A former Coronation Street star who went on to become an award-winning TV director has died at the age of 78.
Paul Seed, who played Father Harris in the ITV soap between 1979 and 1981, later built a successful career behind the camera, working on some of the UK’s best-known dramas.
During his time on the cobbles, his character officiated the wedding of Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and Brian Tilsley (Christopher Quinten), and also led the christening of their son Nick Tilsley, who was later played by Ben Price.
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Seed stepped away from acting in the 1980s to focus on directing, going on to work on major series including A Touch of Frost, Doc Martin and House of Cards for the BBC.
During the early part of his directing career, he worked alongside Kenneth Branagh and Liam Neeson and his theatre work included appearances in productions such as Love’s Labour’s Lost, Hamlet, The Birthday Party and The Merchant of Venice.
According to an obituary in The Guardian, Seed died on March 7 after being diagnosed with cancer. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Cassidy and their two sons, Jack and Sean.
In the obituary, written by Tom Courtenay, he said: “Paul’s big breakthrough had come with House of Cards – adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs’s novel, with Ian Richardson as the scheming politician Francis Urquhart – followed by the second part of the trilogy, To Play the King.”
Tom also said: “He loved what he did, and this love communicated itself to his actors. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought the world of him.”
Devon-born Seed moved to Manchester where he studied drama at university and graduated in 1970. His directing work earned multiple accolades, including a BAFTA for Best Single Drama for A Rather English Marriage, followed by another BAFTA for Best Drama in 2010 for Just William, which aired on BBC One and starred Daniel Roche.
