Waris Hussein
Biography
Waris Hussein is a British-Indian television and film director born as Waris Habibullah on December 9, 1938, in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India. He studied theatre design at Cambridge and the Slade School of Art. At the beginning of his career, he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He directed early episodes of Doctor Who, including the first serial, An Unearthly Child, in 1963. Later, he directed the multiple-award-winning Thames Television serial Edward & Mrs. Simpson in 1978. His directing credits also include the projects Glittering Prizes and Armchair Thriller.
Career overview
Waris Hussein, born Waris Habibullah on December 9, 1938, in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India, is a television and film director. After studying theatre design at Cambridge and the prestigious Slade School of Art, he began his career in the early 1960s. He was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director at the time.
During his early career with the BBC, Hussein directed early episodes of the television program Doctor Who, including the first serial, titled An Unearthly Child, which aired in 1963. His directing credits also include the multiple-award-winning Thames Television serial Edward and Mrs. Simpson, released in 1978. Additional directing work associated with his career includes Glittering Prizes and Armchair Thriller.
Throughout his extensive career, Hussein has accumulated numerous known credits in television and film direction. His biographical background bridges British and Indian origins, reflecting his birth in British India and his subsequent professional work based in the United Kingdom.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
107 titles- Richard Burton: Wild Genius (2025) as Self
- Doctor Who: 60 Years of Secrets & Scandals (2023) as Self
- Remembers… (2022) as Self
- Tales of Television Centre (2012) as Self
- Mr. Nice (2010) as Mohammed Durrani
- Verity Lambert: Drama Queen (2008)
- Doctor Who: Origins (2006) as Self
- Over the Edge: The Story of 'The Edge of Destruction' (2006) as Self
- Inside the Spaceship: The Story of the TARDIS (2006) as Self
- Doctor Who Confidential (2005)
- Mrs. Henderson Presents (2005) as Maharajah
- Her Best Friend's Husband (2002) Director
- Her Best Friend's Husband (2002) Co-Executive Producer
- Supply and Demand (1998) Director
- Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998) Director
- A Child's Wish (1997) Director
- Sixth Happiness (1997) Director
- The Face on the Milk Carton (1995) Director
- Murder Between Friends (1994) Director
- Fall from Grace (1994) Director
- The Clothes in the Wardrobe (1993) Director
- For The Love of My Child: The Anissa Ayala Story (1993) Director
- She Woke Up (1992) Director
- Switched at Birth (1991) Director
- Forbidden Nights (1990) Director
- Cult People (1989) as himself
- Those She Left Behind (1989) Director
- The Shell Seekers (1989) Director
- Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988) Director
- Killer Instinct (1988) Director
- Intimate Contact (1987) Director
- Downpayment on Murder (1987) Director
- Maggie (1986) Director
- When the Bough Breaks (1986) Director
- Screen Two (1985) Director
- Copacabana (1985) Director
- Surviving (1985) Director
- Arch of Triumph (1984) Director
- Princess Daisy (1983) Director
- The Winter of Our Discontent (1983) Director
- Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982) Director
- Coming Out of the Ice (1982) Director
- Callie & Son (1981) Director
- The Henderson Monster (1980) Director
- Baby Comes Home (1980) Director
- Death Penalty (1980) Director
- And Baby Makes Six (1979) Director
- Armchair Thriller (1978) Director
- Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978) Director
- Daphne Laureola (1978) Director
- Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978) Director
- Armchair Thriller – Rachel in Danger (1978) Director
- The Sunday Drama (1977) Director
- Romance (1977) Director
- Romance: Three Weeks (1977) Director
- Laurence Olivier Presents (1976) Director
- The Glittering Prizes (1976) Director
- Love Letters on Blue Paper (1976) Director
- Chips with Everything (1975) Director
- Notorious Woman (1974) Director
- Shoulder to Shoulder (1974) Director
- Black and Blue (1973) Director
- Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973) Director
- Between the Wars (1973) Director
- Rust (1973) Director
- Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972) Director
- The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972) Director
- Hedda Gabler (1972) Director
- Great Performances (1971) Director
- Melody (1971) Director
- Play for Today (1970) Director
- Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) Director
- W. Somerset Maugham (1969) Director
- A Touch of Love (1969) Director
- Spoiled (1968) Director
- Toggle (1968) Director
- ITV Playhouse (1967) Director
- Boy Meets Girl (1967) Director
- Sleeping Dog (1967) Director
- The Devil a Monk Would Be (1967) Director
- Days in the Trees (1967) Director
- Days in the Trees (1967) Screenplay
- Death of a Teddy Bear (1967) Director
- Thirteen Against Fate (1966) Director
- Macready's Gala (1966) Director
- Ella (1966) Director
- A Man on Her Back (1966) Director
- The Connoisseur (1966) Director
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) Director
- BBC Play of the Month (1965) Teleplay
- Thirty-Minute Theatre (1965) Director
- The Newcomers (1965) Director
- Londoners (1965) Director
- A Passage to India (1965) Director
- The Wednesday Play (1964) Director
- The Wednesday Play (1964) Writer
- The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (1964) Director
- Doctor Who: Marco Polo (1964) Director
- Doctor Who (1963) Director
- Festival (1963) Director
- Moonstrike (1963) Director
- Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child (1963) Director
- Compact (1962) Director
- Suspense (1962) Director
- Corrigan Blake (1962) as Cholo
- Sunday-Night Play (1960) Director
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) Director
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Waris Hussein best known for?
Waris Hussein is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Remembers… (2022), Doctor Who Confidential (2005), The Paul Lynde Show (1972), The Clothes in the Wardrobe (1993).
When and where was Waris Hussein born?
Waris Hussein was born on December 9, 1938 in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India.
How many credits does Waris Hussein have?
Waris Hussein has accumulated over 107 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1951 to 2025.
What is Waris Hussein's background in cinema and television?
Waris Hussein is a British-Indian television and film director born as Waris Habibullah on December 9, 1938, in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India. He studied theatre design at Cambridge and the Slade School of Art. At the beginning of his career, he was employed by the BBC as its youngest drama director. He dire...
Waris Hussein by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Doctor Who Confidential (2005) — aged about 66
- Remembers… (2022) as Self — aged about 83
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