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Ben Bolt

Director · Died May 10, 2025, aged 73

Born
May 9, 1952
Died
May 10, 2025 (aged 73)
Works as
Director
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 49 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 21% in 30 days

What are Ben Bolt's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
24%
Society
21%
Self
16%
Morality
16%
Power
11%
Survival
11%
Community2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 3 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Warm
2
Dread
1
Joyful
1
Melancholic
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ben Bolt's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on BritBox (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ben Bolt's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

49 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Outlander(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Murder in the First(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Crossing Lines(2013)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Vikings(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Downton Abbey(2010)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Inspector George Gently(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Ashes to Ashes(2008)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Losing It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Doc Martin(2004)

    Show 37 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Second Nature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Waking the Dead(2000)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • The Whistle-Blower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Doc Martin(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Turn of the Screw(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Forgotten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Getting Hurt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • An Unsuitable Job for a Woman(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Wilderness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Silent Witness(1996)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Wilderness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Black Easter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director

  • Scarlet and Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Space Rangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Natural Lies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • WIOU (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Never Come Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • TV 101 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Big Town(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • L.A. Law(1986)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Robin of Sherwood(1984)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Rainy Day Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Easter 2016 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Play for Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Bergerac(1981)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • Hill Street Blues(1981)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Shoestring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Black Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Strangers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Target (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Once Upon a Classic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Shadow of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Cinematographer

  • The Sweeney(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Van der Valk(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 1 episode · Director

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles from 1970 to 2014.

Biggest box office

The Big Town (1987)

$1.7M worldwide

Highest rated

Doc Martin (2001)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1997)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing48 of 49: 47 only directing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting1 of 49: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleCinematography1 of 49: 1 only cinematography, 0 with another role

By decade

1970s10 · crew1980s11 · crew1990s13 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s5 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Ben Bolt's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 21 titles divides audiences: 10 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most loved · director

Downton Abbey (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Ben Bolt work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ben Bolt's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jerry Leon shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers