Paul Seed started off on Coronation Street in the 70s and 80s before becoming a renowned director of British TV dramas.
Former Coronation Street star Paul Seed has died aged 78
A former Coronation Street star and TV director behind some of Britain’s best-known dramas has died, it has been revealed.
Paul Seed began his career as an actor in the 1970s playing the role of Father Harris in Corrie, appearing between 1979 and 1981. During his time on the soap he officiated the marriage of Helen Worth‘s character Gail and Christopher Quinten‘s Brian.
The character also oversaw the christening of their son Nick Tilsley at the fictional St. Boniface Church in Lower Broughton, the real-life suburb of Salford that was used for many years for the opening titles.
The Guardian reports that Devon-born Paul died of cancer aged 78 on 7 March and is survived by his wife Elizabeth Cassidy, who he met while working on the BBC police drama Z Cars, and their two sons, Jack and Sean.
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Paul left acting in the 1980s after completing the BBC’s directors’ course and went on to shape some of the biggest shows on TV from behind the camera. He became a hugely successful director of dramas, including the BBC political thriller House of Cards and ITV’s A Touch of Frost and Doc Martin.
His obituary recalls that not long after graduating he was offered his first telly drama, 1982’s Too Late to Talk to Billy, which marked Kenneth Branagh’s first appearance on TV. He also directed a young Liam Neeson the following year in Across the Water.
He went on to win two BAFTAs, one for Best Single Drama for A Rather English Marriage and another for Best Drama for the 2010 series of Just William while aired on BBC One, starring Outnumbered actor Daniel Roche as William and Rebecca Front as his mum.
Paul’s other acting roles included appearances in Doctor Who, Pretenders and Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, while his directing credits also include Auf Widersehen, Pet, Lark Rise to Candleford and New Tricks.
He also appeared in the Victoria Wood TV play Nearly a Happy Ending in 1980, appearing alongside the comedian and regular co-star Julie Walters in the show, set during a “dismal salesmen’s party” in a hotel in Manchester.
On stage, he appeared in productions of The Merchant of Venice, The Birthday Party, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Hamlet, among others.
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