Wayne Che Yip

Biography

Wayne Che Yip was born in 1981 in Oxford, England. He developed a deep love for cinema at an early age, influenced by filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Peter Jackson, and Hong Kong action cinema. Yip attended the Dragon School and Abingdon School, later studying graphic design, graduating from Oxford & Cherwell College in 2004. Early on, he worked as a production runner in London and began making music videos on weekends, which marked his first steps into filmmaking.

Career Beginnings

Yip began his directing career with short films, often collaborating with Alex Garcia Lopez. Their early works include Happy Birthday Granddad (2007), which won a BAFTA award, and short films such as Samantha (2008), Be Lucky (2008), and Diego’s Story (2009). He then moved into television, directing episodes for series like Coming Up (2010).

Television Work & Genre Focus

Yip built a strong reputation directing UK television shows, particularly in the genre and speculative space. His early credits include:

Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2011)

Misfits (2011–2013)

Utopia (2013)

He later transitioned to U.S. television and larger productions, directing episodes of:

Doctor Who (“The Lie of the Land,” “Empress of Mars,” and the 2019 special “Resolution”)

Preacher

Happy!

Into the Badlands

Doom Patrol

Hunters

The Wheel of Time

Major Projects & Recognition

In 2021, Yip joined the production of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as a director and co-executive producer, directing four episodes of the series. This marked a major step into large-scale fantasy production and showcased his expertise in high-concept genre storytelling.