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
- 2026 · Kill Jackie as
- 2026 · Ladies First as Louis
- 2025 · The Repair Shop on the Road as Self - Narrator
- 2022 · House of the Dragon as Lord Lyman Beesbury
- 2022 · The Sandman as Dr. John Hathaway
- 2022 · Halo as Ackerson's Dad
- 2020 · Rebecca as Dr. Baker
- 2020 · Between the Covers as Self
- 2020 · Love Sarah as Felix
- 2019 · Guilt as Roy Lynch
- 2019 · Brassic as Tony Tillerton
- 2019 · Good Omens as Tadfield Neighbourhood Watch
- 2018 · Wonderdate as Kolodon
- 2018 · Zanzibar as Mr Green
- 2017 · The Man Who Invented Christmas as Mr. Grimsby
- 2017 · The Repair Shop as Narrator (voice)
- 2017 · Urban Myths as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- 2016 · Fleabag as Dad
- 2016 · The Rebel as Charles
- 2016 · Dad's Army as Private Frazer
- 2015 · High-Rise as Mercer
- 2014 · Scot Squad as Sir Neville Archibald
- 2014 · Outlander as Ned Gowan
- 2014 · 37 Days as Lord Morley
- 2014 · Inside No. 9 as Mr. Green
- 2013 · Shetland as James Perez
- 2012 · Dirk Gently as Professor Jericho
- 2010 · The Michael Ball Show as Self
- 2009 · Into the Storm as Clement Attlee
- 2009 · Law & Order: UK as George Castle
- 2008 · Little Dorrit as Mr. Meagles
- 2008 · How to Lose Friends & Alienate People as Richard Young
- 2008 · Criminal Justice as Harry Box
- 2007 · Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars as Dr Watson
- 2007 · Amazing Grace as Lord Dundas
- 2006 · Miss Potter as Rupert Potter
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2005 · ShakespeaRe-Told as
- 2005 · Doctor Who as Edwin Bracewell
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Bradley
- 2004 · Lie with Me as DCI Collman
- 2004 · Shoebox Zoo as The Storyteller (voice)
- 2004 · Sea of Souls as Dr. Douglas Monaghan
- 2003 · Canterbury Tales as Theo
- 2003 · Trust as John Tilson
- 2002 · Doctor Zhivago as Alexander Maximovich Gromeko
- 2002 · Foyle's War as Patrick Jamieson
- 2002 · Born and Bred as Harry Woolf
- 2001 · Othello as Sinclair Carver
- 2001 · Swallow as Angus Tighe
- 2001 · Rebel Heart as James Connolly
- 2000 · The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne as
- 1999 · Wives and Daughters as Mr Gibson
- 1999 · Sunshine as Minister of Justice
- 1998 · Hilary and Jackie as Cello Teacher
- 1997 · Spice World as Brian
- 1997 · Arthouse as Self
- 1997 · Melissa as DCI Cameron
- 1996 · The Crow Road as Kenneth McHoan
- 1995 · The Ghostbusters of East Finchley as Joe Small
- 1995 · Oliver's Travels as Baxter
- 1995 · Sharman as James Webb
- 1994 · Junior Masterchef as
- 1994 · Hard Times as Stephen Blackpool
- 1992 · Chaplin as Stage Manager
- 1991 · Murder Most Horrid as Chief Inspector
- 1991 · Shrinks as Matt Hennessey
- 1990 · The Witches as Mr Jenkins
- 1989 · Screen One as PC Howard Mullen
- 1989 · Traffik as Jack Lithgow
- 1989 · The Return of the Musketeers as Charles I
- 1988 · The Adventures of Baron Munchausen as Henry Salt
- 1988 · The Play on One as Alex McPherson
- 1988 · The Modern World: Ten Great Writers as Titorelli
- 1986 · The Singing Detective as Dr Gibbon
- 1986 · ScreenPlay as Colin
- 1986 · ScreenPlay as Det. Supt. Chase
- 1986 · Boon as Peter Mortan
- 1985 · Dutch Girls as Mr Mole
- 1984 · The Killing Fields as Dr. MacEntire
- 1983 · Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Ally Fraser
- 1982 · Smiley's People as Lauder Strickland
- 1981 · United Kingdom as Tony
- 1978 · Scottish Playbill as Cannavan
- 1978 · Licking Hitler as Archie MacLean
- 1977 · BBC2 Play of the Week as Girling
- 1970 · Play for Today as Luke
- 1970 · Play for Today as Archie MacLean
- 1970 · Play for Today as McChuckemup / Texas Jim etc
- 1967 · Omnibus as
- 1964 · Horizon as
- Future · The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo as Self - Narrator
- Future · Tomb Raider as Winston
- Future · Just Dandy as Self
- 2026 · Children of The Wicker Man as Self
- 2025 · Being Stanley Baxter as Self
- 2024 · Arthur's Whisky as Henry
- 2021 · The Colour Room as Gordon Forsythe
- 2020 · Marionette as Dr. Mandelbaum
- 2019 · The Day Mountbatten Died as Narrator (voice)
