Meet Stephen Nicholas
Stephen's Background
Stephen Nicholas is an accomplished Production Designer with over 30 years’ experience across film and television, including 15 years working at Production Designer level.
His career spans a diverse range of genres, including drama, comedy, fantasy, science fiction, period and contemporary productions, with extensive experience designing for both studio and location environments throughout the UK and internationally.
Stephen’s credits include Doctor Who and Torchwood, where he worked as Supervising Art Director on productions recognised with BAFTA Cymru awards for Best Design. His experience encompasses the full spectrum of production design, from concept and visual development through to art direction, set construction, technical drawing and the creation of green/blue screen and CG-based environments.
He brings a practical, collaborative approach to every project, combining creative vision with a strong understanding of how designs are realised on screen. His ability to work across both creative and technical disciplines allows him to develop ambitious ideas while remaining mindful of the practical demands of production, budget, schedule and location.
Alongside his production work, Stephen is passionate about supporting and developing the next generation of creative talent through mentoring, training and industry development. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and experience and helping emerging designers and artists develop the confidence and skills to build careers within the industry.
For Stephen, production design is about more than creating striking images — it is about building believable worlds that support the story and give filmmakers and performers the space to bring those stories to life. He is driven by curiosity, collaboration and the challenge of finding creative, practical solutions to every project.
Production Designer for Film and TV
My Publication
When Stephen Nicholas began as Supervising Art Director on Doctor Who in 2004, it was immediately clear that the show was design-led, showcasing innovative television design. As the series grew, he focused more on celebrating the incredible talent in Wales and the outstanding set design being created for the series. He realized that a single document capturing all this creativity would perfectly highlight the contributions of those involved in film production. This vision inspired Stephen to create a book featuring designs from the ninety episodes (six series) he had Supervising Art Directed. With contributions from Mike Tucker, who worked on the earlier years of the show, the book provided a unique insight into how Doctor Who was made, tracing its evolution into the iconic brand it is today. Impossible Worlds was born and published in October 2015. In 2016, it won Best Doctor Who Book (Non-Fiction) in Doctor Who Magazine’s readers’ poll and has been celebrated by fans and art lovers around the world. The book is still available for purchase on Amazon, Apple Books, eBooks.com, Google Play, Hive, and Kobo. Many have described it as the best Doctor Who book ever produced. For a special touch, there’s a surprise waiting inside the back cover.