Biography
Peter Sykes (17 June 1939 – 1 March 2006) was an Australian television and film director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Born in Melbourne, he began his career as a dancer before becoming an assistant director on documentaries and children's programmes in Australian television. He moved to London in 1963, completed an 18-month BBC training cadetship and directed documentaries including Walkabout to Cornwall (1966).
His first feature, The Committee (1968), led to episodes of the television series The Avengers (1967–68). Sykes directed several Hammer horror films, including Demons of the Mind (1972) and To the Devil a Daughter (1976), as well as the comedies The House in Nightmare Park (1973) and Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973). Later credits include the biblical film Jesus (1979) and various television series and documentaries. In later years he taught scriptwriting at the University of Winchester.
