An economics graduate, he became an organiser in the radical Workers Revolutionary Party, a role which resulted in him being blacklisted by the BBC.
As a television director he cut his teeth on one-off plays and dramas, a highlight being Leeds United, a 1974 retelling of a textile workers strike.
He became best known for directing crime dramas, and steered episodes of Between The Lines, A Touch Of Frost and Cracker.
Battersby was married to actress Judy Loe and was the stepfather of actress Kate Beckinsale. He died on January 10, aged 87.
