Dave Shanks

After leaving school in the late 60’s he bummed around Australia for a couple of years, building the Sydney Harbour Opera House, (as a labourer), working in the gold mines, travelling and enjoying himself and stumbled into television, originally cleaning studio floors but soon getting a job as an assistant floor manager.

This was interrupted by an invitation to go to Vietnam which he spurned so returned to the UK to join the BBC. 

He went freelance in 1978 and rapidly rose through the production side working on programmes like Worzel Gummidge, Minder, Woman of Substance, Surgical Spirit, Birds of a Feather, Desmonds and Coasting before being appointed Producer by Verity Lambert. 

His television productions as Producer include Boys from the Bush, Eldorado, Heavy Weather, She’s Out, London’s Burning, Ballykissangel and Crossroads. 

His feature film credits include Photographing Fairies, Out on a Limb, Blind Dating and Flyaway. 

At present he is working out of Shepperton Studios with Hoffman Productions on several Feature Projects and developing Television ideas.  

He is has a reputation as a trouble shooter and is frequently called in by companies to rescue projects with financial difficulties and has worked in association with Humphrey Barclay Productions, Buena Vista, Cinema Verity, Epic Flo Films, Channel 4, BBC ITV, Columbia Pictures, Disney, Hans Zimmer Studios LA.