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Derek Banham was born in London in 1931. While still as school he attended evening classes in Drama and Stage Production. He was a student at Wimbledon School of Art between 1948-1952 getting a National Diploma in Illustration. His National Service was in the R.A.F. where he was commissioned and worked as Wing Adjutant and Station Adjutant at Biggin Hill. He joined R.S. Theatres Ltd. in 1954 and worked in every capacity from front of house manager to costume designer in Repertory, Variety and Pantomime until the company closed down in 1956. A spell as a commercial designer for John Waddington Ltd. followed, as well as freelance direction of amateur drama. In 1959 he joined the Masius and Ferguson advertising agency and began to specialise in Film and Television, writing, designing, producing and directing commercials.
In 1962 he was invited to teach Film at St. Martin's School of Art. He helped to plan and initiate the Film Course and lectured part-time for the next three years. In 1965 he joined J. Walter Thompson as a producer working on large national accounts (Kelloggs, Persil, Kodak, Rowntrees etc.) and lecturing on Advertising Film for the company both here and in Europe. He also served on the committee that established J.W.T.'s collection of British Painting, helping to select and purchase works of art.
In 1967 he wrote "The Gap", an original screenplay that was filmed and released the following year as the movie 1917 (1970). In 1968 he was invited to join Hardy, Schaeffer, Ferguson, Abey, the film production house, to direct commercials. He was an immediate success and within a year he had won several awards. In 1970 he formed (with Micke Luckwell and Dennis Abey) a film production group - The Moving Picture Company. When the firm expanded into Videotape Production and Post-Production in 1975, he became responsible for devising and directing the demonstration programmes for these new techniques until 1984, when he received the Gold award for Special Achievement in Direction from the International Television Association. During this same period he directed the film version of Tom Gallagher's play "Mr. Joyce is Leaving Paris", wrote and directed "Can We Help You?", a film for the British Steel Corporation, directed episodes of "Couples", a drama series for Thames Television as well as directing over forty commercials and promotional films each year and winning more awards.
In 1983 Derek Banham directed the film _Last Day of Summer (1984)_ by Ian McEwan for Channel Four. It was selected for the London Film Festival as one of the most outstanding British films of that year and shown on the Film on Four slot on television. When the Moving Picture Company merged with Carlton Television later that year, Banham decided to quit company life and concentrate on his job as a Film Director. About this time he became a Governor of St. Martin's School of Art and, later, of the London Institute.
He has directed a wide variety of work from children's plays and series for Thames and TVS to popular mainstream drama such as The Paradise Club (1989), Minder (1979) and Boon (1986). Derek Banham is married with three daughters and lives in Surrey. He has now retired from the film business to resume his original craft of painting and drawing.
