Chris Shepherd (born 11 December 1967) is a double BAFTA nominated British television/film writer, graphic novelist and director. Born in Anfield, Liverpool in 1967, he is known for combining live action with animation. His work fuses comedy with commentary on the darker side of human nature.
Shepherd's first animation was made in 1989 and it was called Safari. He wanted to make a drama but didn't know any actors, so he made his cast out of plasticine. Using this film he won a place at University for the Creative Arts, Farnham. His first job in the industry was as production manager at Speedy Films which was the creative vehicle for director Paul Vester. His writing and commissioned directorial debut came in 1997 with a Channel 4 film called The Broken Jaw. This animated comedy illustrated the plight of a public house after it has been transformed into a fun pub. During the same year he animated the world stare-out championship for BBC comedy sketch show Big Train.
As well as being the producer on the Channel 4/MOMI scheme, he also worked as producer with Cramp Twins creator, Brian Wood, on his Channel 4 film School Disco and "Bunny Schendler" on her BAFTA nominated "World of Interiors".
Slinky
In 2000, Shepherd set up Slinky Pictures and until its closure in 2010, the company produced many award-winning films and adverts. His 2003 Dad's Dead, commissioned by animate!, featured Ian Hart as its narrator. This was the first of many collaborations with producer and Slinky Pictures co-founder Maria Manton. The film won 25 international awards including Best Short Film at the British Independent Film Awards and BAFTA nomination. He directed and co-wrote a spoof general election series with Peter Holmes called People's Britain for Channel 4 in 2001.
Shepherd's first work after Slinky was a pop promo, Falling into Pieces, for Black Casino and the Ghost. From 2011 saw Shepherd being a guest curator on Channel 4's late night arts strand Random Acts. Commissioned by Lupus films he's worked with the likes of David Shrigley, Phil Mulloy and Fred Deakin. As well as curating and producing sixty films for the strand he's also directed two. A recreation of a childhood visits to the dentist called "Drillerfiller" and a pop promo for protest singer Grace Petrie called "Grace Petrie: Rise". Both look at Shepherd's childhood landscape, the first as a memory and the second as a documentary. "Rise" was shot in Anfield, Liverpool just as Shepherd's childhood neighbourhood was being demolished. The film was later included in 2012's Anfield Home Tours as part of the 2up2down project. He also produced a documentary project with Tim Brunsden called Home Sweet Home which documented events after a major fire at Shepherd's family home.
In 2013, he wrote and directed a new film called The Ringer, which saw Shepherd develop his autobiographical approach to filmmaking. Shepherd revealed in 2018 that the film was inspired by his estranged father, Andy Fletcher. He created the film as both an examination of the events and a tribute to his father. The film is dedicated to his father as on the end credits it says "for my Dad". Fletcher died on 19 September 2018.[1]
2016 saw Shepherd return with another director/writer project for Arte called Johnno's Dead, a loose sequel to his 2003 classic. This sequel is set thirteen years after the original was set and starts the same cast. The film has played many international festivals such as Annecy, Clermont Ferrand, Tampere and the film picked up Best British Short Film at the London International Animation Festival held in the Barbican in London.[2]
Joe Orton
In 2017, Shepherd embarked upon a Joe Orton tribute project to mark the 50th anniversary of the passing of the playwright. The project was masterminded by Shepherd with Emma Parker from the University of Leicester. It centres around Orton's Edna Welthorpe letters. Orton wrote prank letters of complaint to poke fun at establishment figures such as vicars, companies and sometimes even his own plays. The project funded by the Arts Council England and the University of Leicester has seen many comedy writers such as Alec Baldwin, David Quantick, Caroline Moran, Phil Bowker, Arthur Mathews, Jesse Armstrong write new Edna Welthorpe letters. These letters are to be read in two events. The first in Latitude with readings by Robin Ince, John-Luke Roberts and Joe Orton's sister, Leonine Orton-Barnet. The second is at the Little Theatre in Orton's hometown on the anniversary of Orton's death on 9 August 2017. With readings by Leonie Orton-Barnet, Frances Barber, David Quantick and John Shuttleworth. In addition, Shepherd directed a short animated film called Yours Faithfully Edna Welthorpe (Mrs), which featured the voices of Alison Steadman and Robin Sebastian.[3][4]
2010s Filmwork
Shepherd directed a short film for Arte France with regular collaborators Autour De Minuit called Brexicuted which premiered in Edinburgh Film Festival on 27 June 2018.[5] In 2020, he created animations for Sara Pascoe's sitcom with illustrator Stephen Collins for BBC 2 called Out Of Her Mind.
Anfield Road
It was announced that Shepherd's debut graphic novel, fictional with 272 pages, would be released through Titan Comics on 29 October 2024. It was described as “full of heart, soul and wit” by screenwriter and producer Jesse Armstrong. Anfield Road depicts a beautiful coming of age story centered around growing up in the working-class dynamics of Merseyside in the late 1980s.[6]
Nominated Best British Short at British Independent Film Awards 2006. Winner Public Choice Award British Animation Award 2006, Tiger Award Rotterdam In Film Festival 2006
Nominated Best Animated Film BAFTA Film Awards 2003, Winner Best Short Film at British Independent Film Awards 2004, Winner 2 British Animation Awards 2004
2001
People's Britain
director and co-writer with Peter Holmes
Winner Best Comedy Series British Animation Awards 2002
2001
The World of Interiors
producer
Nominated Best Animated Films BAFTA Film Awards 2002
