Yorke's Aim - Continuing The Tradition
By Larry Jaffee
“A lot of the things changed; a lot stayed the same,” reflects John Yorke, EastEnders’ new executive producer since January 2000.
He’s comparing what working on the programme is now like in contrast to what it was like five years ago when he left as the series’ script editor.
When the opportunity came up to return to EastEnders he thought “long and hard for about 24 hours” before deciding to take the job.
Yorke was selected by Mal Young, BBC Head of Drama, for whom he produced two other shows.
On the day that I visit the set (about three months after Paul Fields’ visit), Yorke is covering for a producer who’s very pregnant and has a doctor’s appointment.
Consequently, our conversation is punctuated with him half-looking—for which he apologises—at the monitor, checking the taping going on in the internal set next door.
I realise that I’m being granted a rare opportunity to see how EastEnders is created. The particular demanding scene that’s being worked on involves Frank (yes, he’s coming back, sorry for the spoiler) working behind the bar, doing his best Tom Cruise in Cocktail impersonation. He flips the shaker up, and attempts to non-challantly catch it in hopes of impressing Peggy with a W.C. Fields-like “my chickadee...” delivery.
Frank’s alter-ego, Mike Reid, apparently was taking afew liberties, adding an ad-lib here and there because Yorke presses the intercom button to tell the director to relay to Mike that he should “stick to the script.” Five or six takes later, Yorke seems satisfied, which I’m sure made Reid very happy.
We get back to the differences between Yorke’s first and second stints in Elstree. He points out that a few of the creative team remain, some in new jobs, he notes.
“EastEnders hasn’t changed that much. The traditions of the show are very strong [and continue] what founding co-producers Julia Smith and Tony Holland created in the first place,” Yorke explains.
In his first tenure at the show, Yorke worked under three producers: Leonard Lewis, Barrbra Emile and Corrine Hollingworth. I ask what he learned from them in their role. “You have to be fair; you sometimes have to be hard.”
I point out that Hollingworth was the EastEnders executive who showed the Walford Gazette any respect and appreciation, and in fact was interviewed by Dan Abramson over a Transtlantic call. I have no doubt that it was Corrine who helped pave the way for her successor, Jane Harris, to lift the ban on me to visit the studio the next year (1996), as chronicled in Issue No. 14.
Yorke tells me that he has every intention to continue the great relationship we had with Matthew Robinson, and that he too appreciates all the hard work that the Gazette does in keeping EastEnders alive in America. This, of course, puts me at ease.
I noticed that in the room on the wall is a front page of one of the tabloids with the banner headline “Well Done EastEnders.” I ask about the series’ relationship with the newspapers, and Yorke responds that it’s fairly good and sometimes the criticism is warranted. I tell him that the Gazette veers clear of tabloid-style coverage of the actors’ personal lives. Yorke says that he’s sure the approach is appreciated.
Yorke then sets th record straight on two rumours that have popped up in the press: no, Anita Dobson (“Angie”) isn’t coming back; contrary to continuing speculation, no EastEnders isn’t moving to four times a week from three like Coronation Street.
“It’s a good time in East- Enders history,” the executive producer tells me, adding that it’s no small feat to produce 157 quality shows a year—but they do it.
Following my interview with Yorke, I caught glimpses of newcomers Martin Kemp (“Steve Owen”) and Tamzin Outwaithe (“Melanie”), who recently won British Soap Awards for Best Villain and Most Sexiest Actress, respectively. Both have been in the cast for nearly two years, and presumably are months away from showing up on our stateside PBS screens. They seemed to be busy preparing for a scene so there wasn’t any time for introductions, and I myself was late to be interviewed by EastEnders Revealed, a behind-the-scenes series on the BBC Choice channel that is available to U.K. households that subscribe to digital cable or satellite service.
As my [bad] luck would have it, there wasn’t time to snare any quick interviews with castmembers, despite being in their midst. An EastEnders publicist insisted that I would be welcome back in the future and she’d do her best to arrange Transatlantic phone interviews in the meantime if I’d like.
I then rendezvoused with the producer of EastEnders Revealed, Mary Templeman, who was keen to interview me (how’s that for a reversal?) about the Gazette and how Americans view EastEnders. After crossing the Square, video camera in tow, we settled down on Arthur’s bench. Mary then gave me a quiz on Cockney expressions, which I failed miserably. She wasn’t all that impressed by my Grant impersonation, “OI!!!!.” The segment is scheduled to run next September.
At lunchtime, I made my way over to the studio canteen, where I saw Marc Bannerman (“Gianni DiMarco”) having lunch with his on-screen brother Michael Greco (“Beppe DiMarco.” I met Marc last year during my visit to the studio, and he remembered this and then invited me to have lunch with them. I had to do a double-take since Beppe (sorry for the spoiler) appeared to be killed off in the episode I watched with Gretchen the night before.
I tell Marc and Michael that the DiMarcos are about to arrive in America, which they’re pleased to hear. I also mention to Marc that I’m headed to Manchester on Friday for an appearance on Soap Fever, which coincidentally is hosted by his real-life girlfriend Nadia Sawalha (see page 10), who EastEnders fans know as “Annie Palmer,” the daughter of Peggy’s boyfriend George. Also joining us at lunch was John Bardon, who plays “Jim Branning,” who U.S. viewers might remember as Carol Jackson’s father. He’s returned for a permanent role signed up through September 2002, and in fact, in the previous night’s episode there was a memorable scene between Jim and Dot, in which she accuses him of trying to get her drunk and take advantage of her.
John also is riding high from his appearance in East is East, which recently opened in the U.S. (see review on page 11) and is currently a big hit on video in the U.K. He tells me that he heard that ticket lines are around the block in the States. I tell him that I don’t know about that, but the night that I saw it the audience applauded afterwards. He complained how he only earned £150 a week for about six weeks’ work. I pointed out to him that it was the director’s first film. “It wasn’t mine! Put that in your Gazette!” Bardon bellowed, getting laughs from Bannerman, Greco and me. It was all very casual.
Marc and John had to go back to the set, and I chatted with John for another 10 minutes. He seems especially fond and proud of Natalie Cassidy, who plays his on-screen granddaughter “Sonia Jackson,” and who just celebrated her real-life 17th birthday. As I was talking with John, I noticed Adam Woodyatt (“Ian Beale”) ducking in for a quick word with a woman I didn’t recognize. Adam is one of the few castmembers with whom we’ve been unable to snare an interview. But before I knew it, he was gone in a flash.
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