# Keith Boak

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{{short description|British film and television director|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{multiple issues|
{{COI|date=July 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2019}}
}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Keith Boak
| birth_place = [Edinburgh, Scotland](/source/Edinburgh%2C_Scotland)
| alma_mater = [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol)
| occupation = [Director](/source/Film_director)
| years_active = 1993 – present
}}

'''Keith Boak''' is a British film and television director, best known for his work on several popular continuing drama series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.waterlooroad.co.uk/episodes/s4-ep20.http|title=Waterloo Road|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=YouTube|access-date=August 4, 2016}}{{Dead link|date=October 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006t0qx/episodes/guide#b04fhjm8|title=New Tricks|last=|first=|date=|website=BBC One|publisher=BBC|access-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref> He currently resides and works in the United States.

== Early life ==
Born in [Edinburgh](/source/Edinburgh), he attended the John Hampden High School, [High Wycombe](/source/High_Wycombe) and graduated in law at the [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol) in 1984.

His career began in the theatre, directing 'In Nomine Patris' by Paula Maggee which won a [Scotsman Fringe First Award](/source/Scotsman_Fringe_First_Award) at the 1985 [Edinburgh Festival](/source/Edinburgh_Festival) and transferred to the [Kings Head Theatre, London](/source/King's_Head_Theatre). He subsequently trained as an assistant director at [Riverside Studios](/source/Riverside_Studios) under David Gothard running a writer's group with [Hanif Kureishi](/source/Hanif_Kureishi) and directing new work by [Stephen Lowe](/source/Stephen_Lowe_(playwright)), Tunde Ikoli and [Dario Fo](/source/Dario_Fo), assisting on productions with [Paines Plough](/source/Paines_Plough), Foco Novo, the [Royal National Theatre](/source/Royal_National_Theatre) and the Theatre of Comedy Company.

Appointed Assistant Director at the [Royal Court](/source/Royal_Court_Theatre) in 1986 under [Max Stafford Clark](/source/Max_Stafford-Clark), he assisted [Sir Richard Eyre](/source/Sir_Richard_Eyre) on Alan Bennett's '[Kafka's Dick](/source/Kafka's_Dick)', [Jonathan Miller](/source/Jonathan_Miller) on [Ryszard Kapuściński](/source/Ryszard_Kapu%C5%9Bci%C5%84ski)'s 'The Emperor' and [Danny Boyle](/source/Danny_Boyle) on [Howard Barker's](/source/Howard_Barker) 'Bite of the Night'.

He directed Berkoff's 'East' and the first stage production of [Anthony Burgess](/source/Anthony_Burgess)' '[Clockwork Orange](/source/A_Clockwork_Orange%3A_A_Play_with_Music)' at [Edinburgh Festival](/source/Edinburgh_Festival), 'Requiem' with the dancer Gaby Agis at [Leicester Haymarket](/source/Leicester_Haymarket_Theatre), 'Milkwood Blues' with [Allan Corduner](/source/Allan_Corduner) at the [Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith](/source/Lyric_Theatre_(Hammersmith)), [Jean-Claude van Itallie's](/source/Jean-Claude_van_Itallie) 'The Traveller' with [David Threlfall](/source/David_Threlfall) at the [Almeida Theatre](/source/Almeida_Theatre) and [Heidi Thomas](/source/Heidi_Thomas)' 'Indigo' with [Dougray Scott](/source/Dougray_Scott) also at the [Almeida](/source/Almeida_Theatre). Other theatre credits include 'Crimes of Passion' at [Leicester Haymarket](/source/Leicester_Haymarket_Theatre), 'Water Music' at the [Soho Theatre](/source/Soho_Theatre) and 'Jitterbugger' at the [Royal National Theatre Studio](/source/Royal_National_Theatre).

== Career ==
Boak was the first director on the widely acclaimed [BBC](/source/BBC) revival of the classic [science fiction](/source/science_fiction) series ''[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)'' ([BAFTA Award for Best TV Drama Series](/source/BAFTA_Award) in 2005), directing the episodes "[Rose](/source/Rose_(Doctor_Who_episode))", "[Aliens of London](/source/Aliens_of_London)" and "[World War Three](/source/World_War_Three_(Doctor_Who))".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Christopher Eccleston says he'd "still be playing the Doctor now" if THIS one thing had been different|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/christopher-eccleston-doctor-who-exit/|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|date=19 September 2019|access-date=2021-09-20|website=Radio Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Meegan|first=Danny|date=2020-09-04|title=Doctor Who: 10 Behind The Scenes Bust-Ups BBC Doesn't Want You To Know|url=https://whatculture.com/tv/doctor-who-10-behind-the-scenes-bust-ups-bbc-doesnt-want-you-to-know|access-date=2021-09-20|website=WhatCulture.com|language=en}}</ref> For [C4](/source/C4_(New_Zealand)), he directed in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and [London](/source/London) for the transatlantic series [NY-LON](/source/NY-LON) and his first film Impact Earth was broadcast on [Discovery Channel](/source/Discovery_Channel)/[C4](/source/C4_(New_Zealand)) in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba98dd86a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915214318/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba98dd86a|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 15, 2016|title=Keith Boak|last=|first=|date=|website=BFI|publisher=|access-date=August 4, 2016}}</ref>

