This son of famed British filmmaker Basil Dearden grew up on movie sets and was bored by the process of moviemaking. Nevertheless James Dearden decided to follow in the family business. After completing his studies at Oxford, he worked as runner and editing room assistant for a company that produced TV commercials before making his own short films. One of his first efforts was "The Contraption" (1978) which earned him a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Another, the 47-minute "Diversion" (1980) dealt with themes of sexuality and betrayal that he expanded in both the made-for-cable film
