Brierley played the part of Osborne in the 1977 episode "Suddenly At Home" in the TV series Rising Damp.[1] He was also in an Only Fools and Horses episode in 1982 ("Diamonds Are for Heather").
Brierley portrayed Michael Palin's Latin teacher in a 1979 episode of Ripping Yarns entitled Roger of the Raj. In 1987 he played Reverend Phelps in East of Ipswich, also written by Palin. In 1988 he appeared with Palin and John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda as Archie Leach's secretary, Davidson.