---
name: "Natalie Bailey"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/natalie-bailey"
fi1m_id: "natalie-bailey"
imdb_id: "nm1707462"
tmdb_id: 1236983
wikidata_id: "Q94691545"
roles: ["Director"]
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 88
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-17T17:13:33.604970+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."
---

# Natalie Bailey

## Identity

Natalie Bailey

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/natalie-bailey
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** natalie-bailey
- **IMDb ID:** nm1707462
- **TMDB ID:** 1236983
- **Wikidata ID:** Q94691545
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Bailey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q94691545, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1707462/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236983

Director.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Active:** 2005–present
- **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as director, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 94 (1), 2020s 82 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Bailey, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q94691545, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1707462/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236983

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*The Thick of It*](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it.md) (94), [*Down Cemetery Road*](https://film.one/tv/down-cemetery-road.md) (82)

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

## Fi1m on Natalie Bailey

> Natalie Bailey is good at letting dry comedy survive a move into thriller territory. Her work on *Down Cemetery Road* gives us reason to recommend her, though the series sometimes takes too long to get moving.

In *Down Cemetery Road* (2025), Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson are at their most entertaining when they irritate each other. Natalie Bailey is its lead director, and the series gives us good reason to value her handling of comedy within a thriller. Alongside fellow directors Börkur Sigthorsson and Sam Donovan, she lets the action become forceful without losing the dry humour. The actors remain alert even when the story slows, so there is still pleasure in watching them while we wait for the next development.

Her work with Armando Iannucci helps explain that assurance with comedy. On *The Thick of It* (2012), she followed earlier production work with two directing assignments in the fourth series. She later directed three episodes of his space comedy *Avenue 5* (2020), starring Hugh Laurie. Satire and ensemble work recur in her credits, and the friction between the leads of *Down Cemetery Road* makes good use of that experience. She allows their irritation to remain entertaining as the suspense grows.

The move into features came with the black comedy *Audrey* (2024), after Australian series work including *The Unusual Suspects* (2021) and *Bay of Fires* (2023). Bailey has put it plainly: “Dark comedy is my passion.” *Audrey* combines that humour with character-led pathos, keeping her first feature close to interests established in television. It is a change of format rather than an obvious attempt to leave the comedy credits behind.

The reservation is pace. We grew impatient with *Down Cemetery Road* because its performances stayed alert while the plot delayed the next development. Across eight episodes, those stretches matter, even if responsibility for them cannot sensibly be assigned to one of three directors. Once the story gathers speed, the suspense earns the wait, and we recommend the series with that qualification. Start there for Bailey, particularly if a thriller needs a little human bad temper to keep your attention.

## Biography

Natalie Bailey is an Australian screenwriter and director. She emigrated to the UK from Australia in 2000 and has directed television series in the UK, US and Australia.

Her credits include episodes of *The Thick of It* (2005) and *Avenue 5* (2020), both associated with Armando Iannucci. She directed the miniseries *The Unusual Suspects* (2021) and *Joe vs. Carole* (2022), as well as *Bay of Fires* (2023). Bailey served as lead director on the series *Down Cemetery Road* (2025). Her feature directorial debut was the 2024 comedy *Audrey*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, deadline.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Down Cemetery Road* (2025), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/down-cemetery-road.md)
- *The Thick of It* (2005), Fi1m 94, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it.md)

## Complete filmography (15)

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

- *Down Cemetery Road* (2025), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/down-cemetery-road.md)
- *Audrey* (2024), Director
- *Bay of Fires* (2023), series, Director
- *Joe vs Carole* (2022), series, Director
- *The Unusual Suspects* (2021), series, Director
- *Retrograde* (2020), series, Director
- *Avenue 5* (2020), series, Director
- *Hoff the Record* (2015), series, Director
- *Heading Out* (2013), series, Director
- *Playhouse Presents* (2012), series, Director
- *Bistro* (2010), Thanks
- *Spinners and Losers* (2007), Producer's Assistant
- *The Thick of It* (2005), series, Producer, Director — Fi1m 94, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it.md)
- *The Most Beautiful Man in the World* (2002), Production Manager
- *Salvation Creek*, Director

---
© 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/natalie-bailey