RIDLEY SCOTT - DIRECTOR SCOTT RECEIVES BFI FELLOWSHIP

DIRECTOR SCOTT RECEIVES BFI FELLOWSHIP

Acclaimed British director Ridley Scott has become the 62nd recipient of a British Film Institute (BFI) fellowship, it has been announced.

Scott, who directed Thelma and Louise and Gladiator, joins big names such as Clint Eastwood, Bernardo Bertolucci and Bette Davis as a recipient of the highest accolade the BFI can bestow.

The director is something of a legend among science-fiction fans after helming two of the genre's most famous films - Alien and Blade Runner.

Greg Dyke, the chair of the BFI governors, said: "Ridley Scott is one of the foremost directors of his generation.

"For me, Thelma and Louise is among the most outstanding films of my lifetime.

"The scope and sweep of Ridley Scott's ambition, the astonishing detail in his portrayal of different worlds and different eras, is remarkable and unforgettable.

"Nearly all his films have become classics as his story-telling never fails to engage a huge range of audiences. But it is for his whole body of work that we celebrate with this BFI fellowship."

Scott's career began in television in the mid-1960s, when he worked as a set designer, then director, on series such as Z-Cars and The Informer before moving into commercial advertising and then films.

His directorial feature debut was with The Duellists in 1977, which went on to win the special jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival.