Actor profile

Sue Johnston

7th December 1943 Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK 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.

45 Movies 53 TV Shows 98 Credits

Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Stuffed poster

Stuffed 13th December 2025 as Lily

Fackham Hall poster

Fackham Hall 5th December 2025 as Great Aunt Bonaparte

Big Winners poster

Big Winners 20th November 2025 as Edith Thistle

The Big Snow of '47 poster

The Big Snow of '47 1st January 2024 as Self - Narrator (voice)

Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy poster

Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy 25th December 2023 as Self

Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family poster

Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family 25th December 2023 as Barbara Royle (archive footage)

The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa poster

The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa 17th September 2023 as Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)

Downton Abbey: A New Era poster

Downton Abbey: A New Era 27th April 2022 as Gladys Denker

Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story poster

Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story 29th November 2021 as Self

Help poster

Help 16th September 2021 as Gloria

David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star 21st December 2020 as Narrator

The Cure poster

The Cure 19th December 2019 as Bella Bailey

Death on the Tyne poster

Death on the Tyne 15th December 2018 as Colleen

Walk Like a Panther poster

Walk Like a Panther 9th March 2018 as Gladys

Diana and the Paparazzi poster

Diana and the Paparazzi 17th August 2017 as Narrator (voice)

Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story poster

Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story 6th April 2017 as Narrator

Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next poster

Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next 28th February 2017 as Self - Narrator

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves poster

British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves 12th September 2016 as Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)

World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys poster

World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys 22nd May 2016 as Self

Golden Years poster

Golden Years 29th April 2016 as Nancy

The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One poster

The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One 11th November 2015 as Self

Caring for the Recently Deceased 28th July 2014 as Marjoram Bryon

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring poster

The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring 25th December 2012 as Barbara Royle

Lapland poster

Lapland 24th December 2011 as Eileen Lewis

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers poster

The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers 25th December 2010 as Barbara

The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa poster

The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa 10th November 2010 as Self

The Turn of the Screw poster

The Turn of the Screw 30th December 2009 as Sarah Grose

The Golden Egg Cup poster

The Golden Egg Cup 25th December 2009 as Barbara Royle

Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It poster

Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It 27th May 2009 as Self - Narrator (voice)

The Royle Family: The New Sofa poster

The Royle Family: The New Sofa 25th December 2008 as Barbara Royle

Imagine Me & You poster

Imagine Me & You 27th January 2006 as Ella

Liverpool FC: One Night in May poster

Liverpool FC: One Night in May 24th May 2005

The Virgin Mary poster

The Virgin Mary 22nd December 2002 as Self - Presenter

New Year's Day poster

New Year's Day 2nd November 2001 as Mrs. Fisher

Score 5th June 2001 as Maggie

Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll 5th September 1999

Brookside: Friday the 13th 14th November 1998 as Sheila Grant

The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds poster

The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds 30th August 1998 as Pat Phoenix

Brookside: The Lost Weekend poster

Brookside: The Lost Weekend 15th November 1997 as Sheila Grant

Face poster

Face 26th September 1997 as Alice

Preaching to the Perverted poster

Preaching to the Perverted 4th July 1997 as Esmeralda

Brassed Off poster

Brassed Off 1st November 1996 as Vera

Measure for Measure poster

Measure for Measure 5th November 1994 as Mistress Overdone

Bitter Harvest poster

Bitter Harvest 22nd July 1992 as Miriam Johnson

Bilby as Nancy

Dexter Procter poster

Dexter Procter 1st December 2025 as Granny Bet

Generation Z poster

Generation Z 13th October 2024 as Cecily

Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two poster

Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two 19th March 2024 as Herself

Truelove poster

Truelove 3rd January 2024 as Marion

The Responder poster

The Responder 24th January 2022 as Madge

Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors poster

Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors 24th June 2021 as Narrator

Time poster

Time 6th June 2021 as June Cobden

Taskmaster’s New Year Treat poster

Taskmaster’s New Year Treat 1st January 2021 as Self

The Cockfields poster

The Cockfields 12th November 2019 as Sue

DNA Journey poster

DNA Journey 10th November 2019 as Self

Celebrity Gogglebox poster

Celebrity Gogglebox 14th June 2019

Age Before Beauty poster

Age Before Beauty 31st July 2018 as Ivy-Rae Regan

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule poster

Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule 2nd March 2017 as Self

Rovers poster

Rovers 24th May 2016 as Doreen

Being Eileen poster

Being Eileen 4th February 2013 as Eileen Lewis

Gates poster

Gates 14th August 2012 as Miss Hunter

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip poster

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 24th October 2011 as Self - Participant

Sugartown poster

Sugartown 24th July 2011

Baby Hospital 14th June 2011

Downton Abbey poster

Downton Abbey 26th September 2010 as Miss Denker

A Passionate Woman poster

A Passionate Woman 11th April 2010 as Betty (1980s)

Little Dorrit poster

Little Dorrit 26th October 2008 as Affery / Affery Flintwinch

The Alan Titchmarsh Show 3rd September 2007 as Self

Would I Lie to You? poster

Would I Lie to You? 16th June 2007 as Self

Jam and Jerusalem poster

Jam and Jerusalem 24th November 2006 as Sal Vine

The Street poster

The Street 13th April 2006

Who Do You Think You Are? poster

Who Do You Think You Are? 12th October 2004 as Self

The Paul O'Grady Show poster

The Paul O'Grady Show 11th October 2004

Strictly Come Dancing poster

Strictly Come Dancing 15th May 2004 as Self

Timeshift poster

Timeshift 10th October 2002 as Self - Narrator

Cutting It poster

Cutting It 16th April 2002 as Caroline Ferraday

My Uncle Silas poster

My Uncle Silas 28th October 2001 as Mrs Betts

Waking the Dead poster

Waking the Dead 18th June 2001 as Dr. Grace Foley

Finest Hour poster

Finest Hour 24th November 1999 as Commentary

Loose Women poster

Loose Women 6th September 1999 as Self

Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll poster

Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll 5th September 1999 as Irma

The Royle Family poster

The Royle Family 14th September 1998 as Barbara Royle

The Jump 6th September 1998 as Maeve Brunos

Duck Patrol poster

Duck Patrol 19th July 1998 as Val Rutland

Parkinson poster

Parkinson 9th January 1998 as Self

Crime Traveller poster

Crime Traveller 1st March 1997 as Detective Chief Inspector Kate Grisham

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates poster

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates 3rd January 1996 as Helga Allowby

Hollyoaks poster

Hollyoaks 23rd October 1995 as Sheila Grant

Luv 9th March 1993

Full Stretch 5th January 1993 as Grace Robbins

A Touch of Frost poster

A Touch of Frost 6th December 1992 as Phyllis Bowman

Goodbye Cruel World poster

Goodbye Cruel World 6th January 1992 as Barbara Grade

Performance poster

Performance 5th October 1991 as Mistress Overdone

In Suspicious Circumstances poster

In Suspicious Circumstances 3rd June 1991 as Edith Rosse

Medics poster

Medics 14th November 1990

Inspector Morse poster

Inspector Morse 6th January 1987 as Mrs. Bailey

Brookside poster

Brookside 2nd November 1982 as Sheila Grant

Today poster

Today 14th January 1952 as Self