Bill Paterson

Bill Paterson

William Tulloch Paterson (born 3 June 1945) is a Scottish actor. Throughout his career he has appeared regularly in radio drama and provided the narration for a large number of documentaries. Paterson has appeared in films and television series including Comfort and Joy (1984), Traffik (1989), Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1986), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990), The Witches (1990), Wives and Daughters (1999), Sea of Souls (2004–2007), Amazing Grace (2006), Miss Potter (2006), Little Dorrit (2008), Doctor Who (2010), Outlander (2014), Fleabag (2016–2019), Inside No. 9 (2018), Good Omens (2019), Brassic (2020) and House of the Dragon (2022). He is a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Scottish BAFTAs. William Tulloch Paterson was born in Glasgow on 3 June 1945. Paterson was raised in Dennistoun by his father, a plumber, and his mother, a hairdresser. He states that his interest in acting began with a school trip to the Citizens Theatre in the Gorbals in 1961. However, after school he chose to initially pursue a career based on an interest in architecture and spent three years as a quantity surveyor's apprentice before deciding to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama

KNOWN FOR
CREDITS
PHOTOS

TV Series

Murder Most Horrid

Murder Most Horrid

6.8
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne

The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne

7.2
The Singing Detective

The Singing Detective

7.6
The One Show

The One Show

4.741
Horizon

Horizon

7.516
Foyle's War

Foyle's War

7.898
Good Omens

Good Omens

8
Law & Order: UK

Law & Order: UK

6.974
Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

7.63
Wives and Daughters

Wives and Daughters

7.368
Doctor Zhivago

Doctor Zhivago

6.727
Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit

7.806
ShakespeaRe-Told

ShakespeaRe-Told

7.5
Traffik

Traffik

7.8
Oliver's Travels

Oliver's Travels

6
Sea of Souls

Sea of Souls

7.6
Smiley's People

Smiley's People

7.7
Rebel Heart

Rebel Heart

6
Life of Shakespeare

Life of Shakespeare

0
Junior Masterchef

Junior Masterchef

5
Melissa

Melissa

6
The Michael Ball Show

The Michael Ball Show

0
Doctor Who

Doctor Who

7.555
Birds Britannia

Birds Britannia

0
Britain’s Scenic Railways

Britain’s Scenic Railways

0
37 Days

37 Days

7.444
The Crow Road

The Crow Road

7
Born and Bred

Born and Bred

8.5
Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales

6.9
Outlander

Outlander

8.191
Sharman

Sharman

0
Shetland

Shetland

7.527
Will Shakespeare

Will Shakespeare

10
Shoebox Zoo

Shoebox Zoo

7.8
Arthouse

Arthouse

0
Fleabag

Fleabag

8.28
Between the Covers

Between the Covers

5.5
Urban Myths

Urban Myths

7.455
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet

7.9
A Passion for Churches

A Passion for Churches

0
The Sandman

The Sandman

7.912
House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon

8.33
Halo

Halo

8.254
Brassic

Brassic

8.5
Agatha Christie's Marple

Agatha Christie's Marple

7.737
The Repair Shop

The Repair Shop

6.778
Them From That Thing

Them From That Thing

0
Scot Squad

Scot Squad

7
The Repair Shop

The Repair Shop

6.778
Inside No. 9

Inside No. 9

8.004
Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

6.9
Play for Today

Play for Today

6.333
The Play on One

The Play on One

6
The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

The Modern World: Ten Great Writers

0
The Rebel

The Rebel

7.5
Hard Times

Hard Times

0
Guilt

Guilt

6.705
Dirk Gently

Dirk Gently

6.962
A Wanted Man

A Wanted Man

0
Ghostbusters of East Finchley

Ghostbusters of East Finchley

0
BBC2 Play of the Week

BBC2 Play of the Week

7

Movies

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

0
The Witches

The Witches

6.939
Comfort and Joy

Comfort and Joy

6.543
Complicity

Complicity

5.9
Dutch Girls

Dutch Girls

3.833
Miss Potter

Miss Potter

6.6
Defence of the Realm

Defence of the Realm

6.338
The Return of the Musketeers

The Return of the Musketeers

6.218
Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

6.904
Ghosts in the Machine

Ghosts in the Machine

0
The Riddle of the Sands

The Riddle of the Sands

0
Victory

Victory

5.083
The Man Who Lives with Bears

The Man Who Lives with Bears

