Elliot Hegarty is an Emmy award-winning film and television director working in Britain and the United States.
Career
Hegarty graduated in Politics from Nottingham University in 1993 before studying at NYU Film School and the London Film School. He began his career writing and directing short-form productions before moving into television comedy. His first feature film was County Kilburn (2000), which he directed and wrote. He subsequently established himself as a television director, working on programmes including Star Stories, The Kevin Bishop Show, Moving Wallpaper, FM and Bad Education. Star Stories won Best New Comedy at the British Comedy Awards, while Hegarty received further recognition for his work in British television comedy.
During the late 2000s and 2010s, Hegarty expanded his career into American television, directing 21 episodes of the ABC sitcom The Middle and episodes of Mr. Sunshine, Suburgatory, Family Tools, Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, Mixology, Selfie, Black-ish and The Real O'Neals. His British television credits during this period included Great Night Out, Lovesick, Loaded and Bad Education, alongside television films such as Grandpa's Great Escape, The Midnight Gang and Cinderella: After Ever After. In 2015, he directed The Bad Education Movie, a feature-film adaptation of the television series Bad Education.
Hegarty later directed episodes of the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, as well as Cheaters for the BBC and Trying for Apple TV+. He subsequently expanded into executive production. In 2024, he served as lead director and executive producer on the first series of Rivals, directing its first four episodes, and returned in both roles for the second series. He also served as lead director and executive producer on the first block of the Sky and Working Title Films series Charmer, directing three episodes.
Alongside his film and television work, Hegarty has directed commercials. His early advertising work included the Club 18–30 campaign, which received several industry awards, including a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. He has subsequently directed campaigns for companies including Guinness, KFC, Toyota, Hyundai, Npower, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, MFI and The Daily Telegraph.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | County Kilburn | Director and writer |
| 2015 | The Bad Education Movie | Director |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | Star Stories | Director; pilot and series 1–2 |
| 2007 | Roman's Empire | Director; 6 episodes |
| 2007 | Notes from the Underbelly | Director; 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Kevin Bishop Show | Director; pilot and series 1 |
| 2008 | Moving Wallpaper | Director; series 2 |
| 2009 | FM | Director; pilot and series 1 |
| 2009 | Pulling | Director; pilot |
| 2010 | Lizzie & Sarah | Director; television film |
| 2010 | Mr. Sunshine | Director; 1 episode |
| 2010–2017 | The Middle | Director; 21 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Suburgatory | Director; 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Bad Education | Director; series 2 and Christmas special |
| 2013 | Family Tools | Director; 1 episode |
| 2013 | Trophy Wife | Director; 1 episode |
| 2013 | Super Fun Night | Director; 1 episode |
| 2013 | Great Night Out | Lead director |
| 2014 | Mixology | Director; 1 episode |
| 2014 | Selfie | Director |
| 2014 | Black-ish | Director |
| 2014–2016 | Lovesick | Director; 7 episodes |
| 2016 | The Real O'Neals | Director; 2 episodes |
| 2016 | BBC Comedy Feeds | Director; 1 episode |
| 2017 | Loaded | Director; 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Grandpa's Great Escape | Director; television film |
| 2018 | The Midnight Gang | Director; television film |
| 2018 | Urban Myths | Director; The Trial of Joan Collins |
| 2019 | Cinderella: After Ever After | Director; television film |
| 2020 | Ted Lasso | Director; 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Cheaters | Director; short-form series |
| 2022 | Trying | Director; 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Cheaters | Lead director; series 2, all episodes |
| 2024 | Rivals | Lead director and executive producer; directed episodes 1–4 |
| 2025–2026 | Rivals | Lead director and executive producer; series 2 |
| 2026 | Charmer | Lead director and executive producer; first block, 3 episodes |
Other
| Year | Title | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Archie and Stafford | Short film | Writer |
| 2000 | Club 18–30 | Advertising campaign | Director; directed the first three advertisements of the campaign |
| 2000–present | Various campaigns | Commercials | Director; clients have included Guinness, MFI, KFC, Toyota, Npower, Enterprise, Hyundai and the Daily Telegraph |
| 2006 | National Television Awards: Jack & Kelly Backstage Exclusive | Television special | Writer |
| 2006 | National Television Awards: Jack & Kelly on the Red Carpet | Television special | Writer |
