Waris Hussein (né Habibullah; born 9 December 1938) is a British-Indian television and film director. 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 (1963), and later directed the multiple-award-winning Thames Television serial Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978).
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 9, 1938 (87)
- Lucknow, United Provinces, British India
- Director, also actor and producer
- 27 on MovieCove · 96 credits in all
Known for
What are Waris Hussein's films like?
Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 21
A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 6 · Dark 8
Grounded 17 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1
Gentle 5 · Charged 13 · Intense 5
Steady 15 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 0
Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 11 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 9
Resolved 21 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet15
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Waris Hussein's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).
- BritBox
Subscription and free streaming for Waris Hussein's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
96 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Mr. Nice(2010)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Mrs. Henderson Presents(2005)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Doctor Who Confidential (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Supply & Demand(1998)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Sixth Happiness(1997)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
A Child's Wish(1997)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Fall from Grace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Murder Between Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Clothes in the Wardrobe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
For The Love of My Child: The Anissa Ayala Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
She Woke Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Switched at Birth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Forbidden Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Shell Seekers(1989)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Those She Left Behind(1989)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Killer Instinct (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Intimate Contact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Downpayment on Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
When the Bough Breaks(1986)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Maggie(1986)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Copacabana(1985)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Surviving (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Arch of Triumph(1984)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Princess Daisy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Coming Out of the Ice(1982)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Little Gloria... Happy at Last (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Callie & Son(1981)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Baby Comes Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
The Henderson Monster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Death Penalty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
And Baby Makes Six(1979)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Edward and Mrs Simpson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Edward & Mrs. Simpson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Armchair Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Armchair Thriller – Rachel in Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Daphne Laureola(1978)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)The Sunday Drama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Romance: Three Weeks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Laurence Olivier Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Love Letters on Blue Paper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Glittering Prizes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Chips with Everything (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Notorious Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Shoulder to Shoulder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Rust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Black and Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Between the Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Divorce His, Divorce Hers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Divorce His - Divorce Hers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Hedda Gabler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Melody(1971)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
A Touch of Love(1969)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all filmsW. Somerset Maugham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Spoiled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Toggle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Devil a Monk Would Be (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Sleeping Dog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Boy Meets Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Days in the Trees (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Death of a Teddy Bear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Thirteen Against Fate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The Connoisseur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Ella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Macready's Gala (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
A Man on Her Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
A Passage to India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
BBC Play of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Thirty-Minute Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Newcomers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Londoners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Wednesday Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Doctor Who: Marco Polo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Doctor Who(1963)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Festival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Moonstrike (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)
Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Corrigan Blake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Compact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Sunday-Night Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Career shape
A full career of 96 titles from 1951 to 2010.
Film career
- 2005Screen debut· Mrs. Henderson Presents
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Waris Hussein's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of the 24 of 25 with a score; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th16
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 26 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved3
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser9
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the atmosphere 65/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Waris Hussein work with?
People who share at least 2 of Waris Hussein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard Masur shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Richard MasurShared titles: The Face on the Milk Carton (1995), When the Bough Breaks (1986), The Winter of Our Discontent (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Richard Masur
- Roger HammondShared titles: Sixth Happiness (1997), A Touch of Love (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Roger Hammond
- Colleen DewhurstShared titles: Those She Left Behind (1989), And Baby Makes Six (1979)See all 2 shared titles with Colleen Dewhurst
- Francesca AnnisShared titles: Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988), Coming Out of the Ice (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Francesca Annis
Cinematographers and editors
- Charles BornsteinShared titles: Her Best Friend's Husband (2002), Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998), The Face on the Milk Carton (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Bornstein
- Robert SteadmanShared titles: Life of the Party: The Pamela Harriman Story (1998), The Face on the Milk Carton (1995), Those She Left Behind (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Steadman
- Fred A. ChulackShared titles: The Shell Seekers (1989), Those She Left Behind (1989), The Winter of Our Discontent (1983)See all 3 shared titles with Fred A. Chulack
- Peter SuschitzkyShared titles: Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Melody (1971), A Touch of Love (1969)See all 3 shared titles with Peter Suschitzky
Producers
- R.W. GoodwinShared titles: Those She Left Behind (1989), Copacabana (1985), The Winter of Our Discontent (1983)See all 3 shared titles with R.W. Goodwin
- William HillShared titles: The Shell Seekers (1989), Maggie (1986)See all 2 shared titles with William Hill
- Frank KonigsbergShared titles: Onassis: The Richest Man in the World (1988), Coming Out of the Ice (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Frank Konigsberg
Mixed roles
- Michael O'HaraShared titles: A Child's Wish (1997), Those She Left Behind (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Michael O'Hara
