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Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross is a British screenwriter and film director, born in 1964. He is best known for The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Poppy Shakespeare, and The Frankenstein Chronicles. He is based in the United Kingdom.

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Jul 3, 2026
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Benjamin Ross
Benjamin Ross
Born1964 (age 61–62)
United Kingdom
OccupationsFilm director, screenwriter
Known forThe Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Poppy Shakespeare

Benjamin Ross is a British screenwriter and film director, born in 1964. He is best known for The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, Poppy Shakespeare,1 and The Frankenstein Chronicles. He is based in the United Kingdom.2

Biography

Ross graduated from Oxford University and later obtained a masters degree at the Columbia University Film School.3 In 1995, he wrote and directed The Young Poisoner’s Handbook, based on a real-life poisoning case. He went on to direct Poppy Shakespeare,4 and the HBO biopic RKO 281, starring Liev Schreiber and John Malkovich, about the making of Citizen Kane. The fim won the Golden Globe for Best TV Movie in 2000, along with two Emmys and 12 other nominations including Best Director.

Ross, alongside Barry Langford, created the 2015 period crime drama series The Frankenstein Chronicles. The programme was a re-imagining of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, focusing on a British police inspector who uncovers a body stitched together from other corpses. Ross directed and co-wrote the first series. Chronicles, first airing on ITV Encore, opened to critical acclaim5 and drew an average 250,000 viewers per episode. On 20 June 2016, ITV announced that it had been renewed for a second series.6

His most recent work is Testament: The Story of Moses7, a biblical docudrama about the life of Moses. After being released on Netflix in March of 2024, it rose to the number 1 most watched TV show on Netflix.89

Filmography

Year Title Notes Broadcaster/Distributor
1992 My Little Eye Short film
1995 The Young Poisoner’s Handbook Writer and director Polygram Filmed Entertainment
1999 RKO 281 Director HBO
2006 Guilty Hearts Director (segment: "Torte Bluma") America Video Film
2008 Poppy Shakespeare Director Channel 4
2009 Trial & Retribution Director, 2 episodes ITV
2010 Thorne: Scaredycat Director Film1
2015-2017 The Frankenstein Chronicles Creator, writer, director ITV Encore
2024 Testament: The Story of Moses Writer and director Netflix
References

References

  1. Ross, Benjamin (March 31, 2008). "The beauty of Poppy Shakespeare". The Guardian. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  2. "Benjamin Ross". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13.
  3. https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/benjamin-ross
  4. Ross, Benjamin (March 31, 2008). "The beauty of Poppy Shakespeare". The Guardian. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  5. Hogan, Michael (11 November 2015). "The Frankenstein Chronicles, review: 'eerily effective'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  6. "ITV recommissions The Frankenstein Chronicles for ITV Encore". ITV. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  7. Testament: The Story of Moses (Documentary, Biography, Drama), Charles Dance, Clarke Peters, Avi Azulay, Karga Seven Pictures, 2024-03-27, retrieved 2024-07-01{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. "Testament: The Story of Moses Hours Viewed • FlixPatrol". FlixPatrol. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  9. Hajdenberg, Jackie (2024-04-02). "'Testament: The Story of Moses' is one of Netflix's top shows — and it features multiple rabbis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
External links