Paul Wilmshurst

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Paul Wilmshurst
Born
Paul Dominic Wilmshurst

(1961-12-15) 15 December 1961 (age 63)
London, England
OccupationTelevision Director
Website https://www.paulwilmshurst.com

Paul Wilmshurst (born 15 December 1961) is a British television director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his work across drama, documentary, and docudrama formats, with credits including Doctor Who , Strike Back , The Last Kingdom (TV series) , Hiroshima , and The Day of the Jackal (TV series) (2024).

Contents

He has received an International Emmy Award [1] and two BAFTA nominations. [2]

Early life and education

Wilmshurst studied English at Churchill College, Cambridge, followed by a postgraduate diploma in journalism at City University, London. He began his career in journalism before moving into documentary filmmaking.


Career

Wilmshurst started directing documentaries for British television, with early credits including Mob Law (1998), a profile of Las Vegas mob lawyer Oscar Goodman, and White Tribe (2000), presented by Darcus Howe. He also worked on The Gambler (2000) with Jonathan Rendall.

In 2005, he wrote, produced, and directed Hiroshima , a dramatized documentary commemorating the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing. The programme won the International Emmy Award for Best Documentary and a BAFTA Television Award for Best Visual Effects. [3]

In 2008 Wilmshurst wrote and directed the Channel 4 true-life drama Forgiven for which actress Lucy Cohu won an international Emmy award for Best Actress for her role. [4] The drama was well reviewed at the time [5] [6] and was later listed as one of the 50 Best Television Programmes of the Decade in The Times: "32: Forgiven (2006) It is easy to condemn child abuse. It is much harder to try to understand it, to engage with the abuser and stop it from happening. Paul Wilmshurst's harrowing drama with Lucy Cohu showed unbelievable courage." [7]

Wilmshurst transitioned into directing television drama with credits that include multiple episodes of the BBC's Doctor Who , notably "Kill the Moon", "Mummy on the Orient Express", and the 2014 Christmas special "Last Christmas". He directed episodes of Da Vinci’s Demons , Indian Summers , and The Last Kingdom , as well as five seasons of the action drama Strike Back . [8]

Wilmshurst's work in children's drama includes Combat Kids , which was nominated for a BAFTA, and Runaway (TV serial) , a CBBC drama miniseries.

In 2024, Wilmshurst directed three episodes of the Sky/Peacock thriller The Day of the Jackal (TV series) , a television adaptation of the novel by Frederick Forsyth. The series, starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch, received positive critical reception and several award nominations.

Awards

Personal life

Wilmshurst lives in North London.

Filmography

[8]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2024 The Day of the Jackal (TV series) DirectorEpisodes 6, 7 & 8
2024 Belgravia: The Next Chapter DirectorEpisodes 1, 2, 3 & 4
2022 The Last Kingdom (TV series) DirectorEpisodes 4, 5 & 6
2020 Strike Back: Vendetta DirectorEpisodes 1 & 2
2019 Strike Back: Revolution DirectorEpisodes 3 & 4
2018 Jamestown (Season 2)DirectorEpisodes 1 & 2
2017 Jamestown DirectorEpisodes 5 & 6
2016 Indian Summers (Season 2)DirectorEpisodes 7, 8, 9 & 10
2015 A.D. The Bible Continues DirectorEpisodes 7 & 8
2014 Doctor Who Director Kill the Moon
Mummy on the Orient Express
Last Christmas
2013 Strike Back: Shadow Warfare DirectorEpisodes 5 & 6
2012 Da Vinci's Demons DirectorEpisode 5 "The Tower"
Episode 6 "The Devil"
2012 Strike Back: Vengeance DirectorEpisodes 3 & 4
2011 Strike Back: Project Dawn DirectorEpisodes 7 & 8
2010Combat KidsDirector, ProducerEpisodes 1, 2 & 3
2010 Law & Order: UK DirectorShaken
2010 Silent Witness DirectorHome (Parts 1 & 2)
2009 Runaway Director, Writer, ProducerEpisodes 1, 2 & 3
2008 Trial & Retribution DirectorConviction (Parts 1 & 2)
2007 Forgiven Director, Writer, Producer
2006 I Shouldn't Be Alive Director, Writer, ProducerKidnapped in the Killing Fields
2005 Hiroshima Director, Writer, Producer
2004Pissed on the JobDirector, Writer, Producer
2003 Seven Wonders of the Industrial World Director, Writer, ProducerThe Brooklyn Bridge
2003DogumentaryDirector, Writer, ProducerRewind the Summer
2001Frank Skinner on Frank SkinnerDirector, ProducerBiography of comedian Frank Skinner
2000The GamblerDirectorWith Jonathan Rendall
2000White TribeDirector, ProducerDocumentary series with Darcus Howe
2000Secrets & LinesDirector, Writer, ProducerInside the world of cocaine dealers
1999DiceworldDirector, ProducerDocumentary series with Luke Rhinehart
1998A Little Bit of ElvisDirector, Producer Frank Skinner and Elvis Presley's blue velvet shirt
1998Mob LawDirector, WriterA film portrait of Oscar Goodman

References

  1. "British TV triumphs at Emmys". The Guardian. 21 November 2006.
  2. "Paul Wilmshurst Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hiroshima by Paul Wilmshurst - Curtis Brown" . Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  4. "British talent on a roll at Emmys". Metro . 25 November 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  5. "Last night's TV: Forgiven". The Guardian . 17 August 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  6. "Last night on television". The Daily Telegraph . London. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  7. "The top 50 TV shows of the Noughties". The Times . 19 December 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Paul Wilmshurst - IMDb". IMDb . Retrieved 5 May 2025.