Sue Johnston has revealed she is desperate for a celebrity version of BBC1's de-cluttering series Sort Your Life Out, admitting she fears she is a hoarder. The veteran actress, who lives in Wilmslow, Cheshire, said her house is in such a mess that she hopes Stacey Solomon can come to the rescue.
Johnston's plea for help
“My house is such a mess,” the 82-year-old sighed. “I’m hoping the BBC does a celeb version of Sort Your Life Out so I can get Stacey Solomon to tidy it up for me.” The Royle Family star admitted she struggles to let go of possessions, even though she knows she has too many. “I can’t get rid of things! It’s so hard,” she explained. “I watch Stacey Solomon’s show where they come and take all your stuff - I wondered if they’d do a celebrity one and come to my house.”
Life after divorce and family joy
Johnston has been single since her second marriage to theatre director David Pammenter ended in 1980. She raised her son Joel as a single parent after David left when Joel was three months old. Now she is a proud grandmother to two grandsons. “I love being Granny,” she said recently. “I think grandchildren are the reward you get for getting old.” She lives alone with her rescue dogs but sees her family regularly at weekends, when she wishes her home were less cluttered.
New BBC sitcom Ann Droid
Next month, Johnston will appear in the new BBC comedy Ann Droid alongside Diane Morgan. Set in 2029, the sitcom follows a recently widowed pensioner who is given a secondhand eldercare robot named Linda by her son. Initially finding Linda intrusive, she soon realizes the robot can help with errands and settling scores. BBC bosses hope the show will replicate the success of The Royle Family, in which Johnston played Barbara alongside Ricky Tomlinson.
The Royle Family's unexpected success
Johnston said she and Tomlinson had no idea how popular the series, written by Caroline Aherne, would become. “I didn’t realise what we’d got hold of when we got it,” she admitted. “I remember Ricky Tomlinson saying, ‘This is either going to go out at midnight or it’ll be a huge success’. We had no clue of how it would be.” The award-winning comedy, set almost entirely in the Royles' front room, regularly drew 12 million viewers.
Age and attitude
Johnston has said turning 80 was a shock. “It’s just a number, but I remember my mum was an old woman at 80,” she explained. “I think attitudes have changed so much. I don’t feel like an old woman.”
Sort Your Life Out format
Sort Your Life Out has run for six series on BBC1 since 2021. Stacey Solomon offers advice with help from professional organiser Dilly Carter, upcycler and carpenter Robert Bent, and cleaning guru Iwan Carrington.
