About Chris Kirk
Chris Kirk is a British Filmmaker, VT and Non-Linear Editor, and Documentary Producer with a career deeply rooted in a love of cinema and television. Born in the early 1970s, Chris’s earliest film memories trace back to Bambi, yet it was Labyrinth, the music of David Bowie, and the enigmatic sci-fi worlds of Doctor Who, Star Trek and Sapphire and Steel that truly inspired him...
A favourite story of Dr. Who was called “Stones of Blood” and later inspired by making Chris realise that even static lumps of rock could be made scary by the filmmaking process. By age 16, he had teamed up with his friend Stephen Cranford to create their own sci-fi short films, influenced by Doctor Who and Blake’s 7. In true fan fashion, they built sets to recreate the otherworldly realms of these series. This early experience with set design and DIY filmmaking laid the groundwork for what would become Chris’s lifelong passion of filmmaking. Stephen would later become a professional presenter, while Chris took the path into technical editing and camera work, eventually working as a VT editor with the BBC and several universities on freelance projects. Chris then made a new friend in Welsh film maker Mark Jones. They formed TaffKirk Productions and started making experimental films of all genres. Chris, Stephen and Mark would collaborate on some projects together including a Blake’s Seven Film starring Peter Tuddenham who was Orac and Zen in the series.
In the early 2000s, Chris co-founded Genesis FX with his then business partner, Simon Lawrence. Together, they not only took on commercial projects—such as advertising campaigns for BAA and safety videos for Airbus—but also ventured into independent production, releasing the documentary Successful Searching, which was hosted by Stephen Cranford and directed, filmed, and edited by Chris. A documentary on the niche subject of metal detecting, it found modest success on VHS and DVD.
Chris’s technical achievements reflect an ongoing drive for innovation. Early on, his friend David Clarke, founder of Digital Video Computing (DVC), brought him into pioneering work on the UK’s first non-linear editing decks. Together, they introduced revolutionary editing systems for PC, establishing some of the first UK partnerships with Pinnacle and Adobe Premiere and bringing non-linear editing within reach of ordinary people. This technical foundation set the stage for Chris’s work on a range of notable projects, including Seven Swords of Weyland, the UK’s first-ever Interactive DVD game, in which he had the opportunity to work alongside British icon Brian Blessed. Throughout his career, Chris has collaborated with legendary figures in British television, including Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner, and he even worked with Joanna Lumley, the star of Sapphire and Steel, during a Doctor Who Comic Relief special. This experience was a meaningful full-circle moment, connecting his early influences with his professional career.
Outside of commercial work, Chris has devoted his skills to charitable projects and community-oriented productions. He has worked with Big Finish Productions on audio dramas and collaborated with the charity Blind Veterans UK, helping to create radio plays for visually impaired veterans who had a passion for the performing arts. The work enabled war-blinded veterans to participate in drama once again, with several productions airing on the radio. These community projects reflect Chris’s commitment to giving back to his community through the arts.
Later in his career, while working as a professional bus driver to supplement the sporadic career that is Film and TV, Chris met fellow driver and ardent transport historian Mike Jaimes, who also had experience in television and was narrating audiobooks for Amazon. The two quickly bonded over their shared interests, and Mike’s knowledge of transport history made him a natural addition to Chris’s latest documentary venture, Tracing the Rails. Created alongside his wife, Lou Kirk-Partridge, an artist and stage manager, and hosted by Stephen, Tracing the Rails explores the lost Steyning Line, a disused railway in West Sussex. With two episodes already released, the series is currently in production and aims to bring the region’s railway history to life through archival research, aerial photography, and on-location filming. Tracing the Rails has already found an enthusiastic audience on YouTube and will soon air on television on Rewind TV, expanding its reach. Chris’s detailed approach and cinematic style—hallmarks of his documentary work—have helped create an immersive experience, allowing viewers to connect deeply with the history of the area. It heavily involves community input and is already popular.
Chris is currently pursuing a master’s degree in film and television production at Falmouth University, balancing his studies with a professional role in transport management for West Sussex County Council. Still, he dreams of creating a short drama or sci fi that combines his cinematic skill with the thought-provoking storytelling of series like Black Mirror on Netflix or DUST on YouTube, more recent influencers. Although Chris excels in documentary production, he feels that a carefully crafted drama could be his next creative breakthrough and has long hankered after the right script to inspire him. He now hopes to collaborate with a talented script or screenplay writer to develop a story that aligns with his vision for impactful filmmaking. As he reflects on his journey, Chris remains as passionate as ever, confident that his blend of experience and dedication will help him find the right story, the right collaborator, and perhaps the defining project of his career.