- 2018 · Happy New Year, Colin Burstead as Gordon Burstead
- 2016 · Churchill's Secret as Lord Moran
- 2015 · The Vote as Simon Featherstone
- 2013 · The List as Reg Troughton
- 2012 · Them From That Thing as Various
- 2009 · Creation as Dr. Gully
- 2009 · 1929: The Great Crash as Narrator
- 2007 · Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars as Dr Watson
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · A War on Science as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · A Passion for Churches as Narrator
- 2003 · Bright Young Things as Sir James Brown
- 2002 · Battle of the Atlantic as Himself - Narrator
- 2002 · Crush as Gerald
- 2002 · The Entity as
- 2000 · Complicity as Wallace Byatt
- 1999 · The Match as Tommy
- 1998 · The Animal Train as Walrus
- 1996 · Victory as Capt. Davidson
- 1996 · Chaplin's Goliath as Narrator (voice)
- 1995 · Richard III as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
- 1994 · Funky Black Shorts as Teacher
- 1991 · Truly Madly Deeply as Sandy
- 1991 · The Object of Beauty as Victor Swayle
- 1989 · Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale as Jordan
- 1989 · The Rachel Papers as Gordon Highway
- 1988 · Franz Kafka's 'The Trial' as Titorelli
- 1988 · Just Ask for Diamond as Chief Inspector Snape
- 1988 · Byrne About Byrne as Father/F.S. McDade
- 1987 · The Interrogation of John as Det. Supt. Chase
- 1987 · Lily My Love as Colin
- 1987 · Hidden City as Anthony
- 1986 · Defence of the Realm as Jack Macleod
- 1984 · A Private Function as Wormold
- 1984 · Comfort and Joy as Alan
- 1983 · The Ploughman's Lunch as Lecturer
- 1981 · The Cherry Orchard as Lopakhin
- 1974 · The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil as Various
- 1974 · Suilven Spring as
- 1973 · Passing Places as
- Future · The White Room as Jackie Jordan
- 2025 · The House Was Not Hungry Then as Father
- 2023 · A Bear Named Wojtek as Zoo Director (voice)
- 2022 · The Spirit of 1926 as Family Lawyer
- 2021 · Britain’s Scenic Railways as Narrator
- 2015 · Hitler on Trial: The Truth Behind the Story as
- 2014 · Documenting John Grierson as Narrator
- 2012 · Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games as Narrator
- 2011 · Fast Freddie, the Widow and Me as Judge Underwood
- 2011 · The Man who Crossed Hitler as Kurt Ohnesorge
- 2011 · The Phoenix: A Century of Cinema as Narrator (Voice)
- 2010 · Birds Britannia as
- 2009 · Ghosts in the Machine as Himself
- 2009 · Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen as Dr James Niven
- 2008 · Gone Fishing as Old Bill
- 2008 · The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen as Self - 'Henry Salt'
- 2008 · The Man Who Lives with Bears as Self - Narrator (voice)
- 2007 · Intervention as Dr. Martin
- 2006 · Fascism in Colour as Narrator (voice)
- 2005 · Rag Tale as Tulloch 'Lucky' Lloyd
- 2003 · Danielle Cable: Eyewitness as DI Nick Biddiss
- 2002 · Home Road Movies as Father
- 2001 · The Whistle-Blower as D.I. Neil Sleightholme
- 2001 · Behind Bars as Narrator
- 1999 · Chrono-Perambulator as Professor Teddy Knox
- 1999 · Heart as Mr. Kreitman
- 1997 · Mr White Goes To Westminster as Ben White
- 1996 · The Writing on the Wall as Bull
- 1995 · The Pen as
- 1995 · The Turnaround as James Webb
- 1995 · The Riddle of the Sands as Narrator
- 1993 · Wall of Silence as Howard Mullen
- 1992 · God on the Rocks as Kenneth Marsh
- 1992 · In Dreams as Dr Gold
- 1992 · Tell Tale Hearts as Anthony Steadman
- 1990 · Yellowbacks as Alex McPherson
- 1987 · The Story of a Recluse as The Producer
- 1987 · Friendship's Death as Sullivan
- 1987 · Coming Up Roses as Mr. Valentine
- 1986 · God's Chosen Car Park as Victor Rosen
- 1985 · Shooting from the Heart: Chris Menges, Cameraman as Self
- 1979 · One Fine Day as Third Man in Lift
- 1978 · The Vanishing Army as Girling
- 1978 · Jackie McCafferty's Romance as Bus Conductor
- 1978 · The Odd Job as Sergeant Mull
- 1977 · The Thin End of the Wedge as Luke
- 1977 · The Garden Beyond as Jim Finlayson
- 1974 · Clydescope as Model Boat Show Commentator (voice) (uncredited)