John Lee BSC began his career as a news cameraman before training as a director of photography at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the United Kingdom.
Following his training, Lee moved into feature films and television drama, working as a cinematographer and on second-unit photography. His early feature film credits include Cheerful Weather for the Wedding (2012), directed by Donald Rice, and Powder Room (2013), directed by M.J. Delaney.
Lee subsequently established a career in television drama, working across British and international productions. His credits include Ripper Street, Snatch, Victoria and Ordeal by Innocence. He served as director of photography on the first series of Victoria (2016), directed by Tom Vaughan and Oliver Blackburn.
In 2018, Lee worked on the BBC drama Bodyguard, written by Jed Mercurio, and the series The Widow (2019), starring Kate Beckinsale. His other television credits include Baptiste (2019), Barkskins (2020), The Singapore Grip (2020), The Rig (2021) and His Dark Materials (2022).
Lee continued to work across high-profile television productions, including the second series of World on Fire (2023), Netflix’s Fool Me Once (2024) and Anansi Boys (2024). His feature film work also includes The Call Up (2016), directed by Charles Barker, alongside additional photography on How I Live Now (2013) and Black Sea (2014).
His more recent credits include Band of Spies (2025) and the second series of The Forsytes (2026).