---
name: "Dewi Humphreys"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/dewi-humphreys"
fi1m_id: "dewi-humphreys"
imdb_id: "nm0401982"
tmdb_id: 98466
wikidata_id: "Q28710231"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "4 February 1947"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 82
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-07T11:46:44.761058+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."
---

# Dewi Humphreys

## Identity

Dewi Humphreys

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/dewi-humphreys
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** dewi-humphreys
- **IMDb ID:** nm0401982
- **TMDB ID:** 98466
- **Wikidata ID:** Q28710231
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewi_Humphreys, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28710231, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401982/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/98466

Director. Born 4 February 1947 in Bangor, Wales, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 4 February 1947, Bangor, Wales, UK
- **Active:** 1981–2004
- **Also known as:** Dewi Humphries
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 4: 2 directing, 2 crew
- **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as director, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 68 (2), 1990s 81 (1), 2000s 82 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewi_Humphreys, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28710231, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0401982/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/98466

## Streaming the US now

- **BritBox:** [*Absolutely Fabulous*](https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous.md) (81)

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

## Fi1m on Dewi Humphreys

> Dewi Humphreys gives comic actors time to make a disagreement funny. His *Absolutely Fabulous* work earns our recommendation, though its success is shared with other directors and a cast that needs little encouragement.

In *Absolutely Fabulous* (1992), Edina prolongs a complaint and Patsy's disdain lingers until somebody answers her. Dewi Humphreys is well suited to comedy that needs actors to take their time. We rate his handling of these exchanges: he gives the performers room without making the situations unnecessarily big. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley supply the selfishness, irritation and stamina. With this cast, an ordinary disagreement provides enough trouble for a scene, and Humphreys has the good sense to let it do so.

His television directing began with drama in 1990, before he moved into comedy with *The Vicar of Dibley* (1994), working with Dawn French. Long runs on *My Family*, beginning in 2001, and *Still Open All Hours* (2013) gave him sustained work with familiar ensembles. He directed all eight episodes of the fifth series of *Absolutely Fabulous* in 2003. The one-off *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* (2016) sits alongside those longer commitments; established sitcoms have been his principal business.

On *Absolutely Fabulous*, Humphreys belongs to a directing roster that also includes Bob Spiers, so the programme's comic habits should not all be assigned to him. We laughed at Edina's persistence because Saunders makes a complaint last well beyond any reasonable expectation of sympathy. Giving her time to become that aggravating is an important directing decision. The half-hour format helps: we get enough of these people's company to enjoy the aggravation without having to live with it. The celebrity appearances are less useful, sometimes interrupting better jokes from the regular cast.

*Neverwhere* (1996) provides a caution: the six-part Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry series drew criticism for its garish, overlit video appearance. We would not make a case for Humphreys as a distinctive visual stylist from his sitcom timing alone. Start with his fifth-series episodes of *Absolutely Fabulous* for the regular cast.

## Biography

Dewi Humphreys is a Welsh television director specialising in situation comedy. Born in Bangor in 1947, he began his career as a camera operator on feature films including *Chariots of Fire* (1981) before directing for television from the early 1990s.

He has directed episodes of many BBC comedies, including *The Vicar of Dibley* (1994–1999), *My Family* (2001–2007), *Absolutely Fabulous* (2003), *Nighty Night* (2005), *The Green, Green, Grass* (2006–2009) and *Still Open All Hours* (2013–2019). Other credits include the television film *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* (2016) and episodes of *Neverwhere* (1996). He has received BAFTA Television Award nominations for his work.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, comedy.co.uk, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

### Directed (2) — the average rests on these

- *Nighty Night* (2004), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night.md)
- *Absolutely Fabulous* (1992), Fi1m 81, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous.md)

### Crew (2)

- *The Missionary* (1982), Fi1m 57, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/the-missionary.md)
- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Fi1m 78, Camera Operator — [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)

## Complete filmography (26)

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

- *Peter Pan Goes Wrong* (2016), Director
- *You Can't Teach a New Dog Old Tricks* (2016), Director
- *Funny Valentines* (2015), series, Director
- *Rock & Chips* (2010), Director
- *Rock & Chips* (2010), series, Director
- *The Only Boy for Me* (2006), Director
- *Nighty Night* (2004), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/nighty-night.md)
- *Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour* (2003), Director
- *Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity* (2001), Director
- *Harry Enfield Presents Kevin's Guide to Being a Teenager* (1999), Producer
- *Get Real* (1998), series, Director
- *Neverwhere* (1996), series, Director
- *The Lifeboat* (1994), series, Director
- *Tender Loving Care* (1993), Director
- *Chef* (1993), series, Director
- *Absolutely Fabulous* (1992), series, Director — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/absolutely-fabulous.md)
- *Murder Most Horrid* (1991), series, Director
- *Sticky Wickets* (1990), Director
- *Screen One* (1989), series, Director
- *The Razor's Edge* (1984), Camera Operator
- *The Missionary* (1982), Camera Operator — Fi1m 57, [page](https://film.one/film/the-missionary.md)
- *Chariots of Fire* (1981), Camera Operator — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/chariots-of-fire.md)
- *Quadrophenia* (1979), Camera Operator
- *The Boys from Brazil* (1978), Camera Production Assistant
- *The Black Windmill* (1974), as Focus Puller
- *Scorpio* (1973), as Focus Puller

---
© 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/dewi-humphreys