Clare Douglas obit

Clare Douglas obituary

 

She was not on the list.

My friend Clare Douglas, who has died aged 73, was a Bafta award-winning film editor of memorable television programmes.

She worked on the adaptation of John le Carré’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979), Dennis Potter’s films Blackeyes (1989), Secret Friends (1991), Lipstick on Your Collar (1993), Karaoke (1996) and the four-parter Cold Lazarus (1996), directed by Renny Rye and starring Albert Finney as the writer Daniel Feeld.

After Le Carré’s Smiley’s People (1982), Charles Dickens’ Bleak House (1985) and – Le Carré again – A Perfect Spy (1987) with Peter Egan, she was in constant demand and went on to work with Paul Greengrass on The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999), Bloody Sunday (2002), and his feature film United 93, for which she was nominated for an Oscar despite having disagreed with the final version of the film.

She cut The Lost Prince (2003) for Stephen Poliakoff and went on to work on four more films with him: Friends and Crocodiles, and Gideon’s Daughter (both 2005), and Joe’s Palace and Capturing Mary (both 2007).

Her craft as an editor was developed from a rare gift – the ability to understand film and edit its dialogue. Clare had a passion for her work that extended beyond the working day. Those who knew her will remember her concern for others and her warmth and humanity. She was devoid of ego.

Born in Ipswich, where her father Gordon Douglas helped develop radar and her mother, Katherine (nee Dilley), was a journalist, Clare was the eldest of three sisters. The family eventually settled in Nottingham, where her father took an academic post. Clare attended West Bridgford grammar school and then went to Bristol University before taking a film and photography course at Hornsey College of Art, north London.

The BBC took her on as a trainee editor and her career took off. She met the film-maker and journalist Michael Barnes and edited some of his work, including Jessica Mitford: The Honourable Rebel (1977), Jane Fonda at 40 (1978), The Long Walk of Fred Young (1979) and the two-part The Case of the Hillside Strangler (1984). which won two Emmy awards in the US. They married in 1992.

Clare is survived by Mike, by her stepchildren, Suzie and Mandi, and grandchildren, Isobel, Josie and Barney, and by her sisters, Tina and Oriel.

 

Editor

Capturing Mary (2007)

Capturing Mary

6.7

TV Movie

Editor

2007

 

Joe's Palace (2007)

Joe's Palace

6.8

TV Movie

Editor

2007

 

United 93 (2006)

United 93

7.6

Editor

2006

 

Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt in Gideon's Daughter (2005)

Gideon's Daughter

6.9

TV Movie

Editor

2005

 

Damian Lewis in Friends & Crocodiles (2005)

Friends & Crocodiles

6.6

TV Movie

Editor

2005

 

A Way of Life (2004)

A Way of Life

6.7

Editor

2004

 

Daniel Williams in The Lost Prince (2003)

The Lost Prince

7.6

TV Mini Series

Editor

2003

 

Bloody Sunday (2002)

Bloody Sunday

7.6

Editor

2002

 

Richard Briers, Susan Hampshire, and Alastair Mackenzie in Monarch of the Glen (2000)

Monarch of the Glen

7.8

TV Series

Editor

2000

4 episodes

 

Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Hugh Quarshie in The Murder of Stephen Lawrence (1999)

The Murder of Stephen Lawrence

7.1

TV Movie

Editor

1999

 

The Misadventures of Margaret (1998)

The Misadventures of Margaret

5.0

Editor

1998

 

Big Women (1998)

Big Women

6.5

TV Mini Series

supervising film editor

1998

4 episodes

 

Family Money (1996)

Family Money

6.7

TV Series

Editor

1996

 

Albert Finney in Cold Lazarus (1996)

Cold Lazarus

7.6

TV Mini Series

Editor

1996

4 episodes

 

Karaoke (1996)

Karaoke

7.9

TV Mini Series

Editor

1996

3 episodes

 

Kavanagh QC (1995)

Kavanagh QC

7.7

TV Series

Editor

1995

2 episodes

 

Screen Two (1984)

Screen Two

6.6

TV Series

Editor

1986–1994

3 episodes

 

