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Martin Kempton - CV I joined the BBC as a cameraman, working mostly on dramas and comedies.  After a few years I decided to transfer to the lighting department.  Following a short spell as a vision operator (racks) and then some time as a lighting vision supervisor (console operator) I was promoted to lighting director in 1990. From the early nineties I built my LD experience on a wide range of shows including EastEnders and Top of the Pops.  Since then I have tried to work on as many different kinds of production as possible - including dramas, comedies and entertainment shows whenever the opportunity arises.  I find the experience gained in one genre can be surprisingly useful when working in another.  An example of this was ITV1's special The Door, shown over Easter in 2010.  Although a gameshow, I was given the brief that it should look more like a movie in the style of Harry Potter or Indiana Jones. Over the years I have spent many months on location for single-camera dramas and sitcom inserts. These have included big exterior night shoots and all kinds of interiors, large and small. In the early summer of 2010 I was thrilled to be invited to work on a unique project.  Under the enthusiastic guidance of Sandi Toksvig, Sky Arts produced a season of new theatre plays under the Playhouse Live banner, directed by top theatre directors.  These were staged for several performances as live theatre and then moved into a TV studio the following week and transmitted live.  The challenge for me was to design the lighting for the theatre (which I love) and then adapt that design for the TV studio.  Terrifying - but really exciting to be involved in such a ground-breaking series. Comedy is a particular favourite of mine.  I have lit more than thirty different sitcoms and several sketch shows to date.  My aim is to give the impression to the viewer that the production has been shot on location rather than in a multi-camera studio.  The methods I employ are more closely related to film techniques than traditional television ones.  Hopefully this translates to a more cinematic look on screen.  I have been lucky enough to receive one RTS Award and three further nominations for my work lighting various sitcoms over the past few years - the award was in 2008 for Not Going Out.  The judges were kind enough to say the following... “A beautifully executed piece of lighting which raised a genuine question about whether the show was shot in a studio or a real location. The fact that it was a studio was testimony to the realism achieved to the highest standard on a minimal budget.” I was also very surprised (and of course delighted) to receive nominations in all of the first three years of  Knight of Illumination Awards. These awards are nominated and judged by lighting professionals and newspaper critics and cover theatre, dance, opera, concerts, events and television. As a contrast to comedy and drama, I enjoy lighting music and entertainment shows.  I lit more than fifty Top of the Pops, and dozens of bands on Live and Kicking and more recently on Al Murray's Happy Hour.  By contrast, a year or two ago I worked on a more traditional music special starring Aled Jones for which I received a Bafta Cymru Award.  In the spring of 2010 I took over from the regular LD on three weeks of Over The Rainbow - the popular live BBC1 'search for Dorothy' talent show, which was great fun. Gameshows, panel games and chat shows form a significant part of my schedule too.  I regularly use automated lights such as Vari-lites, Macs and Alphabeams on entertainment programmes of all kinds and enjoy using the ever increasing range of lighting fixtures currently available.  These include the many new LED lamps and digital media servers such as Catalyst and Hippotiser.   I left the BBC and became freelance in the summer of 2002.  Since then I have continued to work at Television Centre on occasions but have also lit many programmes at a number of other studios including Teddington, The London Studios, Fountain, Riverside, Maidstone, BBC Elstree, Elstree Studios, Capital, Sky Centre, BBC Cardiff, Omni Studio Cardiff, BBC Pacific Quay Glasgow, 3sixtymedia Manchester, Ealing, Shepperton and Pinewood.  