My father, Michael Hayes, the television director and producer, and former Shakespearean actor, who died aged 85, was best known for directing 14 episodes of Doctor Who (with Tom Baker, 1978-79), An Age of Kings (1960) and The Promise (1969). He gave Julie Christie her screen debut in the seminal science-fiction serial A for Andromeda (1961), directing all seven episodes. His directorial work also included episodes of Z-Cars, Maigret, Sherlock Holmes, Take Three Girls, The Troubleshooters, The Onedin Line, When the Boat Comes In and All Creatures Great and Small.
Michael was born in Barking, Essex, son of Thomas Hayes, a civil servant, and his wife, Alice (nee Tindale), who died when Michael was two. He was evacuated to Yorkshire in 1940, and was educated at Harrogate grammar school. In 1944, aged 15, Michael was "discovered" by the playwright Falkland Cary and given a principal role in Cary's play Burning Gold, at the Royal Hall theatre, Harrogate. He told Cary of his intention to pursue a theatrical career, and subsequently achieved his ambition by becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He met and married the actor Mary Chester in 1955, and they had a daughter, Alisoun. This marriage ended in divorce after he met my mother, Jane Phillips, at the BBC in 1963. His BBC career had begun as a studio manager for the World Service, after which he transferred to television as a floor manager and assistant director.
In 1971 he moved our family lock, stock and barrel from Hampstead, north London, to a dilapidated Kent cottage he had found for renovation in a newspaper ad. Although he had no DIY skills (his friendly nickname when undertaking tasks of this nature was "Bodger Brother"), soon my sister, Kelly, and I had our own bedrooms, and the acres of open farmland where we walked our spaniel, Boz, quickly made up for the loss of our life in London. Michael adored the country life and was a keen horseman. He commuted from Elham to the BBC studios at Wood Lane and later Bush House in London.
I remember him accepting the Doctor Who assignment in 1978 with a lack of enthusiasm, but he soon abandoned these misgivings and afterwards counted the actor Tom Baker as one of his friends.Later, Dad's distinctive voice became familiar to radio listeners worldwide reading World Service news from 1986 to 1994 and I know he made many friends in the BBC newsroom at Bush House. It was during this time he recorded the series A Year In The Country.
His marriage to Jane ended amicably in 1980, and they remained great friends, swapping plant cuttings and Guardian articles until his death. He is survived by his three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.