Antony Root

Antony Root (born 16 April 1954) is an award-winning television executive and producer.

He was a script editor of Doctor Who in 1981. He worked with producer John Nathan-Turner and officially oversaw the script of Four to Doomsday by Terence Dudley and The Visitation and Earthshock by Eric Saward, who succeeded him as script editor. 

Root was educated at King's College School, Cambridge, Marlborough College and Christ's College, Cambridge where he read Philosophy and English. At Cambridge he was President of the Amateur Dramatic Club (CUADC) and Junior Treasurer of the Footlights revue group.

After a brief career in theatre management, he joined BBC Television's Drama Series and Serials Department as an Assistant Floor Manager. He was subsequently promoted to Script Editor, where, as well as working on Doctor Who, he worked on such series as The Chinese Detective and Strangers and Brothers.

In 1984 he was recruited by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television, as its Development Executive where his credits included Capital City, Bellman and True and the miniseries The Fear, which he also co-produced.

In 1989 he joined Working Title Television as Head of Production where he produced Lorna Doone (ITV), Derek Jarman's Edward II (BBC) and Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (C4).

In 1994 he was appointed Head of Drama at Thames Television, executive producing John Schlesinger's Cold Comfort Farm (BBC) and setting up Five’s first drama series, A Wing and a Prayer, before leaving to join Granada Televisionas Head of Drama in 1997. In this role his credits as executive producer included The Grand (ITV) and Far from the Madding Crowd (ITV).

In 1998 he became the first Granada executive tasked with developing and producing drama for broadcasters outside the United Kingdom. As Head of International Drama he oversaw three movies for A&E in the United States - Murder in a Small Town and The Lady in Question, both starring Gene Wilder, and Dash and Lilly, starring Sam Shepard and Judy Davis. He also served as executive producer on the BAFTA-winning miniseries Longitude (C4) for Granada Film.

In 1999 he transferred to Los Angeles and assumed the additional role of SVP, Movies and Miniseries at Granada Entertainment USA where his credits as executive producer included The Great Gatsby (A&E) and Princess of Thieves(ABC). In 2000 he was appointed President of the company overseeing all its output including the television movies My Beautiful Son (Showtime/ITV) and Second Nature (TNT), the second season of the series Beggars and Choosers(Showtime), and drama and comedy television pilots for the U.S. networks.

In 2005 he returned to the UK to take up the position of Senior Vice President, European Production, for Sony Pictures Television. In this role, which he held until December 2009, he was responsible for all SPT's development and production in the European region including the management of its wholly owned and joint venture entities in six countries.

From January 2010 to October 2011 he again worked as an international consultant and executive producer. His assignments included advising independent production companies on their international growth strategies and serving as Director of Industry Week at the RomaFictionFest in 2010 and 2011. From September 2010 to October 2011 he also served as CEO of 8th Floor Productions, a UK-based drama development and production company focusing on television fiction designed for the international market.

In October 2011 he took up the position of Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Production, at HBO Central Europe.

Productions with which he has been associated as producer or executive producer have won BAFTA, Peabody and Banff awards and been nominated for Primetime Emmys and Golden Globes.