Julie Gardner

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Gardner's career began not with drama, but as a teacher of English at Rhondda College before she switched to television in the mid-1990s. Her first industry role was as a producer's secretary on the second production block of Our Friends in the North. She progressed through script reading and editing to become a producer on BBC dramas like Silent Witness and The Mrs Bradley Mysteries. In 2000, she joined London Weekend Television (LWT) as a Development Producer, where she collaborated with Russell T Davies on Casanova. This partnership proved crucial when she returned to the BBC in 2003 as Head of Drama for BBC Wales, bringing Davies' project with her. Her first assignment from Jane Tranter was to lead the Doctor Who revival. She immediately contacted Davies, who had long expressed interest in the franchise, and they began work together.

In Their Own Story

In March 2005, the new series of Doctor Who debuted to critical and popular acclaim, marking a turning point for British television. Under Gardner's supervision at BBC Wales, the production expanded to include three spin-offs: Torchwood, an adult science fiction drama airing on BBC Three and BBC Two; The Sarah Jane Adventures, a children's fantasy thriller on BBC One and CBBC; and Tales of the TARDIS, available on BBC iPlayer. She also commissioned network dramas such as the multiple personality disorder story May 33rd (2004), the domestic abuse-themed Dad (2005), The Chatterley Affair (2006), and the time travel police series Life on Mars (2006–2007). In September 2006, she was announced as the successor to Jane Tranter for Controller of Drama Commissioning, performing both roles until 2009. Her impact was so significant that in 2007, writer Andrew Davies called her "the best thing to happen to Welsh drama. Ever." By March 2009, she left BBC Wales and the Doctor Who production, which were then assumed by Piers Wenger.

Reader's Guide

After leaving the BBC in 2009, Gardner relocated to Los Angeles to work as an executive producer for BBC Worldwide America, focusing on scripted projects. In late 2009, it was revealed she was five months pregnant with her first child, Huckleberry, fathered by Doctor Who sound recordist Julian Howarth; the baby was born in early summer 2010. Her career took a new turn in 2015 when she co-founded Bad Wolf with Jane Tranter. The company quickly gained prominence for producing BBC series such as His Dark Materials, The Night Of, Industry, and even Doctor Who itself. Gardner continues to serve as an executive producer on these projects, maintaining her creative influence from the US while keeping strong ties to British television production.

Did You Know?

• Gardner initially worked as a teacher at Rhondda College before switching to the television industry in the mid-1990s.
• She produced an updated version of Othello starring Eamonn Walker and Christopher Eccleston (as Iago) while at London Weekend Television.
• In 2007, Andrew Davies described her as "the best thing to happen to Welsh drama. Ever."
• Her first child, Huckleberry, was born in early summer 2010; his father is Doctor Who sound recordist Julian Howarth.
• Bad Wolf, co-founded by Gardner and Jane Tranter in 2015, produced His Dark Materials, The Night Of, Industry, and Doctor Who.