---
name: "Bill Hays"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/bill-hays"
fi1m_id: "bill-hays"
imdb_id: "nm0371601"
tmdb_id: 1191032
wikidata_id: "Q4909361"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "15 March 1938"
died: "2 March 2006"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-10-07T12:27:09.685334+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bill Hays

## Identity

Bill Hays

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/bill-hays
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** bill-hays
- **IMDb ID:** nm0371601
- **TMDB ID:** 1191032
- **Wikidata ID:** Q4909361
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hays_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4909361, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0371601/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1191032

Director. Born 15 March 1938 in Wingate, County Durham, England, United Kingdom. Died 2 March 2006.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 15 March 1938, Wingate, County Durham, England, United Kingdom
- **Died:** 2 March 2006
- **Active:** 1962–1986
- **Frequently works with:** [Baz Taylor](https://film.one/person/baz-taylor.md), [Brian Farnham](https://film.one/person/brian-farnham.md), [Herbert Wise](https://film.one/person/herbert-wise.md), [John Bruce](https://film.one/person/john-bruce.md), [Ken Hannam](https://film.one/person/ken-hannam.md), [Michael Simpson](https://film.one/person/michael-simpson-1226610.md), [Moira Armstrong](https://film.one/person/moira-armstrong.md), [Brian Parker](https://film.one/person/brian-parker.md)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Hays_(director), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4909361, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0371601/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1191032

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*EastEnders*](https://film.one/tv/eastenders.md) (70)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## 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.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, theguardian.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *EastEnders* (1985), Fi1m 70, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/eastenders.md)

## Complete filmography (70)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Tales of Mystery and Imagination* (1995), series, Director
- *Hothouse* (1988), series, Director
- *Wish Me Luck* (1988), series, Director
- *The Bretts* (1987), series, Director
- *The Ruth Rendell Mysteries* (1987), series, Director
- *Quartermaine's Terms* (1987), Director
- *Time After Time* (1986), Director
- *Boon* (1986), series, Director
- *Lovejoy* (1986), series, Director
- *Death Is Part of the Process* (1986), Director
- *Flights* (1985), Director
- *Summer Season* (1985), series, Director
- *A Month in the Country* (1985), Director
- *EastEnders* (1985), series, Director — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/tv/eastenders.md)
- *Bird Fancier* (1985), Director
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, Director
- *The Bill* (1984), series, Director
- *Long Live the Babe* (1984), Director
- *Waving to a Train* (1984), Director
- *Good Behaviour* (1983), series, Director
- *The Tale of Beatrix Potter* (1983), Director
- *Shades* (1982), Director
- *Play for Tomorrow* (1982), series, Director
- *Out of Step* (1982), Director
- *Random Moments in a May Garden* (1981), Director
- *A Turn for the Worse* (1981), Director
- *Honky Tonk Heroes* (1981), series, Director
- *The Good Companions* (1980), series, Director
- *The Diary of a Nobody* (1979), series, Director
- *The Serpent Son* (1979), series, Director
- *The Great Detective* (1979), series, Director
- *London Belongs To Me* (1977), series, Director
- *Orde Wingate* (1976), Director
- *Jumbo* (1976), Director
- *Practical Experience* (1976), Director
- *Cakes and Ale* (1976), series, Director
- *Rock Follies* (1976), series, Director
- *When the Boat Comes In* (1976), series, Director
- *Rumpole of the Bailey* (1975), series, Director
- *Looking for Clancy* (1975), series, Director
- *Fall of Eagles* (1974), series, Director
- *Playhouse* (1974), series, Director
- *If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them* (1974), Director
- *Trouble in Tahiti* (1973), Director
- *Centre Play* (1973), series, Director
- *Warship* (1973), series, Director
- *Thriller* (1973), series, Director
- *Lady Killer* (1973), Director
- *The Wide World of Mystery* (1973), series, Director
- *Just in Time for Christmas* (1972), Director
- *Play for Today* (1970), series, Director
- *The Gingham Dog* (1970), Director
- *Codename* (1970), series, Creator
- *Shine A Light* (1970), series, Director
- *Parkin's Patch* (1969), series, Director
- *Codename: Portcullis* (1969), Director, Writer
- *W. Somerset Maugham* (1969), series, Director
- *Boy Meets Girl* (1967), series, Director
- *Softly, Softly* (1966), series, Director
- *BBC Play of the Month* (1965), series, Director
- *R3* (1964), series, Director
- *The Wednesday Play* (1964), series, Director
- *Catch Hand* (1964), series, Director
- *Theatre 625* (1964), series, Director
- *Detective* (1964), series, Director
- *Dig This Rhubarb* (1963), series, Director
- *Love Story* (1963), series, Director
- *Moonstrike* (1963), series, Director
- *Dr. Finlay's Casebook* (1962), series, Director
- *Z-Cars* (1962), series, Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/bill-hays