David McGillivray has contributed to radio, TV, films and theatre, began as a film journalist and bit player. His stints as a contributor to the magazine "Films and Filming" and assistant editor of the British Film Institute's "Monthly Film Bulletin" resulted first in him writing screenplays for director Pete Walker and later writing the book "Doing Rude Things". The films were not commercially successful and McGillivray's scripts attracted mostly hostile reviews. He moved to theatre, co-writing lowbrow farces for his own company. During this period he met Julian Clary, who was starting out as a stand-up comic. McGillivray has continued to this day to write for Clary.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 7, 1947 (79)
- London, England, UK
- Actor and writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
What are David McGillivray's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Power.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David McGillivray's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).
Subscription and free streaming for David McGillivray's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
25 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Estrogen Gospel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Loops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Worst Fears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Boys On Film 15: Time & Tied (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Trouser Bar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Peter de Rome: Grandfather of Gay Porn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Turn Off Your Bloody Phone: Norman J. Warren and the Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Fragments: The Incomplete Films of Peter de Rome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Julian Clary Live: Lord of the Mince (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Abracadaver! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Contact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Doing Rude Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Turnaround (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
The Errand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Terror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Schizo(1976)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Satan's Slave(1976)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
I'm Not Feeling Myself Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Confessional(1976)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Frightmare(1974)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
House of Whipcord(1974)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Carry on Girls(1973)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
White Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Highgate Vampyre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 25 titles, 24 of them dated from 1973 to 2024.
Film career
- 1974Screen debut· House of Whipcord
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do David McGillivray's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 7 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is David McGillivray's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does David McGillivray work with?
People who share at least 2 of David McGillivray's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Pete Walker shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Pete WalkerShared titles: Schizo (1976), The Confessional (1976), Frightmare (1974), House of Whipcord (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Pete Walker
Actors
- Sheila KeithShared titles: The Confessional (1976), Frightmare (1974), House of Whipcord (1974)See all 3 shared titles with Sheila Keith
- John YuleShared titles: The Confessional (1976), Frightmare (1974)See all 2 shared titles with John Yule
- Stephanie BeachamShared titles: Schizo (1976), The Confessional (1976)See all 2 shared titles with Stephanie Beacham
- Trisha MortimerShared titles: Schizo (1976), Frightmare (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Trisha Mortimer
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Peter JessopShared titles: Schizo (1976), The Confessional (1976), Frightmare (1974), House of Whipcord (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Peter Jessop
- Stanley MyersShared titles: Schizo (1976), The Confessional (1976), Frightmare (1974), House of Whipcord (1974)See all 4 shared titles with Stanley Myers
- John BlackShared titles: The Confessional (1976), House of Whipcord (1974)See all 2 shared titles with John Black