The man who kickstarted the careers of a raft of award-winning actors and household names from Greater Manchester has died. Tributes are pouring in to David Johnson, who set budding actors on the path to stardom at the Oldham Theatre Workshop, which he founded in 1968.
Having started in theatre at the age of 15, working in roles including director, David founded Oldham Theatre Workshop to provide free programmes for local youngsters to flourish on stage. It went on to become Europe's biggest youth theatre company with at least five stage shows every year.
Several Coronation Street stars learned their craft under his leadership including the late Anne Kirkbride, who played Deirdre Barlow, and Michael Le Vell, who stars as Kevin Webster. Anna Friel, Suranne Jones and Lisa Riley are also among those who David helped to launch their careers.
