I'm a writer & director working in film and live performance.I've just directed and edited a feature documentary (Tales from the Colony Room) and have written a narrative feature, Unteachable.I began as a stand-up comic, taking shows to the Edinburgh Festival, touring internationally and hosting & producing a nightly show on BBC Three.I later moved behind the camera collaborating with performers including Ross Noble, Sean Lock and Michael McIntyre and directing nearly a hundred live shows.I’ve series-directed and produced for the BBC, Channel 4, and UKTV, directed many specials, and my work has won and been nominated for awards internationally.
TALES FROM THE COLONY ROOM
(Motherlode Productions 2026)
I wrote & directed this adaptation of the book by Darren Coffield which tells the 60 year history of the infamous club.BARRY'S ECONOMICS (2026)
I edit & script-edit Barry Ferns' fast-growing YouTube channel about the psychology of inequality.SIMON BRODKIN: SCREWED UP (2025)
I directed & edited this stand up concert film which has become the most viewed UK comedy special to premiere on YouTube.
In 2018, my stepdaughter Kel died by suicide.Her death created a scandal: a bizarre six-month court case, litigated on social media as much as in the legal system and amplified by the press. As a result, a false and disturbing account of Kel’s life hardened into fact for thousands of people who'd never met her.Allegations of grooming and abuse were levelled against members of Kel’s family, myself included. These claims were all investigated by police and addressed in court where they were found to be entirely without merit.In the aftermath, more than two dozen witnesses came forward to speak as part of A Podcast for Kel.The series is a long-form audio documentary in which Kel’s life is told by those who knew her best. Kel herself appears throughout, in recordings made during her lifetime.The series contains graphic accounts of abuse and explores Kel's suicidality in depth. It's not meant as entertainment. It's a hard, involved listen. But it's the thing I'm proudest of making. For those who loved Kel, it was essential to give her a voice after the insanity unleashed by her death.---------------------------------------------------------------------For the full story, part 1 is below:
"His work is brilliant. Heartfelt & hilarious"
- THE TIMES"John Gordillo’s shows are so well-structured, they feel like essays: funny, rigorous and conceptually brilliant”
- JOHN ROBINS (Edinburgh Comedy Award winner)"There's a case to be made that John Gordillo is one of the key shapers of our modern comedy landscape. As a writer/director and benevolent svengali, he's helped to set many a major stand-up star on the road to greatness.
Spectacularly creative, he produces shows that genuinely make you think in a whole new way while keeping you laughing throughout."
- THE GUARDIAN-----------------------------------
Below is an interview I gave about show-making, performing & directing comedy:
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my story consultancy
hiddenengine.studio[email protected]
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work enquiries:
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