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

• Ann Droid — Sue
• 2026The Broken Arrow — Mrs. Barnes
• 2026Welcome to Borovia — Matrashka
• 2025Big Winners — Edith Thistle
• Dexter Procter — Granny Bet
• 2025Fackham Hall — Great Aunt Bonaparte
• Play for Today — Edith Thistle
• 2025Stuffed — Lily
• Generation Z — Cecily
• Truelove — Marion
• 2023Ricky Tomlinson Remembers... The Royle Family — Barbara Royle (archive footage)
• 2022Downton Abbey: A New Era — Gladys Denker
• The Responder — Madge
• 2021Help — Gloria
• Kensington Palace: Behind Closed Doors — Narrator
• Time — June Cobden
• 2020David Jason: Britain's Favourite TV Star — Narrator
• Celebrity Gogglebox
• The Cockfields — Sue
• 2019The Cure — Bella Bailey
• Age Before Beauty — Ivy-Rae Regan
• 2018Death on the Tyne — Colleen
• 2018Walk Like a Panther — Gladys
• 2017Diana and the Paparazzi — Narrator (voice)
• 2017Shannon Matthews: The Mother's Story — Narrator
• 2016British Sitcom: 60 Years of Laughing at Ourselves — Barbara Royle (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2016Golden Years — Nancy
• Rovers — Doreen
• 2014Caring for the Recently Deceased — Marjoram Bryon
• Being Eileen — Eileen Lewis
• Gates — Miss Hunter
• 2012The Royle Family: Barbara's Old Ring — Barbara Royle
• Baby Hospital
• 2011Lapland — Eileen Lewis
• Sugartown
• A Passionate Woman — Betty (1980s)
• Downton Abbey — Miss Denker
• 2010The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers — Barbara
• 2009The Golden Egg Cup — Barbara Royle
• 2009The Turn of the Screw — Sarah Grose
• Little Dorrit — Affery / Affery Flintwinch
• 2008The Royle Family: The New Sofa — Barbara Royle
• 2006Imagine Me & You — Ella
• Jam and Jerusalem — Sal Vine
• The Street
• The Paul O'Grady Show
• Cutting It — Caroline Ferraday
• My Uncle Silas — Mrs Betts
• 2001New Year's Day — Mrs. Fisher
• 2001Score — Maggie
• Waking the Dead — Dr. Grace Foley
• Finest Hour — Commentary
• 1999Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll
• Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll — Irma
• 1998Brookside: Friday the 13th — Sheila Grant
• Duck Patrol — Val Rutland
• The Jump — Maeve Brunos
• The Royle Family — Barbara Royle
• 1998The Things You Do for Love: Against the Odds — Pat Phoenix
• Verdict — Hazel De Vere Q.C.
• 1997Brookside: The Lost Weekend — Sheila Grant
• Crime Traveller — Detective Chief Inspector Kate Grisham
• 1997Face — Alice
• 1997Preaching to the Perverted — Esmeralda
• 1996Brassed Off — Vera
• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates — Helga Allowby
• Into the Fire — Lyn
• Hollyoaks — Sheila Grant
• 1994Measure for Measure — Mistress Overdone
• Full Stretch — Grace Robbins
• Luv
• A Touch of Frost — Phyllis Bowman
• 1992Bitter Harvest — Miriam Johnson
• Goodbye Cruel World — Barbara Grade
• In Suspicious Circumstances — Edith Rosse
• Performance — Mistress Overdone
• Medics
• Inspector Morse — Mrs. Bailey
• ScreenPlay — Miriam Johnson
• Brookside — Sheila Grant
• Bilby — Nancy

Appearances as themselves (25)

• Ricky, Sue & a Trip or Two — Herself
• 2024The Big Snow of '47 — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2023Caroline Aherne: Queen of Comedy — Self
• 2023The Royle Family - Down the Back of the Sofa — Self / Barbara Royle (archive footage)
• 2021Robbo: The Bryan Robson Story — Self
• Taskmaster’s New Year Treat — Self
• DNA Journey — Self
• Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule — Self
• 2017Shannon Matthews: What Happened Next — Self - Narrator
• 2016World Cup 1966: Alfie's Boys — Self
• 2015The Nation's Favourite Beatles Number One — Self
• Celebrity Antiques Road Trip — Self - Participant
• 2010The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa — Self
• 2009Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It — Self - Narrator (voice)
• The Alan Titchmarsh Show — Self
• Would I Lie to You? — Self
• 2005Liverpool FC: One Night in May — Self
• Strictly Come Dancing — Self
• Who Do You Think You Are? — Self
• 2002The Virgin Mary — Self - Presenter
• 2002There's Only One Paul McCartney — Self
• Timeshift — Self - Narrator
• Loose Women — Self
• Parkinson — Self
• Today — Self