S12 Ep2: From Scriptwriter & Producer, The Archers & Eastenders to Historical Saga Author: Joanna Toye

Joanna Toye grew up as an only child surrounded by adults - and she wonders if this is what gave her her love for stories. She’s spent her whole career telling them. She worked for decades as a scriptwriter & producer for Radio 4’s The Archers, as well as other treasures like Crossroads and EastEnders. But then there was a twist in her own story, and Joanna decided it was time to create her own world - one which suited her and her family. A trip to an exhibition changed everything and she began writing historical saga novels. In this conversation Joanna tells us what it’s really like to be a writer of some of the biggest storylines on our biggest soaps (it’s fascinating, I promise!). We discuss what happens when real-life doesn’t go to plan, plus we discover the inside truth of a story involving EastEnders, Dot Cotton and her recycling.. (cue EastEnder DOOF, DOOF, DOOF, DOOFs). Joanna is open about her own fears and wobbles and she really is a wonderful storyteller. She believes there’s no such thing as failure. She also believes we must find a way to be true ourselves because this is what gives us the power to create a world truly meant for us.  To learn more about Joanna and her books you can find her at : https://www.facebook.com/joannatoyewriter/?locale=en_GB To discover more about the work of the boxing charity Empire Fighting Chance you can click here: https://empirefightingchance.org/ And I'd love for you to join my mailing list so we can keep in touch with more of these conversations (and my books too) you can find me here: https://www.elliebarkerwrites.com/ (Go on... I know you want to)