His extensive TV directing credits include ''Village by the Sea'' (from [Anita Desai's](/source/Anita_Desai) novel in [Sri Lanka](/source/Sri_Lanka)), ''[Case Histories](/source/Case_Histories_(TV_series))'', ''[Silent Witness](/source/Silent_Witness)'', ''[Hotel Babylon](/source/Hotel_Babylon_(BBC_series))'', ''[Strictly Confidential](/source/Strictly_Confidential_(TV_series))'', ''[Death in Paradise](/source/Death_in_Paradise_(TV_series))'', ''[New Tricks](/source/New_Tricks)'', ''[Thieftakers](/source/Thief_Takers)'', ''[City Central](/source/City_Central_(TV_series))'', ''[London's Burning](/source/London's_Burning_(TV_series))'', ''[Waterloo Road](/source/Waterloo_Road_(TV_series))'', ''[The Knock](/source/The_Knock)'', ''True or False'', ''[Pie in the Sky](/source/Pie_in_the_Sky_(TV_series))'', ''Sunburn'', ''[Out of the Blue](/source/Out_of_the_Blue_(1995_TV_series))'', ''[Staying Alive](/source/MTV_Staying_Alive)'', ''[Wokenwell](/source/Wokenwell)'', ''Merseybeat'', ''[The Bill](/source/The_Bill)'', ''[Holby City](/source/Holby_City)'', ''[Casualty](/source/Casualty_(TV_series))'', ''[Eastenders](/source/EastEnders)'', and the single drama ''Substance''.

He directed the documentary Running the Bulls and six short films for [C4](/source/C4_(New_Zealand)), including These Colours Don't Run (with [John Hannah](/source/John_Hannah_(actor))), Fist of the Dragonfly (with [Simon Russell Beale](/source/Simon_Russell_Beale) and [Burt Kwouk](/source/Burt_Kwouk)), After the Party (with [Jemma Redgrave](/source/Jemma_Redgrave) and [Morag Hood](/source/Morag_Hood)), Nightclub, The Return of Neville Dead, and The Loser (with [Phil Daniels](/source/Phil_Daniels) and [Sean Bean](/source/Sean_Bean)).

In 2012, Boak directed the [cybercrime](/source/cybercrime) film Companies Like Yours for The Edge Picture Company. That year, it won the IVCA Award for Best Director and two Best Film Gold Awards at the New York International Film and Television Festival.

In the [United States](/source/United_States), Boak has directed multiple episodes of ''[Turn: Washington's Spies](/source/Turn%3A_Washington's_Spies)'' for the [AMC Network](/source/AMC_(TV_channel)), ''[Rectify](/source/Rectify)'' for the [Sundance Channel](/source/SundanceTV), and ''[Outsiders](/source/Outsiders_(American_TV_series))'' for [WGN America](/source/WGN_America).

== Filmography ==

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role(s)
!Notes
|-
|1993-94
|''[EastEnders](/source/EastEnders)''
|Director
|15 episodes
|-
|1994-95
|''[The Bill](/source/The_Bill)''
|Director
|6 episodes
|-
|1995
|[''Thieftakers''](/source/Thief_Takers)
|Director
|
|-
|rowspan=2|1996
|[''Out of the Blue''](/source/Out_of_the_Blue_(1995_TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|[''Pie in the Sky''](/source/Pie_in_the_Sky_(TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|1997
|''[Wokenwell](/source/Wokenwell)''
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|1998
|[''City Central''](/source/City_Central_(TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|1999
|[''Harbour Lights''](/source/Harbour_Lights_(TV_series))
|Director
|4 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|2000
|''[The Knock](/source/The_Knock)''
|Director
|
|-
|''Sunburn''
|Director
|
|-
|2001/03
|''[Mersey Beat](/source/Mersey_Beat)''
|Director
|3 episodes
|-
|2001-04
|''[Holby City](/source/Holby_City)''
|Director
|12 episodes
|-
|2003
|''[The Royal](/source/The_Royal)''
|Director
|3 episodes
|-
|2004
|''[NY-LON](/source/NY-LON)''
|Director
|Episode: "Something About Chemicals"
|-
|2005
|''[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)''
|Director
|3 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|2006
|''[Hotel Babylon](/source/Hotel_Babylon_(BBC_series))''
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|[''Strictly Confidential''](/source/Strictly_Confidential_(TV_series))
|Director
|
|-
|2008
|[''Casualty''](/source/Casualty_(TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|2009
|[''Waterloo Road''](/source/Waterloo_Road_(TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|2011-16
|''[Silent Witness](/source/Silent_Witness)''
|Director
|6 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|2013
|[''Death in Paradise''](/source/Death_in_Paradise_(TV_series))
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|[''Case Histories''](/source/Case_Histories_(TV_series))
|Director
|Episode: "Jackson and the Women"
|-
|2014
|''[New Tricks](/source/New_Tricks)''
|Director
|2 episodes
|-
|2015-17
|''[Turn: Washington's Spies](/source/Turn%3A_Washington's_Spies)''<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017|title=Turn: Washington's Spies|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/turn|access-date=30 April 2021|website=[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)}}</ref>
|Director
|4 episodes
|-
|2018
|''[Krypton](/source/Krypton_(TV_series))''
|Director
|1 episode
|-
|2019
|''[For the People](/source/For_the_People_(2018_TV_series))''<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=For the People|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/for_the_people|access-date=30 April 2021|website=[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)}}</ref>
|Director
|1 episode
|}

=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role(s)
!Notes
|-
|1990
|''The Loser''
|Director, producer
|Short Film
|-
|2007
|''Futureshock: Comet''
|Director
|TV movie
|-
|2014
|''Amendment''
|Director
|Short Film
|}

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
*{{official website|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811010848/https://www.keithboak.com/}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0090141|name=Keith Boak}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boak, Keith}}
Category:British television directors
Category:Living people
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:British expatriates in the United States
Category:British film directors
Category:Television people from Edinburgh
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Keith Boak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Boak) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Boak?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.