0
Hilary and Jackie

Hilary and Jackie

6.577
Yellowbacks

Yellowbacks

7
Documenting John Grierson

Documenting John Grierson

0
Arthur's Whisky

Arthur's Whisky

6.2
The Man who Crossed Hitler

The Man who Crossed Hitler

6.458
The Colour Room

The Colour Room

6.346
Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen

7.3
The List

The List

4.367
Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me

Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me

5.5
Friendship's Death

Friendship's Death

6.8
Creation

Creation

6.417
A Bear Named Wojtek

A Bear Named Wojtek

10
Coming Up Roses

Coming Up Roses

6.6
The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil

0
Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars

Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars

6.794
The Writing on the Wall

The Writing on the Wall

2.375
Hard Times

Hard Times

7
Lie with Me

Lie with Me

4.5
The Interrogation of John

The Interrogation of John

0
Lily My Love

Lily My Love

0
Truly Madly Deeply

Truly Madly Deeply

6.9
Intervention

Intervention

1
The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields

7.463
Clydescope

Clydescope

7
Chaplin's Goliath

Chaplin's Goliath

6.5
Licking Hitler

Licking Hitler

0
Byrne About Byrne

Byrne About Byrne

0
A War on Science

A War on Science

9
God's Chosen Car Park

God's Chosen Car Park

0
The Vote

The Vote

8.4
Chaplin

Chaplin

7.435
One Fine Day

One Fine Day

2
Dad's Army

Dad's Army

5.014
A Private Function

A Private Function

6.3
Bright Young Things

Bright Young Things

6.315
Churchill's Secret

Churchill's Secret

6.327
Othello

Othello

6.6
The Whistle-Blower

The Whistle-Blower

8
Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games

Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games

0
The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

0
The White Room

The White Room

0
The Object of Beauty

The Object of Beauty

5.2
1929: The Great Crash

1929: The Great Crash

7.25
In Dreams

In Dreams

7
Mr White Goes To Westminster

Mr White Goes To Westminster

2
Richard III

Richard III

6.742
Jackie McCafferty's Romance

Jackie McCafferty's Romance

0
Crush

Crush

5.648
Danielle Cable: Eyewitness

Danielle Cable: Eyewitness

0
Sunshine

Sunshine

6.5
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

6.959
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

6
Hidden City

Hidden City

5.1
Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'

Franz Kafka's 'The Trial'

0
Just Ask for Diamond

Just Ask for Diamond

4.3
The Ploughman's Lunch

The Ploughman's Lunch

5.083
Spice World

Spice World

4.868
Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale

Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale

7.5
High-Rise

High-Rise

5.628
The Match

The Match

5.821
Heart

Heart

5.5
Rag Tale

Rag Tale

3.2
The Man Who Invented Christmas

The Man Who Invented Christmas

6.835
Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

6.413
United Kingdom

United Kingdom

0
The Odd Job

The Odd Job

5.944
The Rachel Papers

The Rachel Papers

5.1
Wonderdate

Wonderdate

8
The Vanishing Army

The Vanishing Army

0
Into the Storm

Into the Storm

6.4
The Turnaround

The Turnaround

4
The Garden Beyond

The Garden Beyond

0
Chrono-Perambulator

Chrono-Perambulator

0
The Day Mountbatten Died

The Day Mountbatten Died

10
Tell Tale Hearts

Tell Tale Hearts

0
Wall of Silence

Wall of Silence

0
Marionette

Marionette

6.31
Love Sarah

Love Sarah

6.287
Fascism in Colour

Fascism in Colour

7.5
Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman

Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman

0
The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen

The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen

7.75
The Entity

The Entity

8
Rebecca

Rebecca

6.299
The Thin End of the Wedge

The Thin End of the Wedge

0
Behind Bars

Behind Bars

0
Home Road Movies

Home Road Movies

6.25
God on the Rocks

God on the Rocks

0
Children of the Wicker Man

Children of the Wicker Man

0
The Pen

The Pen

0
The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema

The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema

0
The House Was Not Hungry Then

The House Was Not Hungry Then

3.8
The Spirit of 1926

The Spirit of 1926

0
The Animal Train

The Animal Train

7