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1957-
Joanna was born in Rugby and educated in Edinburgh and Israel where her father was in the Diplomatic Service. Returning to their Midland roots, her parents settled in Solihull in 1970 where she completed her education. After taking a degree in English at Cambridge she joined the BBC in 1980.
Joanna Toye joined the production team of the rural soap The Archers. After four years of typing scripts and researching everything from a day in the life of a Trading Standards officer (sheep dipping and farm shops) to how to keep caged birds happy (on behalf of Walter Gabriel's budgie), she left to write scripts. It was a fortuitous time: the comedy potential of the Grundies had recently been realised, Nelson Gabriel was holding court in the West Street Wine Bar and Nigel Pargetter was about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting nation. Her writing highlights at this time included scripting Mark and Shula's wedding in 1985 and the appearance of Princess Margaret at an NSPCC Charity Fashion Show at Grey Gables.
In 1990 she returned to the production team to research and direct and by the time she left again in 1995 was Senior Producer with joint responsibility for storylining and script editing, working on stories such as Elizabeth's abortion, Susan Carter's controversial imprisonment, Shula's IVF and the death of Mark, as well as countless fetes, flower shows and lighter comedy stories, the stuff of village life in Borsetshire, the mythical country which roughly equates to Worcestershire.
Now working full-time as a freelance writer, she combines her regular work on The Archers scriptwriting team with writing books, all of them based on TV and radio programmes generated by BBC Birmingham.
Despite her thoroughly townie credentials, Joanna loves writing about rural life and also has a great interest in social history. She admires many Midland writers in the naturalistic tradition from George Eliot to Jonathan Coe. She is currently looking for a publisher for an original book idea focussing on notable but little-known Birmingham women of the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Matthew Boulton's daughter and confidant, Anne.
© Joanna Toye, June 2002
Shula's story- The life and loves of one of 'The Archers'
favourite characters (1995)
Dangerfield - Series 1 (1996)
The 'On your farm' book of breakfasts (1997)
The Ambridge chronicles - The Archers 1951-2000 3 vols.
published between 1998 and 2000 comprising Family ties
(1951-1967);Looking for love (1968-1986); and Back
to the land (1987-2000)
The Archers encyclopaedia 'The ultimate guide to the people
and places of Ambridge'(written with Adrian Flynn) (2001)
For more information about Joanna Toye visit http://www.speakersagency.com
Page created 9 February 2001 and last updated 28 October 2002
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