Paul Seed, Coronation Street star and BAFTA winner, dies aged 78

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Paul Seed, a former actor on Coronation Street who also directed TV dramas, has died at the age of 78.

The Guardian reported that the actor passed away on March 7th after a battle with cancer.

Sir Tom Courtenay, a friend and coworker of the late actor, wrote the obituary. Courtenay, whom the actor directed in the 1998 film A Rather English Marriage, remembered him as someone whose career was marked by intelligence, emotional depth, and a natural talent for acting.

Courtenay also shared that he was passionate about his work, and that enthusiasm clearly inspired the actors he directed. She believes many others felt the same deep respect for him.

Seed was born in Bideford, Devon, and went on to study drama at the University of Manchester.

After finishing school in 1970, he began acting in several television shows during the 1970s, notably appearing as Father Harris in the popular series Coronation Street.

While on the show, the character performed the wedding ceremony for Gail Platt (played by Helen Worth) and Brian Tilsley (played by Christopher Quinten).

Norman Seed also portrayed the character Graff Vynda-K in the Doctor Who adventure, ‘The Ribos Operation,’ which was part of the show’s sixteenth season.

She also appeared in episodes of popular TV shows like Pretenders, Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected, and Z Cars.

Starting in the 1980s, Seed became a director and played a key role in the success of popular TV series like ITV’s A Touch of Frost and Doc Martin, as well as the BBC’s House of Cards.

He won two BAFTA Awards for his work as a director. He received his first for the single drama, A Rather English Marriage, and his second for the drama, Just William.

Throughout his acting career, Seed performed in several stage productions, including roles in plays like The Merchant of Venice, The Birthday Party, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Hamlet.

He is remembered by his wife, Elizabeth Cassidy, whom he married in 2000, and their two sons, Jack and Sean.

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Molly MossTrends Writer

As a total cinema and TV fanatic, I always keep an eye on who’s writing about the things I love, and I recently came across Molly Moss. She’s a Trends Writer for TopMob, which basically means she’s on top of everything new and exciting in film and television. She’s a seriously experienced journalist too – she has a Master’s degree in Newspaper Journalism and has written for major publications like The Guardian, The Times, and The Sun Online. So, she definitely knows her stuff!

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2026-04-08 13:34