---
name: "Charles Crichton"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/charles-crichton"
fi1m_id: "charles-crichton"
imdb_id: "nm0187769"
tmdb_id: 8929
wikidata_id: "Q727753"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "6 August 1910"
died: "14 September 1999"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 83
average_as: "director"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-25T04:52:23.145925+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Charles Crichton

## Identity

Charles Crichton

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/charles-crichton
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** charles-crichton
- **IMDb ID:** nm0187769
- **TMDB ID:** 8929
- **Wikidata ID:** Q727753
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Crichton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q727753, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187769/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8929

Director. Born 6 August 1910 in Merseyside, England, UK. Died 14 September 1999.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 6 August 1910, Merseyside, England, UK
- **Died:** 14 September 1999
- **Active:** 1936–1988
- **Also known as:** Чарльз Крайтон
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 3 directing, 1 crew
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 83, as director, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 65 (1), 1950s 82 (1), 1960s 83 (1), 1980s 83 (1)
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Crime 3, Comedy 2, Action & Adventure 1, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 3 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $189m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Crichton, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q727753, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187769/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8929

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*A Fish Called Wanda*](https://film.one/film/a-fish-called-wanda.md) (83)
- **Peacock:** [*The Avengers*](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md) (83)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Things to Come*](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md) (65)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Charles Crichton

> Charles Crichton gives comic actors time to make one another uncomfortable without letting a scene drag. We rate his precise, unshowy direction, though good timing cannot rescue every script or excuse every cruelty.

In *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988), Charles Crichton lets an exchange run long enough for the listener's displeasure to become part of the joke. We laughed at their discomfort: he gives the actors time to show how little they like what they hear. John Jympson's editing preserves that rhythm rather than cutting away as soon as someone has said something funny. The film moves briskly without hurrying anybody past a useful reaction.

His timing grew out of an early career as an editor, before he directed Ealing comedies including *Hue and Cry* (1947), *The Lavender Hill Mob* (1951) and *The Titfield Thunderbolt* (1953). The everyday settings and mild insubordination gave his economical direction plenty to work with. In *The Titfield Thunderbolt*, villagers try to save a railway line. These are the gentler comedies to explore if the later film's malice is too much.

The scripts did not always serve him as well: *The Battle of the Sexes* (1959) and *He Who Rides a Tiger* (1965) were both weakened by their writing. His move into television and corporate films after Ealing was followed by a return to features with *A Fish Called Wanda*, after a gap of 23 years. John Cleese's screenplay gives him people whose greed and lust make even basic co-operation difficult. Crichton sensibly allows those difficulties to occupy more of our attention than the criminal arrangements.

Our affection for that film has limits: a few jokes are pushed too hard, and its appetite for bullying can become wearing. Yet Crichton's trust in the actors keeps the farce engaging when the plot grows complicated. He gives them something to do besides explain it, which is a considerable service to everyone watching. Start with *A Fish Called Wanda*, but make sure the company enjoys seeing people treated badly.

## Biography

Charles Crichton was an English film director and editor. He began his career as an editor at London Films in the 1930s before joining Ealing Studios, where he made his directorial debut with *For Those in Peril* (1944).

Crichton directed several Ealing comedies, including *Hue and Cry* (1947), *The Lavender Hill Mob* (1951) and *The Titfield Thunderbolt* (1953). He later worked extensively in television, directing episodes of series such as *The Avengers* and *Space: 1999*.

In 1988, at the age of 78, he returned to feature films to direct *A Fish Called Wanda*, on which he also received a story credit alongside John Cleese. The film earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Crichton died in London on 14 September 1999.

*Sources: theguardian.com, nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (4)

### Directed (3) — the average rests on these

- *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988), Fi1m 83, Story, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/a-fish-called-wanda.md)
- *The Avengers* (1961), Fi1m 83, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md)
- *The Lavender Hill Mob* (1951), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lavender-hill-mob.md)

### Crew (1)

- *Things to Come* (1936), Fi1m 65, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)

## Complete filmography (53)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Space: 1999 4K Double Bill - Breakaway and The Metamorph* (2026), Director
- *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988), Director, Story — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/a-fish-called-wanda.md)
- *Made In Ealing: The Story of Ealing Studios* (1986), as Interviewee
- *Cosmic Princess* (1982), Director
- *Smuggler* (1981), series, Director
- *Alien Attack* (1980), Director
- *Dick Turpin* (1979), series, Director
- *Return of the Saint* (1978), series, Director
- *The Professionals* (1977), series, Director
- *Rentaghost* (1976), series, Director
- *The Day After Tomorrow: Into Infinity* (1975), Director
- *Space: 1999* (1975), series, Director
- *The Protectors* (1972), series, Director
- *The Adventures of Black Beauty* (1972), series, Director
- *Shirley's World* (1972), series, Director
- *Here Come the Double Deckers* (1970), series, Director
- *Strange Report* (1969), series, Director
- *Man in a Suitcase* (1967), series, Director
- *He Who Rides a Tiger* (1965), Director
- *The Third Secret* (1964), Director
- *The Human Jungle* (1963), series, Director
- *Man of the World* (1962), series, Director
- *The Avengers* (1961), series, Director — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-avengers-1961.md)
- *Danger Man* (1960), series, Director
- *The Boy Who Stole a Million* (1960), Director, Writer
- *The Battle of the Sexes* (1960), Director
- *Floods of Fear* (1958), Screenplay, Director
- *Law and Disorder* (1958), Director
- *The Man in the Sky* (1957), Director
- *The Divided Heart* (1954), Director
- *The Love Lottery* (1954), Director
- *The Titfield Thunderbolt* (1953), Director
- *Hunted* (1952), Director
- *The Lavender Hill Mob* (1951), Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lavender-hill-mob.md)
- *Dance Hall* (1950), Director
- *Train of Events* (1949), Director
- *Another Shore* (1948), Director
- *Against the Wind* (1948), Director
- *Hue and Cry* (1947), Director
- *Dead of Night* (1945), Director
- *Painted Boats* (1945), Director
- *For Those in Peril* (1944), Director
- *Greek Testament* (1943), Associate Producer
- *The Big Blockade* (1942), Editor
- *Find, Fix and Strike* (1942), Producer
- *Old Bill and Son* (1941), Editor
- *Guests of Honour* (1941), Editor
- *Young Veteran* (1940), Editor
- *The Thief of Bagdad* (1940), Editor
- *21 Days* (1940), Editor
- *Elephant Boy* (1937), Editor
- *Things to Come* (1936), Editor — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/things-to-come-1936.md)
- *Sanders of the River* (1935), Editor

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 1989: Best Director (nominated), for *A Fish Called Wanda*
- 1989: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *A Fish Called Wanda*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/charles-crichton