James Runcie
Directing
Known For
An abbess, visionary, naturalist, playwright and composer, Hildegard of Bingen (played by Patricia Routledge) was a remarkable woman of the Middle Ages, her legacy comprising some of the most radiant accounts of religious experience ever.
Hildegard
In 1977, after a fourteen year dry spell, the novelist Barbara Pym was nominated for a Booker Award for her novel, Quartet in Autumn. This drama documentary biopic sees Patricia Routledge as Pym and follows the day of the prize presentation, as she observes people and reminisces about life and love.
Miss Pym's Day Out
Bookmark follows J.G. Ballard from Shepperton to Shanghai and back, looking at the scenes of his life which inspired his autobiographical novels. This is a BBC original production which aired in 1991, directed by James Runcie. It chronicles J.G. Ballard's first trip to Shanghai after he first left it in 1946. He discusses his life and his work especially his two autobiographical novels, Empire of the Sun and The Kindness of Women. There are also bits there about Crash and Vermilion Sands.