I have also gained some OB experience lighting televised shows in theatres and other locations. Companies I have worked for include 12 Yard, Avalon, Baby Cow, BBC Entertainment, Big Bear Films, Brown Eyed Boy, Carlton, DLT Entertainment, Finestripe Productions, Fox TV Studios, Granada Entertainment, Hartswood Films, Hat Trick, ITV Studios, Objective, Olga, Pett Productions, Pozzitive, Phil McIntyre Television, Presentable, Shazam, Sky Arts, Syco, talkbackTHAMES, Tiger Aspect, Unique and Zeppotron.   awards and nominations... 2010 Knight of Illumination Award nomination Who Dares Wins BBC1 2009 Knight of Illumination Award nomination Not Going Out BBC1 2008 RTS Craft and Design Award award Not Going Out BBC1 2008 Knight of Illumination Award nomination Al Murray's Happy Hour ITV1 2005 Bafta Cymru award Christmas With Aled S4C 2004 RTS Craft and Design Award nomination Coupling BBC2 2003 RTS Craft and Design Award nomination I'm Alan Partridge BBC2 1996 RTS Craft and Design Award nomination One Foot in the Grave BBC1   further information... I particularly enjoy working in High Definition.  I have currently lit six comedy series, four entertainment series, three plays and several pilots and one-offs in multi-camera HD at Teddington, TV Centre, Fountain, Pinewood, TLS, Sky Centre and Pacific Quay Glasgow.  I am now very much aware of the perils and pitfalls! I live west of London - a few miles outside the M25 - which may help if your company is trying to put together a crew that is not London based, for 'regional' quota purposes.  (Pinewood is only a short drive away.) A few years ago I attended the BBC's 'safe working with cameras and lights on productions' course.  I am thus the proud owner of a 'BBC Production Skills Passport.'  This is compulsory for all freelancers working on BBC drama, entertainment and childrens programmes.  I have attended several other courses over the years including the BBC's interactive safety course, a 'rigging and trussing' course, a 'scaffolding appreciation course' (no, really) and courses on risk assessment. My other great interest is the theatre.  Whilst in my teens I spent a season with the National Youth Theatre.  As a student I studied drama for four years at King Alfred's, Winchester.  Despite spending most of my time in the college theatre, I somehow managed to leave with a degree.  For the past few years I have had little time for much non-TV work but over a long period I must have lit well over 100 plays, musicals and other events.  I still manage to find time to light one or two plays a year - which I love.  Although lighting for television takes up most of my time I would welcome offers of professional theatre work in spaces large or small. examples of television work in recent years... comedy: programme and transmission date directors / producers year recorded Miranda (BBC Entertainment for BBC2 at TVC) - sitcom series starring Miranda Hart - TX autumn 2009 Juliet May / Nerys Evans, Jo Sargent 2009 Above Their Stations (ITV Studios for BBC3 at TLS) - transmitted sitcom pilot by Rhys Thomas - TX Feb 2010 Tony Dow / Jon Rolph 2009 2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (BBC Entertainment for BBC3 at TVC) - Comic Relief Special plus series 8 - TX winter/spring 2009 Nick Wood / Michelle Farr 2009 Not Going Out (Avalon for BBC1 at Teddington) Golden Rose and RTS award-winning Lee Mack sitcom series 1, 2 and 3 and Christmas special all recorded in HD - TX Oct/Nov 2006, Sep/Oct 2007, Jan/Feb 2009.  Winner of RTS Craft and Design Award for multicamera lighting, 2008.  Nominated for Knight of Illumination Award - TV drama category, 2009. Nick Wood, Alex Hardcastle / Alex Hardcastle, Charlie Hanson, Jamie Rix, Richard Allen-Turner 2006, 2007, 2008 The Peter Serafinowicz Christmas Show (Objective for BBC2 at Teddington) sketch show special - TX Christmas 2008 Becky Martin / James Serafinowicz, Ben Farrell, Phil Clarke 2008 Al Murray's Multiple Personality Disorder (Avalon for ITV1 at Fountain) sketch show series - TX spring 2009 Ben Kellett / Richard Grocock, Richard Allen-Turner 2008 Touch Me - I'm Karen Taylor (Avalon for BBC3 at Teddington) sketch show series 2 - TX summer 2008 Ben Kellett / Richard Grocock, Richard Allen-Turner 2008 Grownups (BBC Entertainment for BBC3 at TVC) - series 2 TX summer 2007.  