Paul Wilmshurst

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).

He has received an International Emmy Award and two BAFTA 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 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.

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. 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 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.

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