Club of Great Britain. He portrayed the apartheid-supporting Namib mine superintendent Mr. Zimmerman in two episodes of the 1985 mini-series Master of the Game. Johns later appeared in the much-maligned Ken Russell films Salome's Last Dance and The Lair of the White Worm (both 1988), followed by the title-character in the mid-1980s Channel 4 series Brond. His many stage credits include Daddy Warbucks in the original West End run of Annie – he can be heard on the original London cast album – and the Ghost of Christmas Present in the original Birmingham cast of the stage adaptation of the film musical Scrooge (1970), on the recording of which he can also be heard. His guest appearances on TV include The Avengers, Department S, Neverwhere, the Doctor Who serial Four to Doomsday (1982) and the Blake's 7 episode "Games". He had a prominent role as Calpurnius Piso in the BBC's acclaimed adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius (1976); he played Magwitch in the BBC's 1981 adaptation of Dickens' Great Expectations, and the jailer in The Secret Life of Albie Sachs. Johns appeared in the 1984 pop video for Young at Heart recorded by The Bluebells. With him were veteran Scottish actress Molly Weir and Scots singer/actress Clare Grogan. In 1993, Johns appeared in the BBC period drama Scarlet and Black alongside a young Ewan McGregor and Rachel Weisz. Johns played the role of Cyril Isaiah Greengrass, the conniving brother of Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the nostalgic Yorkshire Television series, Heartbeat. He was also the author of the children's book Gumphlumph; in the mid-1960s, at the height of his fame as Barlow, he read it on the children's television series Jackanory. Gumphlumph would be revived, again with Johns narrating, for the TV-am children's programme Rub-a-Dub-Tub in the 1980s. Personal life He married Nanette Ryder in 1955; they had four children. He ran the small hotel in St Martins Lane called the St Martins Hotel; it was managed by Elizabeth Kissick-Jones, formerly Hartnell, who was the aunt of his wife Nanette. The hotel was very popular with actors and he ran it until 1976. After several years of poor health, Johns died from heart disease in 2002, aged 76. Selected filmography Burnt Evidence (1954) - 2nd Fireman (uncredited) The Night My Number Came Up (1955) - Sergeant (uncredited) The Ship That Died of Shame (1955) - Garage Worker (uncredited) The Ladykillers (1955)