Hutchings, Caroline (Costume Design Assistant)

Also known professionally by her unmarried name Caroline Maxwell.

Caroline Hutchings was born in Putney, London in 1946 and studied Art at Farnham Art School (1964-66) followed by a course in Theatre Design at the Central School of Art, London (1966-69). After graduation she worked as an Assistant in the Costume Department of Sadler Wells Opera before gaining a place as a trainee on the BBC’s Costume Design course in the late 1960s. She worked as a Costume Design Assistant for many of the BBC’s iconic productions including Elizabeth R and Anna Karenina (both 1970). Specialising in period drama she was one of the BBC’s leading costume designers in the 1970s, working on productions such as Mill on the Floss (1979, with the costumier John Bright), and Oppenheimer (1980). Following the birth of her three children she moved first into children’s television and then into casting, co-founding her company The Casting Directors Ltd in 1989. In her interview Caroline talks about the design process including understanding characterisation and working with actors and directors. She outlines her research process for period work, and reflects on the training she received working alongside designers such as Elizabeth Waller and the costume-maker Jean Hunnisett. She also describes the costume and wardrobe departments of the BBC, including rooms for dyeing, washing and cutting, the logistics of location work and the challenge of managing budgets.

©Melanie Bell