Barry Johnston (writer)
Encyclopedia
Charles Barry Johnston also known as Barry Alexander, is a British
writer
, audiobook producer
, radio presenter and songwriter
. He is the eldest son of the BBC cricket
commentator Brian Johnston
(24 June 1912 - 5 January 1994). He was a member of the British
vocal group Design
in the 1970s
and later presented radio shows on KLOA-AM
in California
, USA
and on BBC Radio
in the UK
. He is now an award-winning producer of audiobooks and has also edited and written several books, including biographies of Kenneth Horne
and of his father, Brian Johnston.
. When he was eighteen he signed as a songwriter to The Beatles
’ company Apple
Publishing. In 1969 he joined the vocal group Design
who went on to appear on more than fifty television shows in the UK in the early 1970s with stars such as Morecambe & Wise, The Two Ronnies
, Tommy Cooper
and Benny Hill
. When he joined the actors’ union Equity in 1970 there was already a member with a similar name so he adopted the stage name
Barry Alexander.
Design released 13 singles and 5 albums in the UK and Barry Alexander wrote many of the group's album
tracks and b-sides
, as well as the singles “Love Is” and “Losing You”.
After Design split up at the end of 1976, he became the personal manager of The New Seekers
.
in California
where he enrolled at the Los Angeles Broadcasting School in Hollywood. After graduating, he presented the breakfast show (as Barry Alexander) on Radio KLOA-AM
in Ridgecrest
, California for two years. After returning to England in 1985 he reverted to using his real name and became a presenter on BBC Radio Sussex in Brighton
, where he hosted the daily consumer programme Sussex Standard. In 1990 he joined the new BBC Radio 5
as presenter of the Sunday breakfast show Sunday Edition.
Listen For Pleasure label and in 1994 it became the number one bestselling audiobook in the UK for several months, reaching number 46 on the UK Albums Chart
and receiving a Gold Disc award for sales of more than 100,000 copies.
This was followed by Johnners at the Beeb (BBC Audiobooks) which was also a number one bestseller and was awarded a Silver Disc for sales of more than 60,000. It won the 1996 Music Industries Association Award for Spoken Word Recording of the Year.
Since then Johnston has abridged and produced more than one hundred audiobooks, including recordings by Sir Michael Parkinson
, Alan Titchmarsh
, Tony Benn
, Sir Ranulph Fiennes
, John Humphrys
, Shane Warne
, Jack Dee
and many others.
In 2003 Johnston and Seymour produced the audio CD The Wit of Cricket (Hodder Headline) featuring Dickie Bird, Henry Blofeld
and Brian Johnston
, which became the number one bestselling audiobook in the UK in 2007 and 2008 and received a Silver Disc award for sales of more than 60,000.
Barry Johnston took over BarryMour Productions in 2006 and he now runs his own company, Barn Productions.
As editor:
And as author:
Johnston has also abridged several books for Book at Bedtime
on BBC Radio 4
including Solar
by Ian McEwan
and A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, audiobook producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
, radio presenter and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He is the eldest son of the BBC cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
commentator Brian Johnston
Brian Johnston
Brian Alexander Johnston CBE, MC was a cricket commentator and presenter for the BBC from 1946 until his death.-Early life and education:...
(24 June 1912 - 5 January 1994). He was a member of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
vocal group Design
Design (UK band)
Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
in the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and later presented radio shows on KLOA-AM
KLOA (AM)
KLOA is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format, licensed to and serving Ridgecrest, California, USA. The station is currently owned by Adelman Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio and Jones Radio Network....
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He is now an award-winning producer of audiobooks and has also edited and written several books, including biographies of Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Horne was an English comedian and businessman. The son of a clergyman and politician, he combined a successful business career with regular broadcasting for the BBC. His first hit series Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh written with his co-star Richard Murdoch arose out of his wartime service as...
and of his father, Brian Johnston.
Music
Barry Johnston was educated at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. When he was eighteen he signed as a songwriter to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
’ company Apple
Apple Corps
Apple Corps Ltd. is a multi-armed multimedia corporation founded in January 1968 by the members of The Beatles to replace their earlier company and to form a conglomerate. Its name is a pun. Its chief division is Apple Records, which was launched in the same year...
Publishing. In 1969 he joined the vocal group Design
Design (UK band)
Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
who went on to appear on more than fifty television shows in the UK in the early 1970s with stars such as Morecambe & Wise, The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
, Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
and Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
. When he joined the actors’ union Equity in 1970 there was already a member with a similar name so he adopted the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Barry Alexander.
Design released 13 singles and 5 albums in the UK and Barry Alexander wrote many of the group's album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
tracks and b-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
, as well as the singles “Love Is” and “Losing You”.
