BIOGRAPHY
Born in Sutton Coldfield to an ancient Cheshire family, in 1960, Tobias Churton spent two years in Australia from 1966 to 1968 and returned to attend his fifth school, Lichfield Cathedral School. Three schools later he won an exhibition to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he studied Theology. Compelled to exchange a vocation to the priesthood for the lowlier prospect of a career in television, he first came to public notice with the 1987 Channel 4 production, GNOSTICS. The 4-part, drama-documentary went out at peak time on Saturday nights. It won the New York TV Festival Gold Award for best religious series. Churton’s Channel 4/Weidenfeld & Nicolson book accompanying the series was a best seller.
Long before Dan Brown scored a hit with The Da Vinci Code, Tobias Churton introduced a popular audience to the authentic world of esoteric mysteries. In the words of Dutch scholar, Gilles Quispel, the TV series would “change the minds of millions”. Churton presented the facts, not the fantasy. Swedish theologian Jan-Arvid Hellström hailed Churton as a “religious genius” while Amsterdam bibliophile and industrialist Joost Ritman enthusiastically greeted the appearance of a new “writing star”.
The success of The Gnostics allowed Tobias to concentrate his energies on his first love: writing. After years of voluminous reading, mystical experience and creative endeavour, Churton had much to express.
Recording "A SPELL INSIDE" album with vocalist Merovée Churton |
Having completed his twenty-fifth book commission, Tobias Churton is today internationally recognized for his insightful books on esoteric, spiritual history, Art and philosophy. Accessible and scholarly, Churton’s works address believers and doubters alike and, remarkably, have stimulated spiritual experiences in some readers. He has successfully widened the appeal of so-called “esoteric” spirituality. Churton’s warm style and depth of knowledge have entertained many thousands of readers in the process. Tobias is also a filmmaker, lecturer, poet and musician. He has recently recorded his orchestrated score for his prospective dramatic project, William Blake: Love is on Fire!, while his musical about Nancy Cunard and Henry Crowder, YOU, ME AND YESTERDAY, co-written with artist and songwriter John Myatt, was performed to great acclaim at the Lichfield Garrick Theatre in 2011. He has composed and recorded eight albums of original music.
A CAREER (in brief)
2023 | The First Alchemists (Inner Traditions International) |
2022 | Aleister Crowley in Paris (Inner Traditions International) |
2021 | Aleister Crowley in England (Inner Traditions International) |
Eight hours of TV drama scripts: BELLE ÉPOQUE | |
Album: Belle Époque | |
2020 | The Lost Pillars of Enoch (Inner Traditions International) |
2019 | Aleister Crowley in India (Inner Traditions International) |
Invited to participate in The Enoch Seminar by Prof. Gabriele Boccaccini, in Florence, June 2019.) | |
Album: The Other Side | |
2018 | The Spiritual Meaning of the Sixties (Inner Traditions International) |
Album: The Past is like a Dream | |
2017 | Aleister Crowley in America |
Deconstructing Gurdjieff | |
Album: Framed | |
2016 | Occult Paris |
Album: What Fools these Mortals Be | |
2015 | Jerusalem! The Real Life of William Blake |
Gnostic Mysteries of Sex | |
Album: A Spell Inside | |
2014 | Aleister Crowley: The Beast in Berlin |
Album: Canso | |
2013 | The Babylon Gene (novel) |
Album: William Blake—Love is on Fire! | |
2012 | The Mysteries of John the Baptist |
Album: If you could See | |
2011 | Aleister Crowley: The Biography |
YOU ME AND YESTERDAY; Musical composed with John Myatt, performed by Lichfield Cathedral School: Garrick Theatre, Lichfiel | |
2010 | The Missing Family of Jesus |
2009 | The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians |
2008 | Kiss of Death: The True History of the Gospel of Judas |
2007 | Freemasonry: The Reality |
2006 | The Magus of Freemasonry: The Mysterious Life of Elias Ashmole |
2005 | Gnostic Philosophy |
Appointed Honorary Fellow, Exeter University; | |
Faculty Lecturer: Exeter Centre for the Study of Western Esotericism (Prof. Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke.) | |
2004 | The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians and the first Free Masons |
2003 | The True Story of the Rosicrucians (Documentary) |
2002 | Elias Ashmole and the Initiation (Drama-documentary) |
2001 | Jack Brown and the Curse of the Crown (Ancient Egyptian dialogue and coaching for British movie; Little Wing Films |
1997-2000 | Founder Editor: Freemasonry Today magazine |
1996 | Initiation (Director-Writer: sell-through video documentary with Columba Powell as Elias Ashmole) |
The Fear of Vision (poetry) | |
1994-1995 | The Gatecrashers (original comedy movie script with Columba Powell, backed by Thelma Schoonmaker-Powell and the European Script Fund.) |
1991-1993 | Developing TV documentary projects in Sweden and UK. Accepted by Bishop Jan-Arvid Hellström (Växjö) for Ordination in the Church of Sweden (aborted). |
1989-1990 | Development of Rosicrucian documentary for Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam |
1989 | The New Age and the New Man (director of film for Stichting Teleac, Utrecht) |
1989 | Miraval—A Quest (novel) |
1988 | No Man hath Seen God (Director/Presenter, film documentary for Channel 4 TV) |
1987 | The Gnostics (Weidenfeld & Nicolson/Channel 4 Books) |
1987 | William Blake, Love is on Fire! (Director/Writer/Composer; development of film for Channel 4 TV) |
1985-1987 | GNOSTICS (deviser, co-writer, researcher, drama scripts, 4 part TV series for Channel 4; Border TV) |
1985 | Why I am still an Anglican (Editor, for Collins Books) |
John Lennon: A Journey in the Life (Researcher, co-writer: drama film for BBC Everyman, starring Roy Orbison, Roger Waters, Bernard Hill, Andy Fairweather-Low, Peter Cook, Carl Wayne, John Gustaffson, GB Zoot Money, Linda Thompson, Edwin Starr, Stanley Unwin, Helen Shapiro, Screaming Lord Sutch, Bill Harry, Derek Taylor.) | |
1984 | Apocalypse (Researcher for documentary for Channel 4 TV) |
Peace (Researcher for Thames TV Christmas series) | |
1983 | The Elastic Church (Researcher, co-writer documentary for Channel 4 TV) |
1982 | Alternativen FRG (pioneering documentary development on German Greens for BBC TV) |
1980 | Ipsissimus (play; direction; Brasenose Players: Balliol Lindsay Rooms, Oxford University) |
1978-1981 | Brasenose College, Oxford University (M.A. Hons. Theology) |