David Upshal (Producer)

8 Bar – The Evolution of Grime

Against a backdrop of austerity, riots and institutional racism, Grime became the defining sound of an era. Ewen Spencer’s exhilarating film is told through Grime’s grass-roots originators, from major players like Dizzee Rascal, to unsung heroes such as DJ Slimzee, along with behind-the-scenes operators who propelled, and continue to drive, the music’s relentless 140BPM heartbeat. 8 Bar shines a light on an untold history, bringing a cultural art-form the recognition it deserves and highlighting the impact of these Black British artists on contemporary music, fashion and popular culture.

Release Date: 2021-10-16

Department: Directing

Job: Director

African Apocalypse

Rob Lemkin’s harrowing yet urgent documentary shines a lens on the trauma and legacy of colonialism in one of Africa’s poorest nations, Niger.

Release Date: 2020-10-16

Department: Production

Job: Producer

The Seven Ages of Elvis

Documentary about the life and career of Elvis Presley produced for Sky Arts. Includes rarely seen clips and photos from throughout Elvis' career as well as comments from music historians and musicians, songwriters, producers, actors, etc. who worked with him. Narrated by producer/director David Upshal.

Release Date: 2017-08-16

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Vote Count: 10

Genius of the Modern World

Historian Bettany Hughes retraces the lives of three great thinkers whose ideas shaped the modern world - Karl Marx, Frederick Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud.

Release Date: 2016-06-16

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 10

Franklin's lost ships - the ultimate discovery

Release Date: 2015-04-09

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Secrets of the Castle

How do you build a medieval castle from scratch? Domestic historian Ruth Goodman and archeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold make perhaps their most ambitious foray into the past as they head to France to take part in a build that has been underway since 1997. Our intrepid history adventurers join this magnificent construction at Guédelon Castle to recreate authentic medieval castle living from within its rising walls.

Release Date: 2014-11-18

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 5

Vote Count: 5

Tudor Monastery Farm

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold turn the clock back 500 years to the early Tudor period to become tenant farmers on monastery land.

Release Date: 2013-11-13

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 6

Vote Count: 6

Wartime Farm

Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn turn back the clock to run Manor Farm in Hampshire exactly as it would have been during World War II.

Release Date: 2012-09-06

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 8

Vote Count: 6

Edwardian Farm

Edwardian Farm is an historical documentary TV series in twelve parts, first shown on BBC Two from November 2010 to January 2011. It depicts a group of historians trying to run a farm like it was done during the Edwardian era. It was made for the BBC by independent production company Lion Television and filmed at Morwellham Quay, an historic quay in Devon. The farming team was historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn. The series was devised and produced by David Upshal and directed by Stuart Elliott. The series is a development from two previous series Victorian Farm and Victorian Pharmacy which were among BBC Two's biggest hits of 2009 and 2010, garnering audiences of up to 3.8 million per episode. The series was followed by Wartime Farm in September 2012, featuring the same team but this time in Hampshire on Manor Farm, living a full calendar year as wartime farmers. An associated book by Goodman, Langlands, and Ginn, also titled Edwardian Farm, was published in 2010 by BBC Books. The series was also published on DVD, available in various regional formats.

Release Date: 2010-11-10

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 12

Vote Count: 2

Victorian Pharmacy

Victorian Pharmacy is a historical documentary TV series in four parts, first shown on BBC Two in July 2010. It was made for the BBC by independent production company Lion Television. It was filmed at Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire. It is a historical documentary that looks at life in the 19th Century and how people attempted to cure common ailments. Since some of the ingredients of Victorian remedies are now either illegal or known to be dangerous, Nick Barber often uses his modern pharmaceutical knowledge to produce similar products without those ingredients. The other main presenters are Tom Quick, a PhD student, and Ruth Goodman, a domestic historian who also appeared in Tales from the Green Valley, Victorian Farm and Edwardian Farm.

Release Date: 2010-07-15

Department: Production

Job: Executive Producer

Episode Count: 4

Vote Count: 1

Victorian Farm

Historical observational documentary series following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year.

Release Date: 2009-01-08

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 6

Vote Count: 6

Tales from the Green Valley

Follows historians and archaeologists as they recreate farm life from the age of the Stuarts. They wear the clothes, eat the food and use the tools, skills and technology of the 1620s.

Release Date: 2005-08-19

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 12

Vote Count: 2

Days That Shook the World

Days That Shook the World is a British documentary television series that premiered on BBC Two on 17 September 2003. The programme features various milestones throughout history. It has been broadcast on the BBC, Discovery Channel UK, The History Channel and Viasat History. The series was also released on DVD by the Polish edition of Newsweek in 2007.

Release Date: 2003-11-01

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Episode Count: 32

Vote Count: 6

The Hip Hop Years

The Hip Hop Years is a three part series of one hour television documentaries, made for Channel 4 in 1999. The series was devised by David Upshal who produced, directed and narrated the series. He also produced the 33-track compilation CD which accompanied the series and co-wrote the book with Alex Ogg, also titled The Hip Hop Years. The series charts the definitive story of Hip Hop, rising from the streets of the Bronx to become, what Upshal calls, "the new Rock'n'Roll". The programmes combine archive clips and performance from TV, movies and music videos with specially shot material and interviews with key players.

Release Date: 1999-01-01

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 1

Windrush

Windrush is a 4-part series of one hour television documentaries originally broadcast on BBC2 in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival in Britain of the Empire Windrush, the ship which brought the first wave of post-war West Indian immigrants

Release Date: 1998-05-30

Department: Directing

Job: Director

Episode Count: 4