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John Bridcut is an award-winning film maker, with dozens of varied productions to his name, ranging from politics to history to the arts – in particular, a number of portraits of musicians and composers.  

His most recent music film was shown on BBC Two in June and remains on iPlayer.  Michael Tippett, The Shadow and the Light is the latest in his portraits of British composers, which have been widely acclaimed.

In 2022, two of his films were broadcast as part of the BBC's centenary.  How The BBC Began told the story of its early years through the vivid testimony of some of the pioneers.  These are still available on iPlayer, along with a third film to complete the series.  This was broadcast this March.

His previous music films include Winter Journey, an imaginative re-creation of Schubert's song cycle, Winterreise, filmed in the Swiss Alps with the baritone Benjamin Appl and the pianist James Baillieu.

Other music documentaries in the past few years have included Bernard Haitink, The Enigmatic Maestro, as well as Janet Baker In Her Own Words and Jonas Kaufmann, Tenor for the Ages.

He has also made a number of films about the British royal family, including his portrait of Charles III, Born To Be The King.  This followed Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70 and Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute, both of which have been shown around the world.

Most of Bridcut's work is produced by his own company, Crux Productions. He broadcasts on BBC Radio from time to time, and has published two books on Benjamin Britten.  He also gives lectures on music, contemporary history, broadcasting and current affairs.  His report for the BBC Trust on impartiality at the BBC, From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel, was published in 2007.

NEWS

The King and the Composer

The King and the Composer

The King discusses previous coronations, and the part played in them by the composer Hubert Parry, whose music is one of His Majesty's passions. This film was broadcast on Sunday 30th April, and is now on iPlayer[more...]

Diversity policy

Diversity policy

Crux has now published its diversity policy, applied to on-screen and off-screen roles[more...]

Bridcut on Beebwatch

Bridcut on Beebwatch

On his podcast Beeb Watch, Roger Bolton talks to John Bridcut about the BBC, impartiality and classical music[more...]

Privacy policy updated

Privacy policy updated

Crux Productions' privacy policy has been updated in line with the GDPR legislation[more...]

Full series of "How the BBC Began" now on iPlayer

Full series of

The acclaimed series How The BBC Began is back with a third episode.Through the candid and revealing memories of producers and presenters at the sharp end of the BBC's first 50 years, "Shooting The Rapids" tells the story of how the BBC struggled to be impartial at critical moments in British history – from the General Strike in 1926, to the Suez crisis of 1956 and the politics of Northern Ireland in the 1960s. It also explores the role of the BBC in handling social changes in Britain after the second world war. This feature-length third film was on BBC Four in March and the whole series is now on BBC iPlayer.

You can see a trailer for the film here.

Michael Tippett on BBC iPlayer

Michael Tippett on BBC iPlayer

In the first major film about the composer Michael Tippett since his death in 1998, John Bridcut explores the man and his music in a feature-length documentary that has been several years in the making.  Conductors, singers and musicians who worked with the composer discuss the delights and difficulties of his music, and there are specially-filmed performances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Bearsden Choir, conducted by Harish Shankar. Michael Tippett, The Shadow and The Light tells the story of a man who spanned almost all of the 20th century, and whose music was infused with both energy and ecstasy.  It is currently available on iPlayer.