He directed episodes of many UK TV series such as Public Eye, Callan, Special Branch, The Sweeney, The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, The Bell and Holby City.

He may be best known outside England for the TV series Kennedy starring Martin Sheen or directing the film Shanghai Surprise as a vehicle for newlyweds Sean Penn and Madonna.

Born James Dudley Goddard in Battersea, 1936, he studied at the Slade School of Fine Art and then became a set designer.

[4] He first achieved recognition as a director for his work on five episodes of ABC TV's Tempo (1965–67), an arts magazine show, which led to his close friendship with Trevor Preston and Mike Hodges.

[5] Goddard, Preston and Terry Green, whilst at ABC in 1965, produced a detailed proposal for a specialist production unit that shot dramas on 16mm film, rather than the then usual larger videotape cameras.