Sue Johnston
Acting
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.
TV Shows(53)
Dexter Procter
Granny Bet
2025
Generation Z
Cecily
2024
Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two
Herself
2024
Truelove
Marion
2024
The Responder
Madge
2022
Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors
Narrator
2021
Time
June Cobden
2021
Taskmaster’s New Year Treat
Self
2021
The Cockfields
Sue
2019
DNA Journey
Self
2019
Celebrity Gogglebox
2019
Age Before Beauty
Ivy-Rae Regan
2018
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
Self
2017
Rovers
Doreen
2016
Being Eileen
Eileen Lewis
2013
Gates
Miss Hunter
2012
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Self - Participant
2011
Sugartown
2011
Baby Hospital
2011
Downton Abbey
Miss Denker
2010
A Passionate Woman
Betty (1980s)
2010
Little Dorrit
Affery / Affery Flintwinch
2008
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Self
2007
Would I Lie to You?
Self
2007
Jam and Jerusalem
Sal Vine
2006
The Street
2006
Who Do You Think You Are?
Self
2004
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
Strictly Come Dancing
Self
2004
Timeshift
Self - Narrator
2002
Cutting It
Caroline Ferraday
2002
My Uncle Silas
Mrs Betts
2001
Waking the Dead
Dr. Grace Foley
2001
Finest Hour
Commentary
1999
Loose Women
Self
1999
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
Irma
1999
The Royle Family
Barbara Royle
1998
The Jump
Maeve Brunos
1998
Duck Patrol
Val Rutland
1998
Parkinson
Self
1998
Crime Traveller
1997
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Helga Allowby
1996
Hollyoaks
Sheila Grant
1995
Luv
1993
Full Stretch
Grace Robbins
1993
A Touch of Frost
Phyllis Bowman
1992
Goodbye Cruel World
Barbara Grade
1992
Performance
Mistress Overdone
1991
In Suspicious Circumstances
Edith Rosse
1991
Medics
1990
Inspector Morse
Mrs. Bailey
1987
Brookside
Sheila Grant
1982
Today
Self
1952
Movies(45)
Stuffed
Lily
2025
Fackham Hall
Great Aunt Bonaparte
2025
Big Winners
Edith Thistle
2025
The Big Snow of '47
Self - Narrator (voice)
2024
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy
Self
2023
Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family
Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2023
The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa
Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2023
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Gladys Denker
2022
Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story
Self
2021
Help
Gloria
2021
David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star
Narrator
2020
The Cure
Bella Bailey
2019
Death on the Tyne
Colleen
2018
Walk Like a Panther
Gladys
2018
Diana and the Paparazzi
Narrator (voice)
2017
Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story
Narrator
2017
Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next
Self - Narrator
2017
British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves
Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
2016
World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys
Self
2016
Golden Years
Nancy
2016
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One
Self
2015
Caring for the Recently Deceased
Marjoram Bryon
2014
The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring
Barbara Royle
2012
Lapland
Eileen Lewis
2011
The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers
Barbara
2010
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
Self
2010
The Turn of the Screw
Sarah Grose
2009
The Golden Egg Cup
Barbara Royle
2009
Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It
Self - Narrator (voice)
2009
The Royle Family: The New Sofa
Barbara Royle
2008
Imagine Me & You
Ella
2006
Liverpool FC: One Night in May
2005
The Virgin Mary
Self - Presenter
2002
New Year's Day
Mrs. Fisher
2001
Score
Maggie
2001
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
1999
Brookside: Friday the 13th
Sheila Grant
1998
The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds
Pat Phoenix
1998
Brookside: The Lost Weekend
Sheila Grant
1997
Face
Alice
1997
Preaching to the Perverted
Esmeralda
1997
Brassed Off
Vera
1996
Measure for Measure
Mistress Overdone
1994
Bitter Harvest
Miriam Johnson
1992
Bilby
Nancy