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Acclaimed producer to mentor Aussies in drama intitiative

Producer behind Wolf Hall, Shameless, The Missing, Spooks to mentor Aussie writers.

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World-renowned drama producer John Yorke (Wolf Hall, Shameless, The Missing, Spooks, Omagh, Hustle) has been announced as the International Script Mentor for FremantleMedia’s Blue Sky Drama Initiative, to develop a drama series for local and international audiences.

Working with FMA’s Director of Drama, Jo Porter, and FMA’s Head of Scripted Content, Anthony Ellis, Yorke will lead the writers in the development of two projects selected from a public call out.

Jo Porter, FMA’s Head of Drama, says: “We all know a compelling drama begins with the script. Having someone of the calibre of John Yorke guiding these unique projects is going to be a fantastic experience for all of us involved.  John’s pivotal role in realising from the ground up a diverse and successful range of iconic television projects is second to none. We can’t wait to get started.”

John Yorke says: “I’m extremely flattered to have been asked to work on the Blue Sky project. Mentoring writers is one of the most important things an industry can do and it’s brilliant to be involved in a project that so clearly understands that.”

2 Responses

  1. John Yorke is a great producer but this is a pretty sad situation which reflects poorly on Australia’s TV executives who commission and develop drama. We have a public subsidy agency giving money to a international production company to develop international TV projects and they employ a foreign producer to mentor writers chosen after a public call out for ideas. Unlike all other TV drama projects there is no local broadcaster attached. Sorry but TV doesn’t work like this. The Sopranos would never have existed if it didn’t have HBO at first instance, nor Mad Men with AMC or in fact Wolf Hall without the BBC. Or for those who can remember, the Ten Network with The Dismissal, arguably one of our greatest TV dramas had Greg Coote commissioning it in-house for his proprietor, Rupert Murdoch. To think local and make it global is at the heart of the best TV and begins and ends with a…

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