Barry Johnston is the eldest son of legendary cricketer Brian Johnston. He was educated at Eton before becoming a songwriter for Apple Publishing, and in 1969 he joined the vocal harmony group Design. He sang with them for the next eight years (under his stage name, Barry Alexander) and appeared on over 50 TV shows in the 1970s, as well as writing several of their hit singles and many album tracks. After the band split up, Barry continued writing and, for two years, was manager of The New Seekers. He left the music business in 1983 to start a career in broadcasting, first on Californian breakfast show KLOA-AM and later with Radio Sussex and Radio 5. In 2006, he established Barn Productions, and has since produced over 100 audiobooks, including the award-winning Johnners at the Beeb and An Evening with Johnners. He has also edited several books and is the author of two biographies, Round Mr Horne: The Life of Kenneth Horne and Johnners: The Life of Brian.