There was seldom any mystery as to what British director Roy Battersby, a forthright left-winger, thought, and his staunch political views informed his best work.

An economics graduate, he became an organiser in the radical Workers Revolutionary Party, a role which resulted in him being blacklisted by the BBC.

As a television director he cut his teeth on one-off plays and dramas, a highlight being Leeds United, a 1974 retelling of a textile workers strike.

He became best known for directing crime dramas, and steered episodes of Between The Lines, A Touch Of Frost and Cracker.

Battersby was married to actress Judy Loe and was the stepfather of actress Kate Beckinsale. He died on January 10, aged 87.