From television commercials in the 1970s, to today’s toga-ripping, chariot-flipping sequel to Gladiator.

Sir Ridley Scott is one of Britain’s greatest film directors.

The grammar school boy, born in South Shields, spent part of his childhood in Germany before pursuing his passion for art at school in Hartlepool and then the Royal College of Art.

But the camera appealed to Scott as much as the canvas, and Stephen Smith has been talking with the Hollywood titan’s friends, family and peers to find out more about him - and his work.

ContributorsJake Scott - DirectorArthur Max - Production DesignerFrancine Stock - Film CriticMichael Broers - HistorianDavid Scarpa - ScreenwriterJanty Yates - Costume Designer

Production TeamPresenter: Stephen SmithProducers: Nathan Gower and Ben CooperEditor: Ben MundySound: James BeardProduction Coordinator: Maria Ogundele

CreditsAlien (1979): 20th Century-Fox, Brandywine ProductionsGladiator (2000): DreamWorks Pictures, Universal Pictures, Scott Free Productions, Red Wagon EntertainmentNapoleon (2023): Apple Studios, Scott Free Productions, Columbia Pictures (through Sony Pictures Releasing)Gladiator II (2024): Scott Free Productions, Lucy Fisher/Douglas Wick Productions, Paramount Pictures