Brian Joseph Cosgrove[1] (born 6 April 1934)[2] is an English BAFTA Award winning[3] director, producer, animator, designer and sculptor best known as the creator of the animated children shows Danger Mouse and Count Duckula.
Early life[]
Cosgrove studied at Manchester College of Art and Design, there he met his future work partner Mark Hall.[4]
Career[]
Cosgrove started career by producing television graphics at Granada Television. He later on joined Stop Frame Productions, which Mark Hall founded, there he worked on many public service films, commercials for companies like TVTimes and directing and produced animated shows such as The Magic Ball and Sally And Jake.[4]
After Stop Frame Productions was shut down both Cosgrove and Hall founded Cosgrove Hall Films there they produced some of the most well known animated children's shows and films in Britain such as Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Wind in the Willows, which would later become a 52-episode TV series, Noddy's Toyland Adventures, Bill and Ben and Fifi and the Flowertots until 2009.
In 1989, Cosgrove directed and produced the animated feature film The BFG, based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. According to Cosgrove, this is one of the only adaptations, based on one of Roald Dahl's novels, that Dahl himself actually liked.
- When we finished, we ran a screening in Soho, and Dahl and his family came along. They were sitting at the back, and when the film finished they stood up and applauded. He could be quite vocal, Dahl, if he didn't like something. He didn't like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at all, the 1971 Gene Wilder one. So it was a real relief that he liked our film.'[5]
Since 2011, Cosgrove has been the creator and executive producer of Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick Entertainment.[6]
Personal life[]
Cosgrove is good friends with actor and comedian David Jason, who has been a loyal collaborator with most of his projects.[7]
Sources[]
- ↑ COSGROVE, Brian Joseph (born 6 April 1934), artist and sculptor; Executive Producer and Co-Founder, Cosgrove Hall Fitzpatrick, since 2011:Who's Who - oi
- ↑ Brian Cosgrove - BFI
- ↑ Brian Cosgrove - Special Award Recipient in 2012 - BAFTA
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mark Hall obituary, Animator whose TV cartoon series created with his friend Brian Cosgrove included Danger Mouse and The Wind in the Willows, The Guardian (Anthony Hayward) 18 November 2011
- ↑ How we made The BFG by director Brian Cosgrove and Ben Turner - Film - The Guardian
- ↑ Team Profiles - CHF Entertainment
- ↑ Sir David Jason - tells the colourful story of Cosgrove Hall - BBC