Vale: Bill Hughes

Prolific producer / Director Bill Hughes, whose credits include Packed to the Rafters, Home & Away, Changi, All Saints, Phoenix, Cop Shop, has died aged 79.

He passed away in Doonan, Queensland on April 7th.

Hughes’ prolific career extends back to the early 1970s.

The veteran director was just weeks away from celebrating his 80th birthday when he tragically died following decades of work in the entertainment industry.

He embarked on entertainment as a child through puppetry later working his way up from the ‘flies’ of various theatre shows before becoming a sound engineer on The Graham Kennedy Show at Nine.

He got his big break as the music editor on Homicide for Crawford Productions, learning on the job.

Hughes worked his way through several roles which included camera, writing and script editing before he finally became a director and later producer.

He is credited with producing a new look for Australian television drama with the critically acclaimed police drama Phoenix. His many directing credits include Homicide, The Sullivans, Division Four, Cop Shop, Glenview High, Skyways, Prisoner, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, E Street, Janus, McLeod’s Daughters, Guinevere Jones, All Saints, Winners & Losers and 99 episodes of Home & Away.

He also produced on many plus Jackeroo, Secrets, Janus, The Farm, Changi, All Saints, Packed to the Rafters, The Killing Field and the movie The Interview.

Many of his directed episodes received AFI Awards.

Seven’s Head of Drama Julie McGauran said, “Bill was one of a kind, his enthusiasm and passion for storytelling and Australian drama shone through everything he did. Whether it was directing on hit shows All Saints, Home and Away, Winners & Losers and Packed to the Rafters, or producing shows like The Killing Field and Packed to the Rafters, he simply loved it. We all admired him greatly. Our condolences to his family and friends.”

Source: Daily Mail