Otto Bathurst


Otto Benjamin Charles Bathurst is a British television and film director. In 2014, he won a BAFTA for his work on BBC drama Peaky Blinders. He was also previously BAFTA nominated for his work on BBC series Criminal Justice and Five Days.

Early life

Bathurst was born on 18 January 1971, the son of Elizabeth Mary and Christopher Bathurst, 3rd Viscount Bledisloe. He grew up in Dudley and Bridgnorth. He began to study engineering at university, but dropped out to move to London and work in film.

Family life

Bathurst lives with his wife Lucinda Bathurst and family in Somerset, England. They have three children, the first born was in 2016. The Bathurst family has resided in the town of Bath, Somerset since 2013, and Lucinda is a swim teacher who works nearby at The Lighthouse in Frome. Otto enjoys cooking and his favourite restaurant serves classic Indian cuisine.
The Bathurst's are followers of the Universal Medicine new age sect and dedicated to its leader's teachings. Based in Frome Somerset, the sect is reportedly popular with middle-class professionals and in 2019 it was revealed as a "socially harmful cult" following on from an investigation into it. The Times reported that Bathurst "is the best known of the group's British adherents" and first identified him as a follower.

Career

Bathurst began his career in editing and then worked on commercials, before moving into television. He has taught filmmaking at Oxford and London universities.
In 2009, Bathurst directed Margot, a biopic of Margot Fonteyn starring Anne-Marie Duff, which focused upon the relationship between Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.
In 2011, he directed "The National Anthem", the first episode of the anthology television series Black Mirror.
He has also directed episodes of Urban Gothic, Teachers, and Hustle. In 2013, he was described by Express & Star as "Britain's most exciting director".
In 2018, he made his feature film directorial debut with Robin Hood. It starred Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlett, Jamie Foxx as Little John, Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian, and Taron Egerton as the eponymous hero. The film received a poor response in some circles and was estimated to have lost the studio US$83.7 million.

Filmography