Described in his Guardian obituary as "one of the greatest of all documentarists", Donnellan worked with the BBC for over four decades, producing around 80 documentary films and programmes, most reflecting working-class lives.
From there, Donnellan diversified into television, focusing on working people; his first film was Joe The Chainsmith, and his 1962 Private Faces was a portrait of a Durham miner.
He also filmed public figures such as Konrad Adenauer, Jawaharlal Nehru and Charles de Gaulle; these were well received but he found them less satisfying.
His continual addressing of political issues led to many editorial disputes, but Donnellan kept his film-making base at Pebble Mill in Birmingham, which meant he could present his films to the BBC controllers as faits accomplis.
[1] Philip also became executive producer in a four part series The Good Old Way (1983) compiled and edited by Andrew Johnston from footage originally shot for The Other Music.