Sue Johnston
Known for: 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.
Filmography
Series
Brookside
Sheila Grant
1982
Series
Downton Abbey
Miss Denker
2010
Series
A Touch of Frost
Phyllis Bowman
1992
Series
Loose Women
Self
1999
Series
Strictly Come Dancing
Self
2004
Series
Inspector Morse
Mrs. Bailey
1987
Series
Waking the Dead
Dr. Grace Foley
2001
Series
Hollyoaks
Sheila Grant
1995
Series
Would I Lie to You?
Self
2007
Series
Who Do You Think You Are?
Self
2004
Series
Celebrity Antiques Road Trip
Self - Participant
2011
Series
Parkinson
Self
1998
Series
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
Series
Celebrity Gogglebox
2019
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
Self
2007
Series
Today
Self
1952
Series
Performance
Mistress Overdone
1991
Series
ScreenPlay
Miriam Johnson
1986
Series
Timeshift
Self - Narrator
2002
Series
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
Helga Allowby
1996
Series
Ann Droid
Sue
2026
Series
Time
June Cobden
2021
Series
The Royle Family
Barbara Royle
1998
Series
Jam and Jerusalem
Sal Vine
2006
Series
The Street
2006
Series
The Responder
Madge
2022
Series
Little Dorrit
Affery / Affery Flintwinch
2008
Series
Cutting It
Caroline Ferraday
2002
Film
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Gladys Denker
2022
Series
In Suspicious Circumstances
Edith Rosse
1991
Film
Imagine Me & You
Ella
2006
Film
Fackham Hall
Great Aunt Bonaparte
2025
Series
My Uncle Silas
Mrs Betts
2001
Series
DNA Journey
Self
2019
Film
Brassed Off
Vera
1996
Series
The Cockfields
Sue
2019
Series
Truelove
Marion
2024
Series
Generation Z
Cecily
2024
Series
Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
Self
2017
Series
Medics
1990
Series
Duck Patrol
Val Rutland
1998
Film
Lapland
Eileen Lewis
2011
Series
Crime Traveller
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Grisham
1997
Series
Sugartown
2011
Series
Dexter Procter
Granny Bet
2025
Series
Taskmaster’s New Year Treat
Self
2021
Series
Rovers
Doreen
2016
Series
Being Eileen
Eileen Lewis
2013
Full Stretch
Grace Robbins
1993
Series
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
Irma
1999
Bilby
Nancy
The Jump
Maeve Brunos
1998
Series
Age Before Beauty
Ivy-Rae Regan
2018
Film
Bitter Harvest
Miriam Johnson
1992
Series
A Passionate Woman
Betty (1980s)
2010
Series
Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two
Herself
2024
Film
Stuffed
Lily
2025
Film
Preaching to the Perverted
Esmeralda
1997
Film
British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves
Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
2016
Verdict
Hazel De Vere Q.C.
1998
Series
Play for Today
Edith Thistle
2025
Series
Gates
Miss Hunter
2012
Film
Big Winners
Edith Thistle
2025
Film
Help
Gloria
2021
Film
Face
Alice
1997
Film
There's Only One Paul McCartney
Self
2002
Film
The Turn of the Screw
Sarah Grose
2009
Luv
1993
Series
Goodbye Cruel World
Barbara Grade
1992
Film
Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story
Self
2021
Film
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
Self
2010
Film
Golden Years
Nancy
2016
Baby Hospital
2011
Film
The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers
Barbara
2010
Film
Walk Like a Panther
Gladys
2018
Film
Death on the Tyne
Colleen
2018
Film
The Royle Family: The New Sofa
Barbara Royle
2008
Series
Finest Hour
Commentary
1999
Film
Welcome to Borovia
Matrashka
2026
Score
Maggie
2001
Caring for the Recently Deceased
Marjoram Bryon
2014
Film
The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa
Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2023
Film
The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring
Barbara Royle
2012
Film
Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It
Self - Narrator (voice)
2009
Film
The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One
Self
2015
Brookside: Friday the 13th
Sheila Grant
1998
Series
Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors
Narrator
2021
Film
Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next
Self - Narrator
2017
Film
Measure for Measure
Mistress Overdone
1994
David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star
Narrator
2020
Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
1999
Film
Liverpool FC: One Night in May
Self
2005
Film
Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy
Self
2023
Film
The Cure
Bella Bailey
2019
Film
Brookside: The Lost Weekend
Sheila Grant
1997
Film
New Year's Day
Mrs. Fisher
2001
Film
The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds
Pat Phoenix
1998
Film
The Virgin Mary
Self - Presenter
2002
Film
The Golden Egg Cup
Barbara Royle
2009
Film
World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys
Self
2016
Film
The Big Snow of '47
Self - Narrator (voice)
2024
Film
Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family
Barbara Royle (archive footage)
2023
Film
Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story
Narrator
2017
Film
Diana and the Paparazzi
Narrator (voice)
2017