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Bob Spiers

Bob Spiers

Director · Died December 8, 2008, aged 63 · Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Robert Alexander "Bob" Spiers (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a director. He is particularly noted as the director of the early series of Absolutely Fabulous (1992–2001), the musical comedy Spiceworld, and of the second series of Fawlty Towers (1979). He also worked with Steven Moffat on Press Gang and Joking Apart. Spiers won a BAFTA Award twice for his work as a television comedy director.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 27, 1945
Died
December 8, 2008 (aged 63)
From
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Works as
Director
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 23% in 30 days

What are Bob Spiers' films like?

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

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
52%
Self
43%
Power
5%
Friendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 1 · 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 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
5
Joyful
3
Warm
2
Manic
1
Tense
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

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 Bob Spiers' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on BritBox (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bob Spiers' 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

39 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Best of French & Saunders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director

  • Chilly Dogs(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Days Like These (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

  • The Fast Show Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Absolutely Fabulous: A Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Spice World(1997)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • That Darn Cat(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Adventures of Lano and Woodley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Agony Again (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • How to Be Absolutely Fabulous(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • French and Saunders' Christmas Carol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Queen of the Wild Frontier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Vicar

  • Joking Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 12 episodes · Director

  • Absolutely Fabulous(1992)

    Show 21 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Murder Most Horrid(1991)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Bottom(1991)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Lazarus and Dingwall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • Press Gang (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 22 episodes · Director

  • A Bit of Fry and Laurie(1987)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • French And Saunders - Christmas Special '88 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Didn't You Kill My Brother? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director

  • Familie Oudenrijn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 15 episodes · Director

  • French & Saunders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Up Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • Little Armadillos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 7 episodes · Director

  • Gino: Full Story and Pics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • A Fistful of Travellers' Cheques (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Susie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • Five Go Mad on Mescalin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • The Beat Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • Five Go Mad in Dorset (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • The Comic Strip Presents... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • A Cut Above (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer

  • Fawlty Towers(1975)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Are You Being Served?(1972)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Goodies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 16 episodes · Director

  • Dad's Army (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1968 to 2002.

Biggest box office

Spice World (1997)

$29M worldwide

Highest rated

A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1987)

Midcredits 94th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 39: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting38 of 39: 36 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score88thProducing2 of 39: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s3 · crew1980s17 · crew1990s16 · 1 acting · 15 crew2000s2 · 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 Bob Spiers' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 16th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 19th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

19thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

10thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director, producer

Spice World (1997)

91st percentile spread · 57% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Fawlty Towers (1975)

Midcredits 98th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 57, detractors 30. 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 Bob Spiers work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bob Spiers' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rik Mayall shares the most, 2.

Actors

Editors

Producers