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James Tovell

Director, actor and producer · Born November 15, 1975 (50) · North London, England, UK

James Tovell is a Director, Writer and Producer known for Cradle to Grave (2017), The Lizard Boy (2010) and Macbeth (1997).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 15, 1975 (50)
From
North London, England, UK
Works as
Director, actor and producer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 17 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 27Up 3% in 30 days

What are James Tovell's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
41%
Survival
32%
Society
21%
Power
6%
Truth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality3 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 0 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

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

A split, not a type: Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · 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

Contemplative
5
Hopeful
3
Dread
1
Cold
1
Triumphant
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Thought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet1
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3
  • 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 James Tovell's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Tovell'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

17 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.

  • Human(2025)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors(2024)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Earth(2023)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb(2020)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • I Am a Killer(2018)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Cradle to Grave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Web of Lies(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Dark Matters: Twisted But True(2011)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Filthy Cities(2011)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Locked Up Abroad(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Director · as Major Phil Ashby

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The IT Crowd(2006)

    Show 1 episode · as Terry

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Einstein's Big Idea(2005)

    as Manson

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Mad Dogs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Canine Policeman

  • Steel Tempest(2000)

    as Unterscharfuhrer Becker

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    as Fleance

  • EastEnders(1985)

    Show 1 episode · as Letting Agent

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows

  • Nova(1974)

    Show 1 episode · Director · as Manson

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1974 to 2024.

Highest rated

Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb (2020)

Midcredits 90th

Most popular right now

Earth (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 14: 5 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score95thDirecting9 of 14: 6 only directing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting1 of 14: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 14: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

14 titles, 3 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s1 · acting1990s1 · acting2000s4 · 4 acting · 1 crew2010s4 · crew2020s3 · 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 James Tovell's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

Steel Tempest (2000)

65th percentile spread · 72% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Einstein's Big Idea (2005)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 3 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 James Tovell work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Tovell's MovieCove titles; Paul Saunderson shares the most, 2.