Andy Harries

Andy Harries
Name	Andy Harries
Birth date	1954
Birth place	United Kingdom
Occupation	Television producer, film producer, executive
Years active	1979–present

Andy Harries is a British television and film producer and executive known for producing acclaimed dramas and comedies for television and cinema. He served as head of production at Granada Television and later founded Left Bank Pictures, producing series that received international distribution through Netflix, BBC, and ITV. His career spans collaborations with prominent writers, directors, actors, and broadcasters across the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe.

Early life and education

Harries was born in the United Kingdom and educated at University of Cambridge, where he studied English literature and became active in student drama, participating in productions connected to Footlights. After Cambridge he trained with the BBC and undertook postgraduate work linked to production at regional centres including Granada Television and production workshops in London. During this period he engaged with contemporaries from National Film and Television School networks and early-career figures who later worked at Channel 4, ITV Studios, and BBC Two.

Career

Harries began as a producer at Granada Television, working on documentary and drama-documentary projects for ITV and collaborating with producers and directors who had ties to BBC Wales, Channel 4 and independent companies such as World Productions and Talkback. He rose to head of drama, overseeing commissions that linked writers from Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre with television actors from Royal Shakespeare Company and National Youth Theatre. In the 1990s he produced series that involved partnerships with the British Film Institute, the Film4 strand, and international partners including HBO and A&E Television Networks. In 2007 Harries co-founded Left Bank Pictures with Felix Braga and others, establishing production deals with BBC and later securing a first-look arrangement with Netflix and distribution through Universal Pictures International Entertainment. He has worked with directors and producers aligned with Working Title Films, BBC Films, and Shine Group.

Key productions and collaborations

Harries produced landmark television series and films featuring collaborations with notable writers such as Peter Morgan, Paul Abbott, and Dennis Kelly; directors including Stephen Frears, Tim Van Patten, and Stephen Daldry; and actors from UK and US talent pools like Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Claire Foy, and John Lithgow. Among his key productions are series broadcast by BBC One, ITV, and Sky Atlantic and distributed by Netflix, with titles that have been associated with festivals and markets including Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival markets. He has executive produced adaptations of biographies linked to subjects who have been the focus of books published by Penguin Books, HarperCollins, and Faber and Faber, and worked on projects commissioned by commissioners from Channel 4 and BBC Two.

Awards and recognition

Harries's productions and executive roles have been recognized by institutions including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Primetime Emmy Awards, and festival juries at BAFTA Television Awards and international bodies such as Golden Globe Awards and International Emmy Awards. Productions he led have received nominations and wins at BAFTA, Emmy, and Royal Television Society ceremonies and been acknowledged by critics at publications linked to the Guardian, The Times, and industry outlets such as Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

Personal life

Harries resides in the United Kingdom and has personal ties to the British film and television community, maintaining relationships with creative professionals who have trained at institutions like the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He is known to participate in industry panels alongside executives from BBC Studios, ITV Studios, C4 Drama, and international producers from HBO and Netflix.

Philanthropy and public roles

He has served on advisory panels and boards connected to the British Film Institute, arts funding bodies tied to Arts Council England, and educational initiatives collaborating with the National Film and Television School and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Harries has participated in mentorship programmes affiliated with Creative Skillset and given lectures at universities such as University of Oxford and University of Cambridge and at industry events run by Screen International, Sundance Institute, and Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Category:British television producers Category:British film producers