Ewan McGregor, Kim Huffman, and Louise Germaine in Lipstick on Your Collar (1993)

Lipstick on Your Collar

8.1

TV Mini Series

Editor

1993

6 episodes

 

Alan Bates and Gina Bellman in Secret Friends (1991)

Secret Friends

4.9

Editor

1991

 

For the Greater Good (1991)

For the Greater Good

7.5

TV Series

Editor

1991

3 episodes

 

Screenplay (1986)

Screenplay

6.5

TV Series

Editor

1986–1990

2 episodes

 

Blackeyes (1989)

Blackeyes

6.9

TV Mini Series

Editor

1989

4 episodes

 

Elizabeth Hurley and Stephen Dillane in Christabel (1988)

Christabel

6.4

TV Mini Series

Editor

1988

4 episodes

 

Peter Egan in A Perfect Spy (1987)

A Perfect Spy

7.3

TV Mini Series

Editor

1987

4 episodes

 

Alfred Molina and Robert Hardy in Sunday Premiere (1986)

Sunday Premiere

7.2

TV Series

Editor

1986

1 episode

 

Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985)

Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House

7.6

TV Series

Editor

1985

4 episodes

 

The Aerodrome (1983)

The Aerodrome

6.4

TV Movie

Editor

1983

 

Arena (1975)

Arena

7.7

TV Series

Editor

1982

1 episode

 

Stephanie Cole in Tenko (1981)

Tenko

8.5

TV Series

Editor

1981–1982

3 episodes

 

Alec Guinness, Eileen Atkins, Bernard Hepton, and Beryl Reid in Smiley's People (1982)

Smiley's People

8.5

TV Mini Series

Editor

1982

3 episodes

 

Mr & Mrs Edgehill (1985)

BBC2 Playhouse

6.8

TV Series

Editor

1981

1 episode

 

Premiere (1977)

Premiere

7.7

TV Series

Editor

1977–1980

3 episodes

 

Play for Today (1970)

Play for Today

7.8

TV Series

Editor

1980

1 episode

 

Alec Guinness, Ian Richardson, Bernard Hepton, and Terence Rigby in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

8.4

TV Mini Series

Editor

1979

3 episodes

 

Thank You, Comrades

TV Movie

Editor

1978

 

Keith Alexander, Ed Bishop, and Bob Sherman in Life at Stake (1978)

Life at Stake

TV Series

Editor

1978

2 episodes

 

The Obelisk (1977)

The Obelisk

TV Movie

Editor

1977

 

The Lively Arts (1969)

The Lively Arts

TV Series

Editor

1977

1 episode

 

Richard Warwick in Brensham People (1976)

Brensham People

TV Series

Editor

1976

2 episodes

 

Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)

Doctor Who

8.4

TV Series

Editor

1976

4 episodes

 

Centre Play (1973)

Centre Play

7.2

TV Series

Editor

1976

1 episode

 

Blue Peter Special Assignment

TV Series

Editor

1975

1 episode

 

Microbes and Men (1974)

Microbes and Men

8.9

TV Series

Editor

1974

1 episode

 

Peter Blythe and Sharon Maughan in Dial M for Murder (1974)

Dial M for Murder

6.1

TV Series

Editor

1974

 

Horizon (1964)

Horizon

8.6

TV Series

Editor

1973

1 episode

 

Debbie Bowen, Doran Godwin, and Timothy Peters in Emma (1972)

Emma

6.8

TV Mini Series

Editor

1972

 

Peter Gilmore and Anne Stallybrass in The Onedin Line (1971)

The Onedin Line

7.6

TV Series

Editor

1972

1 episode

 

Tom Brown's Schooldays (1971)

Tom Brown's Schooldays

8.2

TV Mini Series

Editor

1971

5 episodes

 

Editorial Department

Landscapes of England (1976)

Landscapes of England

TV Series

film editor

1976

4 episodes

 

Horizon (1964)

Horizon

8.6

TV Series

film editor

1972

1 episode

 

Self

Close Up (1998)

Close Up

TV Series

Self

1998

1 episode

 

The Media Show (1987)

The Media Show

4.8

TV Series

Self

1989

1 episode