Trivia

At the time of his death, he was engaged in post-production on the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995), on which his sons Mark and Elliott James (born May 1973) also worked. A dedication in the credits of the completed film reads "To the memory of Derek Meddings".

Had six children, including sons Nicholas Alexander (born July 1980) and Noah Luscombe (born August 1978) and daughter: Chloe Loveday (born 1982).

Both parents had worked in the British film industry: his father as a carpenter at Denham Studios and his mother as producer Alexander Korda's secretary and actress Merle Oberon's stand-in.

After attending art school in the late 1940s, he also found work at Denham Studios, lettering credit titles. It was there that he met effects designer Les Bowie and joined his matte painting department.

Supposedly, he was asked to supervise the effects for Batman (1989) because director Tim Burton was a fan of his work on Thunderbirds.

He had a son Mark Meddings who was co producer on the military thriller Kinsman,.