Sandy Johnson is a renowned director, writer, and producer who has made a significant impact in the television and film industry, particularly in the genres of comedy and drama. His career began with a stint as a painter at art school in Glasgow, before transitioning to acting, where he gained recognition for his role as one of the "Knights of Ni" in the iconic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Following his time as an actor, Johnson attended film school and began his directing career with the critically acclaimed series The Comic Strip Presents... for Channel 4. He then went on to direct his first full-length feature film, Coast to Coast, starring Lenny Henry, John Shea, and Pete Postlethwaite, followed by Leaving, a coming-of-age drama set in 1960s Greenock.
Johnson's work on music videos led to the creation of the music-based road movie The Wreck on the Highway, starring country singer Lynn Anderson. He then directed several major drama series for ITV, including Inspector Morse, Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Gone to the Dogs, Gone to Seed, A Touch of Frost, and Soul Survivors, a musical feature film starring Ian McShane and Isaac Hayes.
Johnson's return to the BBC saw him create the drama series Roughnecks, a 7-part series set on the North Sea oil rigs. He continued to work in comedy with Adrian Mole - The Cappuccino Years and Jonathan Creek, starring Alan Davies, for which he won his first BAFTA for Best Drama Series.
AUF WIEDERSEHEN PET in Thailand, Supernova in Australia, Kingdom with Stephen Fry, Love Soup starring Tamsin Greig, and Harry and Paul with Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse were some of his notable projects, earning him a further two BAFTAs for Best Comedy Series.
Johnson's subsequent work included Cradle to Grave, an 8-part series based on the real-life adventures of Danny Baker, starring Peter Kay, and two films with Harry Hill, The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm and Professor Branestawm Returns, adapted from the books by Norman Hunter.
He directed six series of the popular NTA award-winning comedy series Benidorm for ITV and has recently completed The Indian Detective, a 4-part series for CTV/Netflix, starring Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, William Shatner, and Mishka Parthiephal, as well as Hold the Sunset, a 6-part series for BBC1, reuniting him with Monty Python's John Cleese.
