George Spenton-Foster

{{Infobox person | name = George Spenton-Foster | birth_name = Thomas George Spenton | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|11|11|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Lambeth]], [[London]], [[England]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1993|12|26|1926|11|11|df=y}} | death_place = Lambeth, London, England | occupation = Television director and producer }}

'''George Spenton-Foster''' (11 November 1926 – 26 December 1993) was a British [[television director]] and [[television producer]].

==Career== Joining the BBC in 1948 as George Spenton, he worked as a call boy on productions including ''[[The Quatermass Experiment]]''. A move to production assistant led to a promotion as director in 1963, adopting Spenton-Foster as his professional surname by the mid-sixties.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Shannon |title=George Spenton-Foster |url=http://www.shannonsullivan.com/drwho/bio/george-spenton-foster.html |website=Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) |access-date=11 December 2025}}</ref>

After producing a few anthology series in his homeland like ''[[Thirty-Minute Theatre]]'', he went to Australia in 1968 to produce a short-lived police series ''[[The Link Men]]'' (1970). For the [[BBC]], Spenton-Foster directed two ''[[Doctor Who]]'' stories: ''[[Image of the Fendahl]]'' (1977) and ''[[The Ribos Operation]]'' (1978). He also directed four ''[[Blake's 7]]'' episodes from its second series in 1979: "Weapon", "Pressure Point", "Voice from the Past" and "Gambit".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Muir |first1=John Kenneth |title=A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television |date=2007 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9781476604541 |page=262 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qMKSCgAAQBAJ&dq=George+Spenton-Foster&pg=PA262 |accessdate=13 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

In late 1982, Spenton-Foster left the Liverpool-based soap opera ''[[Brookside (TV series)|Brookside]]'' four days before it aired because of a disagreement over bad language in the dialogue.<ref>{{cite news |title=New rumpus over Mersey soap opera |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19821126/034/0003 |accessdate=13 July 2018 |work=[[Liverpool Echo]] |date=26 November 1982 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Time to Adjust the Picture |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19821129/081/0006 |accessdate=13 July 2018 |work=Liverpool Echo |date=29 November 1982 |page=3}}</ref>

==Personal life== His cousin was the actress and singer [[Queenie Watts]] (Mary Spenton).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://islandhistory.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/the-quest-for-queenie-the-voice-of-the-island/|title=The Quest for Queenie Watts – The Voice of the Isle of Dogs|website=islandhistory.wordpress.com|access-date=20 February 2026}} (post from John Spenton on 20/07/2022)</ref>

According to [[Tom Baker]], Spenton-Foster was quite a lonely person. The director found consolation in alcohol, leading to a drink problem, resulting in his death on Boxing Day 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pinkforyouractualpterodactyl.com/2025/12/17/the-directors-of-blakes-7-george-spenton-foster/|title=The Directors of Blake's 7 – George Spenton-Foster|website=pinkforyouractualpterodactyl.com|access-date=20 February 2026}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|0818226|George Spenton-Foster}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spenton-Foster, George}} [[Category:BBC television producers]] [[Category:British television directors]] [[Category:1926 births]] [[Category:1993 deaths]] [[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in England]]