Biography
Gareth Jones was born in London in 1951, the son of BBC Foreign Correspondent Ivor Jones, with whom he traveled to Germany, India, and Lebanon. He was educated at Westminster School, London, St John's College, Cambridge, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In the 1970s, he trained as a theatre director with the Prospect Theatre Company, directing works by Shakespeare, Brecht, Strindberg, and Chekhov.
He served as Director of Productions at the bilingual Welsh/English touring company Theatr yr Ymylon and freelanced at the Royal Court Theatre, London, Swan Theatre Worcester, and Theatr Clwyd, Mold, where he directed his own plays My People (based on the short stories of Caradoc Evans) and Solidarity.
Jones published two historical novels, Lord Of Misrule (Gollancz/Penguin, serialized on BBC Radio 4) and Noble Savage (Weidenfeld/Sphere), both set in Wales near his family home.
In 1980, he trained as a television director with HTV Wales, later moving to Granada TV, where he directed Coronation Street and the award-winning comedy-drama Brass (BPG Best Comedy 1983), which he also produced. He was the founding producer of Granada’s twice-weekly series Albion Market.
Between 1984 and 1987, he wrote original television miniseries Fighting Back (BBC2), directed by Paul Seed, and the award-winning Shalom Salaam (BBC2), which he also directed. (Cannes FIPA Best Actress/SACD Best Screenplay 1988)
His other directing credits for the BBC and Channel 4 include The Trial Of Klaus Barbie (screened at FIPA 1987), Watch With Mother, Seeing In The Dark, and Seduction.
In 1990-1991, he co-wrote and filmed the three-hour documentary Au Nom Du Même Père/Born Of The One Father for Channel 4 and TF1.
Jones has an extensive screenwriting career across Europe, with credits including Verbotene Zone, Sonntags Geöffnet, Un Cadeau La Vie, the award-winning Bonhoeffer - Agent Of Grace, Nicht Ohne Dich, Joseph, Mary Magdalen, Thomas, and Saul Of Tarsus.
His feature film Desire (2009), nominated for Best UK Feature at Raindance 2009, was the first installment of the D-trilogy of feature films produced by his own company, Scenario Films. Delight (2013) premiered in competition at the Moscow International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Feature. Delirium (2017) also premiered in the official selection at the Moscow International Film Festival.