Sadly not available for series 3 Ben Kellett / Stephen McCrum 2007 Little Britain (BBC Entertainment for BBC1 at TVC) two Christmas specials - TX December 2006 Geoff Posner 2006 The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (Tiger Aspect for BBC1 at TVC) TX December 2005 Christine Gernon / Geoffrey Perkins 2005 Carrie and Barry (Hartswood Films for BBC1 at Teddington) series 1 & 2 - TX Sep/Oct 2004, autumn 2005 Martin Dennis / Sue Vertue 2004, 2005 The Vicar of Dibley (Tiger Aspect for BBC1 at Shepperton) two specials - TX Christmas Day 2004/new year's day 2005 Martin Dennis / Richard Curtis 2004 Coupling (Hartswood Films for BBC2 at Teddington) series 4 - TX summer 2004  RTS Craft and Design Award nomination for multicamera lighting, 2004 Martin Dennis / Sue Vertue 2004 French and Saunders Actually (BBC Entertainment for BBC1 at TVC) TX Christmas 2003 Nick Wood / Jo Sargent, Jon Plowman 2003 Hardware (Thames for ITV1 at Teddington) series 1 & 2 - TX March/April 2003, Spring 2004 Ben Kellett / Margot Gavan Duffy 2003 2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps musical special (BBC Entertainment for BBC3 at Ealing Studios) - TX Christmas 2003 Gareth Carrivick / Stephen McCrum 2003 I'm Alan Partridge (Talkback for BBC2 at TVC) series 2 - TX Nov/Dec 2002  RTS Craft and Design Award nomination for multicamera lighting, 2003. Tristram Shapeero / Armando Iannucci 2002 Only Fools and Horses (BBC at TVC) the final three specials - TX Christmas day 2001, 2002 and 2003 Tony Dow / Gareth Gwenlan 2001, 2002 French and Saunders' Celebrity Christmas Puddings (BBC at TVC) TX Christmas Day 2002 Tristram Shapeero / Jon Rolph, Jon Plowman 2002 Victoria Wood's Sketch Show Story (BBC at TVC) TX Spring 2001 John Birkin / Danny Dignan 2001 Hippies (Talkback/BBC at TVC) sitcom series by Linehan and Mathews with Simon Pegg & Sally Phillips - TX Spring 2000 Martin Dennis / Geoffrey Perkins 1999 One Foot in the Grave (BBC at TVC) Christmas day specials, 1995 & 1996.  RTS Craft and Design Award nomination for lighting, 1996 Susan Belbin 1995, 1996 Other sitcoms and sketch shows include... Nelson's Column - some eps ('95), The Brittas Empire ('95, '96) Get Well Soon ('97), A Prince Among Men ('97, '98) Spark ('97), Office Gossip ('99, '00), The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything ('99), Lee Evans - So What Now? ('00),  Mirrorball ('00),  Life As We Know It ('01), Two Pints of Lager... some eps ('01, '02, '03, '04), Odd Socks ('03), Eyes Down ('03, '04), High Hopes ('03), The Crouches - some eps ('04), Sister Frances - pilot ('04), Marigold ('05), As Time Goes By - Christmas Specials ('05), Shane ('05), Home Again - some eps ('05), Little Miss Jocelyn - some eps ('06), Crawford Park - pilot ('06), Armstrong and Miller - pilot ('06), After You've Gone ('06, '08), Hibbert and Long - pilot ('07), To the Manor Born Christmas Special ('07), In My Country - pilot ('08), The Green Green Grass ('05, '06, '07, '08), Mrs Brown's Boys - pilot ('09), Watson and Oliver - pilot ('10), Navid and Johnny - pilot ('10)      entertainment: programme and transmission date directors / producers year recorded Shooting Stars (BBC Entertainment/Pett Productions for BBC1 at TVC) series 4, 5, 6 and 7 - TX Jan-March 2002, Oct-Dec 2002, Sep/Oct 2009,  tba 2010 (in HD from 2009) Ian Trill, Richard Valentine / Lisa Clark 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010 Lee Nelson's Well Good Show (Avalon for BBC3 at Riverside) standup and comedy gameshow series - TX June-July 2010 Peter Orton / Spencer Millman, Richard Allen-Turner 2010 The Door (ITV Studios for ITV1 at Maidstone) 'horror' style adventure gameshow - TX Easter 2010 Tim Van Someren / Jake Attwell, Beth Hart, Richard Cowles 2010 Russell Howard's Good News (Avalon for BBC3 at Riverside) sketch and standup series 1 & 2 - TX autumn 2009, spring 2010 Peter Orton / Mark Iddon, Robyn O'Brien, Jon Thoday 2009, 2010 Harry Hill's TV Burp (Avalon