The Fan Carpet Chats To… Filmmaker Jo Southwell Discusses Directing BBC’s ‘Doctors’ And Bold, Female-led Films
TV and film director and writer Jo Southwell has had a varied career. Born in the UK, she has Irish heritage, which has been an inspiration for much of her work. She started her film career as an actress in LA (via Leeds), and she ended up writing and directing for short films and popular TV shows including BBC’s ‘Doctors’.
She’s now building on the foundations of her successful short film ‘Deirdre’ to turn it into a feature film. Jo told us more about her childhood dreams of the stage, her acting agency and why she’s passionate about portraying strong female protagonists.
How did you get into the film industry?
I still remember the overwhelming feeling when I was about nine years old, of wanting to be in the movies, to be on set, and not sure how it would ever happen. I went on to study theology and media in Leeds, which led to a work placement with YTV. By luck, I ended up working as an actress in LA, which ultimately led to my return to the UK. I set about writing, producing, directing and acting in my first short film, ‘Holding On’ (starring Gordon Kennedy). It won several awards and gained distribution with Shorts International; from the moment I was on set as a director and writer… I knew I was where I was meant to be!
What was your experience working on the BBC TV series 'Doctors'?
In 2021 I was given my first opportunity by the BBC to direct broadcast TV, on their daytime series ‘Doctors’. I’d been working towards this for many years, shadowing other directors before being given my own episodes. It wasn't easy, because the first three episodes were shot under full Covid protocol. Trying to meet the cast and crew of a very established series with a mask on was a challenge. With only 10 days to shoot three episodes, the schedule is full-on and there is little room for error. I loved every minute of the process and thankfully my producer was happy, which led to me returning to Birmingham earlier this year to direct another three episodes. I was also delighted that my first block launched the primetime trial of ‘Doctors’ at 7pm. The second block was very different; not only was I made to feel like part of the family, but some of the restrictions had been lifted and it made for a very happy set.
Photo credit Alex Harvey Brown
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