John Yorke
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John Yorke is currently the Controller of BBC Drama Production.
He attended Newcastle University[1]. He joined the BBC in the late 1980s, working initially in radio as a studio manager and then as a producer on BBC Radio 5.
In 1994, he moved to television, working as a script editor on EastEnders before becoming storyline consultant on Casualty.
In 1999 he took on the executive producer role on EastEnders. During his time there, he successfully introduced the soap's fourth weekly episode and a win over long running rival Coronation Street in a rare head-to-head showdown. He also axed the majority of the Di Marco family and helped successfully introduce popular characters such as the Slater family.
As what Mal Young described as "two of EastEnders most successful years", Yorke was responsible for big ratings winners such as "Who shot Phil?", Ethel's death, Jim and Dot's marriage, abusive Trevor and Kat's revelation to daughter Zoe that she was her mother.
In June 2002 he left the popular soap for a senior position under Mal Young in the BBC's in-house Drama Series team, but soon after he left to work for Channel 4 as the Head of Drama. There he commissioned successful shows such as Shameless, Sex Traffic and the acclaimed Omagh.
In 2004 it was announced he would return to the BBC, taking over Mal Young's position, as Controller of BBC Drama Series, and, in addition, Co-Head of Independent Drama Commissioning (i.e programmes made for the BBC by independent production companies, rather than in-house). One of the reasons he returned was to set around reversing the fortunes of EastEnders, which had been facing tough times in comparison to the past. However, as BARB figures clearly demontrate, average EastEnders viewing figures per episode have plummeted from the high of 12.5 million when he took control and they are commonly 1-2 million fewer than Coronation Street.
As Controller of Continuing Drama Series, he has been ultimately responsible for overseeing some of the most popular programmes on British television, including EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Doctors.
In 2006 he was made Controller of the newly formed BBC Drama Production - a merger of Continuing Series and Series and Serials. While at the BBC Yorke has been Commissioning Editor/Executive Producer for Life on Mars, Robin Hood, Bodies, The Street, A Class Apart, Waterloo Road and Holby Blue, as well as looking after various series of Spooks, Hustle and New Tricks.
Despite this apparent impressive portfolio Yorke has seen his position weaken recently with his amalgamation into a drama management trio including Nick Brown and Kate Harwood who share his previous responsibilities. His new title is Controller Drama Production Studios.
His establishment of the "writers academy" to train budding writers to create scripts for EastEnders and Doctors has been welcomed by some, but seen by many in the industry as an indication of the erosion of the talent base that the changes in the BBC drama department have created.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- EastEnders: Faith, Morality and Hope in the Community, Speech by John Yorke
- Executive Producer John Yorke Reveals All
- John Yorke at the Internet Movie Database
