Writer and director Amanda Brotchie, known for her work on fan-favorite shows like Doctor Who, Gentleman Jack, and Lowdown, has died.
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Her husband and frequent collaborator, actor and writer Adam Zwar, confirmed that she passed away after a long battle with cancer.
“When I first met Amanda, we talked for hours. I assumed she was just one of those remarkable people who got along with everyone. I was right. She did. But it turned out she liked talking to me too,” Zwar wrote on Instagram Dec. 19 alongside several candid shots of Brotchie over the years.
“We had 23 wonderful years together. I would do anything to get one day back from any one of those years,” he added.
“My beautiful girl, I will miss your love, your joyful laugh, your sense of adventure, and your bravery,” Zwar continued. “You never met a spider or snake you didn’t like, always gently ushering them outside while I cowered in the corner. You cooked like you wrote and directed – with perfect balance, effortlessness, and a lightness of touch. I will miss your dhal, your roast chicken, your chilli con carne, your chocolate mousse. I will miss Sunday mornings on the couch, eating pancakes and watching Insiders.”
“You were right, I did have to make this about me. Farewell, beautiful. You left the world better. But right now, it feels so much sadder,” he concluded.
Brotchie was 57.
Per IMDb, Brotchie’s television directing career began on Neighbours in the late 1990s, at a time when Australian television had yet to fully embrace female directors.
According to Australian outlet TV Tonight, Brotchie won an AACTA Award and two Australian Writers’ Guild Awards for Lowdown, which she co-created and directed. She also received an AFI Award for directing the short film Break and Enter. Her career gained momentum when Lowdown was considered for a US adaptation, which led to a directing role for Netflix in the US.
Her directing credits also include The Letdown, Picnic at Hanging Rock, A Place to Call Home, Mr. Black, and Squinters. She recently directed Doctor Who as well as Sally Wainwright’s dramas Gentleman Jack and Renegade Nell.
Tributes Pour in for Amanda Brotchie
Meanwhile, Zwar’s post received an outpouring of condolences from friends and followers, including Colin From Accounts star Patrick Brammall.
“Oh, Adam. I’m so sorry and sad,’ Brammall wrote. ‘She was incredible, just incredible. It’s some solace to know that she was ready. She was, and always will be, an inspiration to me.”
“Dearest Adam, I’m so, so very sad to hear this. Amanda was just a delight. I loved my time on Lowdown. I’m sending you so much courage and love,” Lowdown star Julia Zemiro added.
“Adam. Amanda was amazing. My sincere condolences to you and your families,” The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng wrote.