Sue Johnston
Biography
Susan Johnston, OBE (née Wright; born 7 December 1943) is an English actress known for playing Sheila Grant in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1982–1990), Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family (1998–2000, 2006, 2008–2010, 2012), Grace Foley in the BBC drama Waking the Dead (2000–2011), Gloria Price in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2012–2014) and Miss Denker in the ITV drama Downton Abbey (2014–2015). She won the 2000 British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actress and was nominated for the 2000 BAFTA TV Award for Best Comedy Performance for The Royle Family.
Gallery
Known For
Acting History
2025
Stuffed as Lily
2025Fackham Hall as Great Aunt Bonaparte
2025Dexter Procter as Granny Bet
2025Big Winners as Edith Thistle
2024Generation Z as Cecily
2024Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two as Herself
2024Truelove as Marion
2024The Big Snow of '47 as Self - Narrator (voice)
2023Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy as Self
2023Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family as Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2023The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa as Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2022Downton Abbey: A New Era as Gladys Denker
2022The Responder as Madge
2021Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story as Self
2021Help as Gloria
2021Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors as Narrator
2021Time as June Cobden
2021Taskmaster’s New Year Treat as Self
2020David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star as Narrator
2019The Cure as Bella Bailey
2019The Cockfields as Sue
2019DNA Journey as Self
2018Death on the Tyne as Colleen
2018Age Before Beauty as Ivy-Rae Regan
2018Walk Like a Panther as Gladys
2017Diana and the Paparazzi as Narrator (voice)
2017Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story as Narrator
2017Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule as Self
2017Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next as Self - Narrator
2016British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
2016Rovers as Doreen
2016World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys as Self
2016Golden Years as Nancy
2015The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One as Self
2014Caring for the Recently Deceased as Marjoram Bryon
2013Being Eileen as Eileen Lewis
2012Barbara's Old Ring as Barbara Royle
2012Gates as Miss Hunter
2011Lapland as Eileen Lewis
2011Celebrity Antiques Road Trip as Self - Participant
2011Sugartown
2011Baby Hospital
2010Joe's Crackers as Barbara
2010The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa as Self
2010Downton Abbey as Miss Denker
2010A Passionate Woman as Betty (1980s)
2009The Turn of the Screw as Sarah Grose
2009The Golden Egg Cup as Barbara Royle
2009Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It as Narrator (voice)
2008The New Sofa as Barbara Royle
2008Little Dorrit as Affery / Affery Flintwinch
2007The Alan Titchmarsh Show as Self
2007Would I Lie to You? as Self
2006Jam and Jerusalem as Sal Vine
2006The Street
2006Imagine Me & You as Ella
2005Liverpool FC: One Night in May
2004Who Do You Think You Are? as Self
2004The Paul O'Grady Show
2004Strictly Come Dancing as Self
2002The Virgin Mary as Self - Presenter
2002Timeshift as Self - Narrator
2002Cutting It as Caroline Ferraday
2001My Uncle Silas as Mrs. Betts
2001Waking the Dead as Dr. Grace Foley
2001Score as Maggie
2000New Year's Day as Mrs. Fisher
1999Finest Hour as Commentary
1999Loose Women as Self
1999Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll as Irma
1999Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
1998Brookside: Friday the 13th as Sheila Grant
1998The Royle Family as Barbara Royle
1998The Jump as Maeve Brunos
1998The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds as Pat Phoenix
1998Duck Patrol as Val Rutland
1998Parkinson as Self
1997Brookside: The Lost Weekend as Sheila Grant
1997Face as Alice
1997Preaching to the Perverted as Esmeralda
1997Crime Traveller
1996Brassed Off as Vera
1996Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as Helga Allowby
1995Hollyoaks as Sheila Grant
1994Measure for Measure as Mistress Overdone
1993Luv
1993Full Stretch as Grace Robbins
1992A Touch of Frost as Phyllis Bowman
1992Bitter Harvest as Miriam Johnson
1991Performance as Mistress Overdone
1990Medics
1987Inspector Morse as Mrs. Bailey
1982Brookside as Sheila Grant
1952Today as Self
—Bilby as Nancy