for ITV1 at Teddington) multi award-winning series 1-9 - TX Nov/Dec 2002, Nov/Dec 2003, Feb/March 2004, Oct/Nov 2004, Jan-March 2006, Christmas special 2006, Jan-April 2007, Christmas special 2007, Jan-April 2008, Oct 2008-April 2009, Oct 2009-April 2010 Peter Orton / Spencer Millman, Nick Symons, Richard Allen-Turner 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Perfection (12 Yard for BBC2 at TLS) quiz show - TX tba Ian Hamilton / Ed DeBurgh, Michael Mannes, David Young 2010 Who Dares Wins (12 Yard for BBC1 at TVC and PQ Glasgow) series 1, 2 and 3 of Saturday night gameshow - TX Nov-Dec 2007, Sep-Oct 2008, March-April 2010 nominated for Knight of Illumination Award - TV light entertainment category, 2010 Geri Dowd / Kerry Briggs, Andrew Musson, Andy Culpin, Michael Mannes, David Young 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Eggheads / Are You an Egghead? (12 Yard for BBC1/BBC2  at TVC, Elstree studios and PQ Glasgow) panel game series 1-11 - TX 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 (in HD from 2009). Suzanne Pearse / Eileen Herlihy, Rob Dean, Andy Culpin, David Young 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 In It To Win It (12 Yard for BBC1 at TVC and PQ Glasgow) Saturday night gameshow series 1-11 - 2002-2010.  TX spring/summer 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, winter 2006, autumn 2007, Jan 2008, winter 2009, Jan/Feb 2010 Geri Dowd, Nigel Saunders / Kate Middleditch, Andrew Musson, Ed De Burgh, David Young 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Shan Cothi (Presentable for S4C at Omni Studio, Cardiff) music series with guests - TX April-May 2009. (Sadly, not available for second series.) Sian G Lloyd / Chris Stuart 2009 I Own Britain's Best Home - final (talkbackTHAMES for Five on location/OB) TX May 2008, May 2009 Bridget Caldwell, Stephen Taylor-Woodrow / Colette Hooper, John Comerford, Alex Menzies 2008, 2009 Al Murray's Happy Hour (Avalon for ITV1 at The London Studios) series 1, 2 & 3; TX Jan-March 2007, Jan-April 2008, Sep-Oct 2008 nominated for Knight of Illumination Award - TV light entertainment category, 2008. Peter Orton / Robyn O'Brien, Nick Symons, Richard Allen-Turner 2007, 2008 The Omid Djalili Show (BBC Entertainment for BBC1 at TVC) sketch and standup series 1 & 2 - TX Nov-Dec 2007, spring 2009 Michael Cumming / Alex Walsh-Taylor, Kenton Allen 2007, 2008 Another Audience With Al Murray (ITV Productions for ITV1 at The London Studios) TX October 2007 Peter Orton / Robyn O'Brien, Rachel Ashdown 2007 TV Heaven, Telly Hell (Objective for C4 at The London Studios) Two series of comedy chatshow with Sean Lock - TX March/April 2006, July/August 2007 Lissa Evans / David Taylor, Richard Wilson, Jim Pullin 2005, 2006 Aled Jones Christmas Special (Presentable for S4C at Studio 1, Cardiff) music special with Aled Jones and guests - TX Christmas 2005.  Bafta Cymru Award for 'best lighting director' 2005 Sian G Williams / Chris Stuart 2005 An Audience With Al Murray (Granada for ITV1 at The London Studios) TX March 2005 Peter Orton / Nick Symons, Mark Wells 2005 The Great British Spelling Test (Granada for ITV1 at The London Studios) live interactive quiz - TX October 2004 Sue McMahon / Sean Miller, Nicholas Steinberg 2004 An Audience With Harry Hill (Granada for ITV1 at The London Studios) TX Oct 2004 Peter Orton / Nick Symons, Mark Wells 2004 Distraction (Talkback for C4 at TVC) Jimmy Carr comedy gameshow series 1 & 2 - TX autumn 2003, spring 2004 Pati Marr, Barbara Wiltshire / Simon London, Ruth Wrigley 2003, 2004 The Great British Driving Test (Carlton for ITV1 at The London Studios) live interactive quiz - TX Jan 2004 Sue McMahon / Iestin Williams, Mark Wells 2004 Top of the Pops (BBC at Elstree and TVC) more than 50 editions Chris Cowey, Ric Blaxill / several directors 1990 - 2002 Live and Kicking (BBC at TVC) 3 months each year of the best Saturday morning show ever! various directors / Angela Sharp, Chris Bellinger 1995 - 2000 Other entertainment shows include... Wogan ('90, '91), Going Live ('91, '92, '93), Rory Bremner ('91), Song For Europe ('92), Run The Risk ('92, '93, '94, '95, '96), National Lottery Live ('95, '97, '98, '99, '03), Ruby ('95, '96, '98, '99, '00), Britpop Now ('95), The Standup Show ('96, '97, '00), Spice Girls special ('97), Stephen Fry's Live at the Lighthouse ('98), Your Kids Are In Charge ('00), Battle of the Fantasy Bands ('00), Limp Bizkit special ('00), Stupid Punts ('01, '02), Pop Goes Christmas ('01), Class Of... ('02), Xchange ('02), Double Cross ('02), The Frank Skinner Show ('02), Without Prejudice? ('02, '03), Dead Ringers ('02), The All New Harry Hill Show ('02), The Strategic Humor Initiative ('03), The Lyrics Game ('03), Beg, Borrow or Steal ('04), Fact Hunt (with Al Murray)  ('05), Harry Hill's Shark Infested Custard ('05), The X-Factor - covering regular LD ('05),  Little Britain Night ('05), Catrin Finch ('06), It Started With Swap Shop ('06), The X-Factor, Battle of the Stars  - covering regular LD ('06), I Blame the Spice Girls ('07), Shrink Rap ('09), Over The Rainbow - three editions covering regular LD ('10)     theatre for TV/DVD: show (recorded as live in theatres) director year recorded Simon Callow - 'Dr Marigold and Mr Chops' (adapting existing theatre lighting for Riverside Studios) Glenn-Emlyn Richards 2010 Al Murray - Live at The Palladium (Avalon) Peter Orton 2007 Russell Howard Live (for Avalon) Peter Orton 2007 The Ornate Johnsons' Edwardian Spectacular (Sketch show from Wilton's Music Hall for BBC Comedy/BBC4) Gareth Carrivick 2007 Edinburgh and Beyond (Stand-up series with Al Murray and various comedians for Avalon/Paramount Comedy) Peter Orton 2005, 2006, 2007 Lee Mack - Live (for Avalon) Paul Wheeler 2006 Harry Hill in 'Hooves' (for Avalon) Peter Orton 2005 Jerry Springer - The Opera (adapting existing theatre lighting for Avalon/BBC2) Peter Orton 2004 drama: programme directors / producers year recorded Here (Sky Arts at Riverside and Sky studios) new play performed for four performances in front of live audience, then moved to TV studio and transmitted live in HD.  Theatre lighting designed by me and adapted for the TV studio. Josie Rourke, Stuart McDonald / Pip Broughton, Sandi Toksvig, James Hunt 2010 Hens (Sky Arts at Riverside and Sky studios) new play performed for four performances in front of live audience, then moved to TV studio and transmitted live in HD.  Theatre lighting designed by me and adapted for the TV studio. Peter Gill, Stuart McDonald / Pip Broughton, Sandi Toksvig, James Hunt 2010 The Typist (Sky Arts at Riverside and Sky studios) new play performed for four performances in front of live audience, then moved to TV studio and transmitted live in HD.  Theatre lighting designed by me and adapted for the TV studio. Bijan Sheibani, Stuart McDonald / Pip Broughton, Sandi Toksvig, James Hunt 2010 EastEnders (BBC at Elstree and on location) many blocks of several months each year during early and mid-nineties.   Then a few blocks each year up to 1999.  Several specials including two Christmases. more than 20 directors / several producers including Diana Kyle, Leonard Lewis, Jane Fallon, Corinne Hollingworth 1991 - 1999 Grange Hill (BBC at Elstree and on location) DoP for single camera - studio and location - 2 blocks Geoff Feld, Paul Annett / Diana Kyle 1998 Accused (BBC on location) DoP for 8 part location drama Indra Bhose, Rob Evans, Jo Johnson, Gwennan Sage / Diana Kyle 1996 The Boot Street Band (BBC at TVC) 2 series of children's comedy drama written by Andrew Davies.  Yes, that Andrew Davies John Smith / Angela Beeching 1993, 1994   for a full list of all work in the past six years click here For a formal CV that will print on a single A4 sheet click here This page is formatted to print on A4 paper.  Simply right-click anywhere and select 'print' contact: home/office - 01628 674980 mobile - 07721 550285 email - mkempton@btinternet.com   return to top of page please note: The images shown on this website are taken from television programmes for which I was lighting director. It has not been possible to obtain formal permission for the use of all of the images on this website. I apologise sincerely if this causes any problem. If you were involved with one of these productions and wish a picture to be removed, please contact me and I will be happy to oblige.