Exclusive: Samuel woke from a near-death accident speaking in a Russian accent. His TV job had a unique role in his recovery

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Johnson always loved his job narrating Paramedics, but since his own life-threatening accident, the connection runs even deeper.

In 2021, the actor and Gold Logie winner almost died after he was hit by car as a pedestrian in Melbourne.

Samuel fractured his neck and skull and suffered 11 days of acute post-traumatic amnesia (PTA). While he doesn't remember it, he spoke in a Russian accent and thought he was an 11-year-old Japanese girl as a result of the PTA.

Paramedics returns Tuesday, July 15 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Samuel's recovery was a 15-month long journey and his job as narrator of Paramedics, which offers unguarded insights into the lives of emergency service heroes, played a unique role in getting him back on his feet.

"I'm very fond of this job. I woke up convinced that I would lose the job to someone who's better than me, and tried to get back to work too soon," Johnson recalled in an interview with 9Entertainment.

"The specialists at the hospital talked me down and explained that I'd have to read out loud for 30 seconds that day. Then the next day, I could do a minute, and then the day after that, I could do 90 seconds, and the day after that, I could do two minutes.

"Once I got up to an hour, then they would contemplate me going back to work."

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Aussies would know Samuel as a much-loved Australian actor, aside from narrating Paramedics, he's best known for his work on The Secret Life of Us, Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities and as the star of Molly Meldrum's biopic series MOLLY, which he won a Gold Logie for in 2017.

Samuel was named 2018 Victorian of the Year for his charity work to vanquish cancer. His charity he set up with sister Connie, Love Your Sister, has raised millions.

Actor Gyton Grantley stepped up to fill the Paramedic narration boots until Johnson was able to return – and doing so was a big moment for the 47-year-old.

"I was taught everything again; how to read, how to make a cup of tea, how to walk, how to move, and that season slipped by. I was really, really happy to get my job back and really proud when I first walked back to back in there to to be able to do the read confidently," Johnson said.

"It had been nearly a year so thanks to [production company] WTFN I was kept in the family and for me it was a significant thing, getting back in the booth. It took many, many months and a lot of effort."

Even before his personal experience, Johnson knew the show, which takes viewers inside the high-stakes world of Australian ambulance crews, was something special.

"It's a red carpet straight to the heart of humanity," he explained.

"You've got these amazing, inspiring professionals who do this traumatic work at the coalface for too little reward in my mind. It's the opposite of all the acting I've done, it's the opposite of pretending. This is real life, this is real death and this is real heroes without capes."

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Even after so many seasons under his belt as the voice of the series, Samuel is impressed by the paramedics ability to "smile through a crisis".

This is the case as the series returns for Season 6, featuring plenty more tense moments – as well as the series' known heart and humour.

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"Every now and then you'll shack up in 'serious town', that's the nature of the job, but thankfully there are so many situations saved, so many lives saved and so many smiles between the paramedics and the patients," Johnson said.

"Overall, I'm leaving the segments feeling inspired."

Paramedics returns Tuesday, July 15 at 7.30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

Stream the latest episodes of Paramedics for free on 9Now.

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