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 ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', '' Strike Back'', ''

The Last Kingdom (TV series) ''The Last Kingdom'' is a British historical drama television series created and developed for television by Stephen Butchard, based on ''The Saxon Stories'' series of novels by Bernard Cornwell. The series premiered on 10 October 2015 on BBC T ...

'', ''

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

'', and '' The Day of the Jackal (TV series)'' (2024). He has received an

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...

and two

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

nominations.

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 ''

'', 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. In 2008 Wilmshurst wrote and directed the Channel 4 true-life

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

''Forgiven'' for which actress Lucy Cohu won an

international Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

award for Best Actress for her role. The drama was well reviewed at the time 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.''" Wilmshurst transitioned into directing television drama with credits that include multiple episodes of the BBC’s ''

'', notably " Kill the Moon", "

Mummy on the Orient Express "Mummy on the Orient Express" is the eighth episode of the Doctor Who (series 8), eighth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 11 October 2014. The episode was written by Ja ...

", and the 2014 Christmas special "

Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!. Written and produced by George Michael, it was released on 3 December 1984 via CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side via Epic Records with " Everything She Wants" in several Eur ...

". 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''. 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

* International Emmy Award – Best Documentary, ''Hiroshima'' (2005) * BAFTA Television Award – Best Visual Effects, ''Hiroshima'' (2005) * International Emmy Award – Best Actress for Lucy Cohu in ''Forgiven'' (2008), directed by Wilmshurst

Personal life

Wilmshurst lives in North London.

Filmography

Television

References

External links

Profile page with agent Curtis Brown

Personal website

IMDb page {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmshurst, Paul 1961 births Living people English television directors Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge Alumni of City, University of London People educated at The Leys School