Ian Watson

The long-running Australian soap opera "Neighbours" has mined the fictional suburb of Erinsborough, Melbourne, for decades of ratings success. Into this franchise in the early '90s dropped director Ian Watson. By the time he was done in 1993, he had notched 73 episodes of the series and cemented his place in the Down Under TV industry. Since that time, Watson has worked virtually non-stop, directing clusters of episodes for several dozen different Australian TV shows. The industry there is certainly a lot smaller than in England and the United States, but it benefits from a very talented, concentrated talent pool and, of course, miraculous locations. Despite his many years of service, Watson has never been nominated for an award. But within that world, his name is known as someone who can deliver on time, on budget, and repeatedly. Among his many other credits since "Neighbours" are "Farscape" (15 episodes), "White Collar Blue" (16 episodes), and 2010's "Killing Time" (three episodes).