Brian Desmond Hurst was one of the most celebrated film directors to emerge from Belfast. Born in Ribble Street in the east of the city he worked with some of the greats of cinema such as John Ford and Alexander Korda. The celebrated James Bond director Terence Young also worked under Hurst, delivering his first four scripts to his projects. He gave acting breaks to legendary actors such as Richard Attenborough, Roger Moore and Vanessa Redgrave. His most enduring work is probably the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol, which he filmed under the title of Scrooge. This interview, conducted when he was 87, was shot for a series called A Seat Among the Stars. It was filmed by Ulster Television for broadcast on Channel 4 and attempted to chart the history of Irish contributions to cinema. The six part series is also available to view on the Digital Film Archive.

An Ulster Television Production.