Biography
Bill Hays (15 March 1938 – 2 March 2006) was a British television director. Born in Wingate, County Durham, he trained at Birmingham College of Art after an early spell at the Royal Ballet School. He began directing for television in the early 1960s, with credits including episodes of Z-Cars (1962) and Play for Today (1970).
Hays directed episodes of numerous series across four decades, including Fall of Eagles (1974), Rock Follies (1976), Rumpole of the Bailey (1975 onwards), The Bill (1984), Lovejoy (1986), Boon (1986) and EastEnders (1991–1994). He also worked in theatre and directed single dramas and adaptations such as Orde Wingate and a version of Close the Coalhouse Door.
After retiring from directing in the mid-1990s, Hays ran a guesthouse in central France with his wife, the actress Catherine Schell. He died in France aged 67.