After Design split up at the end of 1976, he became the personal manager of The New Seekers
The New Seekers
The New Seekers are a British-based pop group, formed in 1969 by Keith Potger after the break-up of his group, The Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music had rock as well as folk influences...
.
Radio
In 1981 Johnston moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
where he enrolled at the Los Angeles Broadcasting School in Hollywood. After graduating, he presented the breakfast show (as Barry Alexander) on Radio KLOA-AM
KLOA (AM)
KLOA is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format, licensed to and serving Ridgecrest, California, USA. The station is currently owned by Adelman Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio and Jones Radio Network....
in Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest may refer to:*The high point of a ridgePlace namesIn the United States:* Ridgecrest, California* Ridgecrest, Florida* Ridgecrest, Louisiana* Ridgecrest, North Carolina...
, California for two years. After returning to England in 1985 he reverted to using his real name and became a presenter on BBC Radio Sussex in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, where he hosted the daily consumer programme Sussex Standard. In 1990 he joined the new BBC Radio 5
BBC Radio 5 (former)
BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...
as presenter of the Sunday breakfast show Sunday Edition.
Audiobooks
In 1992 Johnston formed BarryMour Productions with Chris Seymour and a year later they produced a recording of his father’s one-man theatre show An Evening with Johnners. This was released on the EMIEMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
Listen For Pleasure label and in 1994 it became the number one bestselling audiobook in the UK for several months, reaching number 46 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and receiving a Gold Disc award for sales of more than 100,000 copies.
This was followed by Johnners at the Beeb (BBC Audiobooks) which was also a number one bestseller and was awarded a Silver Disc for sales of more than 60,000. It won the 1996 Music Industries Association Award for Spoken Word Recording of the Year.
Since then Johnston has abridged and produced more than one hundred audiobooks, including recordings by Sir Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
, Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
, Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
, Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Ranulph Fiennes
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE , better known as Ranulph Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a prolific writer. Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years including a period on counter-insurgency service while...
, John Humphrys
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
, Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, Jack Dee
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
and many others.
In 2003 Johnston and Seymour produced the audio CD The Wit of Cricket (Hodder Headline) featuring Dickie Bird, Henry Blofeld
Henry Blofeld
Henry Calthorpe Blofeld is a sports journalist. He is best known as a cricket commentator for Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra.Blofeld had an exceptional career as a schoolboy cricketer, cut short by injury...
and Brian Johnston
Brian Johnston
Brian Alexander Johnston CBE, MC was a cricket commentator and presenter for the BBC from 1946 until his death.-Early life and education:...
, which became the number one bestselling audiobook in the UK in 2007 and 2008 and received a Silver Disc award for sales of more than 60,000.
Barry Johnston took over BarryMour Productions in 2006 and he now runs his own company, Barn Productions.
Books
Johnston has edited and written several books including An Evening with Johnners which was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller in 1996 and Letters Home 1926-1945, also a Sunday Times top ten bestseller in 1998.As editor:
- 1996: An Evening with Johnners (Partridge Press)
- 1998: Letters Home 1926-1945 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson)
- 2000: A Delicious Slice of Johnners (Virgin)
- 2001: Another Slice of Johnners (Virgin)
- 2002: A Further Slice of Johnners (Virgin)
- 2009: The Wit of Cricket (Hodder & Stoughton)
- 2010: The Wit of Golf (Hodder & Stoughton)
And as author:
- 2003: Johnners: The Life of Brian (Hodder & Stoughton)
- 2006: Round Mr Horne: The Life of Kenneth Horne (Aurum Press)
Johnston has also abridged several books for Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime
Book at Bedtime is a long-running radio programme on BBC Radio 4, broadcast each weekday evening at 10.45–11.00 pm.Book at Bedtime offers fiction including modern classics, new works by leading writers and literature from around the world. Books are usually abridged and serialised each evening for...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
including Solar
Solar (novel)
Solar is a novel by British author Ian McEwan, first published on 18 March 2010 by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Random House. It is a satire about a jaded Nobel-winning physicist whose dysfunctional personal life and cynical ambition see him pursuing a solar-energy based solution for climate...
by Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
and A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French.
See also
- DesignDesign (UK band)Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
- Brian JohnstonBrian JohnstonBrian Alexander Johnston CBE, MC was a cricket commentator and presenter for the BBC from 1946 until his death.-Early life and education:...
- Kenneth HorneKenneth HorneKenneth Horne was an English comedian and businessman. The son of a clergyman and politician, he combined a successful business career with regular broadcasting for the BBC. His first hit series Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh written with his co-star Richard Murdoch arose out of his wartime service as...
- BBC Radio 5BBC Radio 5 (former)BBC Radio 5 was a BBC radio network that carried sport, children's and educational programmes.It was transmitted via analogue radio on 693 and 909 kHz, and lasted for three years and eight months. The success of BBC Radio 4's coverage of the Gulf War, on a service known as Scud FM,...