diff --git a/CHANGES.current b/CHANGES.current
index f9d3f82a8..8483273d1 100644
--- a/CHANGES.current
+++ b/CHANGES.current
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ See the RELEASENOTES file for a summary of changes in each release.
 Version 3.0.11 (in progress)
 ============================
 
+2016-09-24: olly
+            [PHP] Fix code generated for feature("director:except") -
+            previously the return value of call_user_function() was ignored and
+            we checked an uninitialised value instead.  Fixes #627.  Based on
+            patch from Sergey Seroshtan.
+
 2016-09-17: wsfulton
             [Python] Fix iterators for containers of NULL pointers (or Python None) when using
             -builtin. Previously iteration would stop at the first element that was NULL.
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/director_exception.i b/Examples/test-suite/director_exception.i
index 2559ae566..abe23b381 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/director_exception.i
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/director_exception.i
@@ -28,6 +28,21 @@ class DirectorMethodException: public Swig::DirectorException {};
 
 %include "std_string.i"
 
+#ifdef SWIGPHP
+
+%feature("director:except") {
+	if ($error == FAILURE) {
+		throw Swig::DirectorMethodException();
+	}
+}
+
+%exception {
+	try { $action }
+	catch (Swig::DirectorException &) { SWIG_fail; }
+}
+
+#endif
+
 #ifdef SWIGPYTHON
 
 %feature("director:except") {
diff --git a/Source/Modules/php.cxx b/Source/Modules/php.cxx
index d50246e36..ee78c6d0a 100644
--- a/Source/Modules/php.cxx
+++ b/Source/Modules/php.cxx
@@ -2625,6 +2625,7 @@ done:
       }
 
       /* exception handling */
+      bool error_used_in_typemap = false;
       tm = Swig_typemap_lookup("director:except", n, Swig_cresult_name(), 0);
       if (!tm) {
 	tm = Getattr(n, "feature:director:except");
@@ -2634,6 +2635,7 @@ done:
       if ((tm) && Len(tm) && (Strcmp(tm, "1") != 0)) {
 	if (Replaceall(tm, "$error", "error")) {
 	  /* Only declare error if it is used by the typemap. */
+	  error_used_in_typemap = true;
 	  Append(w->code, "int error;\n");
 	}
       } else {
@@ -2657,6 +2659,9 @@ done:
       /* wrap complex arguments to zvals */
       Printv(w->code, wrap_args, NIL);
 
+      if (error_used_in_typemap) {
+	Append(w->code, "error = ");
+      }
       Append(w->code, "call_user_function(EG(function_table), (zval**)&swig_self, &funcname,");
       Printf(w->code, " %s, %d, args TSRMLS_CC);\n", Swig_cresult_name(), idx);