he directed seven episodes of the award-winning 26-part adaptation of The Forsyte Saga, which became a massive national and international hit; and his other period dramas included numerous adaptations of works by Henry James and George Bernard Shaw. In the 1970s, he directed two notable historical biographical sagas: the award-winning miniseries , and the 13-episode miniseries The Adams Chronicles, about the American Adams political family. From 1976 through 1979, Cellan Jones was Head of Plays at the BBC, where he was responsible for up to 85 productions a year. Upon leaving the post, he became a freelance television director, and continued to work steadily for 20 years. Highlights of this period include the World War II miniseries Fortunes of War starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and the award-winning television film Harnessing Peacocks. Cellan Jones was chairman of BAFTA from 1983 to 1985. He was also chairman and honorary president of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.
Cellan Jones married television editor and production manager Margot Eavis in 1959, and they had two sons, Simon Cellan Jones, a director; and Deiniol Cellan Jones, a barrister who died in November 2013; and a daughter, Lavinia Cellan Jones. BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones is also his son, by Sylvia Rich, a BBC secretary, prior to James' marriage to Margot Eavis. He died following a stroke in August 2019.
