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IMDbPro

Paul Seed(1947-2026)

  • Director
  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Paul Seed in Protection (1975)
Paul Seed is a British television director and former actor.

Born in Bideford in Devon, Seed began his career as an actor and appeared in numerous television series including Z-Cars, Softly Softly: Taskforce, Survivors, Doctor Who, Secret Army, Coronation Street (1960), Crown Court and Tales of the Unexpected. Seed is married to actress Elizabeth Cassidy.

In the late 1970s, Seed chose to pursue a career in TV drama directing and completed the BBC Directors' course following which he directed numerous TV plays, series and serials during the 1980s. Seed is perhaps best known for directing the BBC's smash-hit 1990 mini-series House of Cards and its sequel To Play the King, adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs' novels and famously starring Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart.

Seed continued to direct for television drama series throughout the 1990s including A Touch of Frost and Playing the Field, and in 2002 directed all six episodes of the revival of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

In recent years, he has directed episodes of New Tricks, Northern Lights and Lark Rise to Candleford, and in 2010 directed the BBC adaptation of Just William, and also directed Blandings (2013), shown on BBC One.
BornSeptember 18, 1947
DiedMarch 7, 2026(78)
BornSeptember 18, 1947
DiedMarch 7, 2026(78)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 2 BAFTA Awards
    • 10 wins & 11 nominations total

Known for

Ian Richardson in House of Cards (1990)
House of Cards
8.5
TV Mini Series
  • Director
A Rather English Marriage (1998)
A Rather English Marriage
7.8
TV Movie
  • Director
  • 1998
Timothy Spall, Christopher Fairbank, Tim Healy, Gary Holton, Jimmy Nail, Pat Roach, and Kevin Whately in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983)
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
8.5
TV Series
  • Director
Dirty Tricks (2000)
Dirty Tricks
6.7
TV Movie
  • Director
  • 2000

Credits

IMDbPro

Director



  • Martin Clunes in Doc Martin (2004)
    Doc Martin
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2011–2013
  • Blandings (2013)
    Blandings
    7.2
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2013
  • Ian Richardson and Robin Laing in Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes - Dr. Bell & Mr. Doyle (2011)
    Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes - Dr. Bell & Mr. Doyle
    7.8
    • Director
    • 2011
  • Daniel Roche in Just William (2010)
    Just William
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2010
  • Lark Rise to Candleford (2008)
    Lark Rise to Candleford
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2010
  • Clash of the Santas (2008)
    Clash of the Santas
    6.3
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2008
  • Muriel Baumeister, Tim Dutton, and James Wilby in A Risk Worth Taking (2008)
    A Risk Worth Taking
    5.9
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2008
  • Perfect Day: The Funeral (2006)
    Perfect Day: The Funeral
    7.2
    TV Mini Series
    • Director
    • 2006
  • The Booze Cruise III: The Scattering (2006)
    The Booze Cruise III: The Scattering
    6.9
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2006
  • Northern Lights (2006)
    Northern Lights
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2006
  • The Booze Cruise II: The Treasure Hunt (2005)
    The Booze Cruise II: The Treasure Hunt
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2005
  • Roman Road (2004)
    Roman Road
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2004
  • Mark Benton and Robson Green in Christmas Lights (2004)
    Christmas Lights
    6.8
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2004
  • Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman, and Dennis Waterman in New Tricks (2003)
    New Tricks
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 2004
  • Ready When You Are Mr. McGill (2003)
    Ready When You Are Mr. McGill
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • Director
    • 2003

Actor



  • Tales of the Unexpected (1979)
    Tales of the Unexpected
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Director of Commercial
    • 1982
  • Mr & Mrs Edgehill (1985)
    BBC2 Playhouse
    6.7
    TV Series
    • TV director
    • 1982
  • Don Henderson, Diane Keen, Peter Sallis, and Don Warrington in Crown Court (1972)
    Crown Court
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Special Constable Bell
    • 1981
  • Peter Adamson, Jean Alexander, Johnny Briggs, Margot Bryant, and Doris Speed in Coronation Street (1960)
    Coronation Street
    5.6
    TV Series
    • Father Harris
    • 1979–1981
  • Escape (1980)
    Escape
    TV Series
    • Salewski
    • 1980
  • Nearly a Happy Ending (1980)
    Nearly a Happy Ending
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • Tony
    • 1980
  • "The Human Factor" (Saul Bass Poster) 1979
    The Human Factor
    6.1
    • Shop Assistant
    • 1979
  • Michael Culver, Jan Francis, Juliet Hammond, Terrence Hardiman, Bernard Hepton, Angela Richards, Clifford Rose, and Stephen Yardley in Secret Army (1977)
    Secret Army
    8.5
    TV Series
    • Dominique
    • Van Hoyt
    • 1978–1979
  • Hazell (1978)
    Hazell
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Dicky Loraine
    • 1979
  • Paul McGann, Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, William Hartnell, Sylvester McCoy, Jon Pertwee, and Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who (1963)
    Doctor Who
    8.4
    TV Series
    • Graff Vynda-K
    • 1978
  • Ian McCulloch and Carolyn Seymour in Survivors (1975)
    Survivors
    8.0
    TV Series
    • Grant
    • 1977
  • Heydays Hotel
    TV Movie
    • Barney
    • 1976
  • Softly Softly: Task Force (1969)
    Softly Softly: Task Force
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Davies
    • 1975
  • Against the Crowd (1975)
    Against the Crowd
    6.1
    TV Series
    • Roy
    • 1975
  • Z Cars (1962)
    Z Cars
    7.1
    TV Series
    • Ingram
    • 1975

Personal details

  • Official site
    • France's national library catalogue
  • Born
    • September 18, 1947
    • Bideford, Devon, England, UK
  • Died
    • March 7, 2026
  • Spouse
    • Elizabeth Cassidy2000 - March 7, 2026 (his death, 2 children)
  • Other works
    He acted in Richard Cottrell's translation of Georges Feydeau's play, "The Birdwatcher," for a Bristol Old Vic Company production at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in Bristol, England with Mary Miller, Peter John, Jenny Galloway, Stuart Fox, Phillip Manikum, June Barrie, and Ian Price in the cast. Michael Joyce was director.

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