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British television and film director Antonia Bird has died aged 54.
Bird was best known for directing TV series such as Spooks and The Village and films including Priest, Face and Ravenous.
Bird, who had a rare anaplastic thyroid cancer, died peacefully in her sleep according to a statement from her partner.
The statement added that she had an operation to remove a large tumour in April but "despite a determined fight, she had come to terms with the inevitable in the last few weeks and died peacefully in her sleep."
While Bird started as a film director in more recent years she worked heavily in TV in on series including Spooks, Cracker and BBC drama The Village.
She began her career at London's Royal Court as a theatre director before making episodes of BBC soap EastEnders and medical drama Casualty in the mid-1980s.
Bird won best single drama TV BAFTAs for 1993's...