Graeme Harper's early career in the entertainment industry began with child acting roles in television adaptations, including The Pickwick Papers in 1952 and The Silver Sword in 1957. He continued to work in the industry, taking on various behind-the-scenes roles, including becoming a floor assistant at the BBC in 1965 and an assistant floor manager in 1969.
During his time at the BBC, Harper worked on several Doctor Who serials, including Colony in Space: Episode One in 1971, Planet of the Daleks: Episode One in 1973, and Planet of the Spiders: Part One in 1974, all of which were part of the Jon Pertwee era. He also worked on The Seeds of Doom: Part One in 1976 and Warriors' Gate: Part One in 1981, which were part of the Tom Baker era.
In 1980, Harper began the BBC's director's course, which ultimately led to his first freelance directing job, The Caves of Androzani: Part One in 1984. This was after working on Angels in 1975 for Julia Smith. Harper went on to direct one more Doctor Who story, Revelation of the Daleks: Part One in 1985, and was also set to direct the third story in the abandoned season twenty-three, which would have been either Philip Martin's "Mission to Magnus" or Robert Holmes's "Yellow Fever and How to Cure It".
Graeme Harper quickly established himself as one of the most competent and sought-after directors in the industry, working on nearly every popular drama series in the UK. In 1993, he was scheduled to direct "The Dark Dimension", the ultimately aborted 30th anniversary Doctor Who story.
