Creative Dialogues: in Conversation with Don Boyd and John Yorke

Join the faculty on Wednesday 20th May 17:30-19:00, as we host another event in the Creative Dialogues series between television producer, screenwriter and author John Yorke and Exeter Honorary Professor and film director, Don Boyd.

John Yorke was previously head of drama for Channel 4 and the BBC, where he played an integral part in bringing acclaimed series such as Wolf Hall, EastEnders and Shameless to the screen. Widely acknowledged as an expert on story, he is the author of the bestselling Into the Woods: Why Stories Work and How We Tell Them (2014) and Trip to the Moon: Understanding the True Power of Story (2026). Drawing on his vast experience in the creative industries, John will discuss with Don how narratives function and are constructed and why, from literature and popular entertainment to politics and religion they resonate with audiences in local and global contexts.

WHEN: Wednesday 20th May 17:30-19:00
WHERE: University of Exeter - Henderson LT XFI, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PT
is a series of exclusive ‘in-conversation’ events hosted by the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, showcasing a range of high-profile speakers who are leaders in their respective fields across the creative industries and Humanities.

They offer rare opportunities to join internationally renowned professionals and learn first-hand about their colourful careers and life works.

About the Guest Speakers:

John Yorke is Managing Director of both Angel Station and John Yorke Story, where he works as a drama producer, consultant and lecturer on all forms of storytelling. A former MD of Company Pictures where he Exec Produced Wolf Hall, he’s worked as both Head of Channel Four Drama and Controller of BBC Drama Production. As a commissioning Editor/Executive Producer, he championed huge British hits such as Life On Mars, The Street, Shameless and Bodies and in 2005 he created the BBC Writers Academy, a year-long in-depth training scheme which has produced a generation of successful television writers. His most recent TV production is THE WITNESS for Netflix (coming in Summer 2026). The author of INTO THE WOODS (which has now sold over 250,000 copies), and the recently released TRIP TO THE MOON, John is a double BAFTA winner (as programme maker) and multi BAFTA winner (as commissioner). He presents his own weekly radio show Opening Lines about classic novels on BBC R4, and for many years was Visiting Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He lives in London but works as a story consultant worldwide.

Is a British film Director, Writer and Producer.

After graduating from the London Film School in 1970, Boyd began his career at the BBC before directing more than 40 commercials for major brands including Coca-Cola and Chrysler. In the 1970s he directed two independent feature films, Intimate Reflections and East of Elephant Rock (1976), starring John Hurt and Judi Bowker, which premiered at the London Film Festival.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Boyd worked extensively in both the UK and Hollywood, collaborating with studios including Paramount and Universal. Through his company Boyd’s Co, he co-produced a number of landmark British films, including Alan Clarke’s Scum, Derek Jarman’s The Tempest, Lindsay Anderson’s Look Back in Anger starring Malcolm McDowell, Julian Temple’s The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle with the Sex Pistols, and a major Hollywood comedy directed by John Schlesinger.

He also produced the acclaimed opera film Aria (1987), a collaboration with directors including Robert Altman, Nicolas Roeg, Jean-Luc Godard, Franc Roddam and Ken Russell, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Following his production of the BBC’s War Requiem starring Laurence Olivier and Tilda Swinton, Boyd returned to directing with a series of notable films. These include Goldeneye, an Ian Fleming biopic starring Charles Dance; Twenty One, written by Zoe Heller and nominated at Sundance; Kleptomania; the opera film Lucia; and My Kingdom, a contemporary reimagining of King Lear starring Richard Harris and Lynn Redgrave.

His documentary work includes a BAFTA-nominated film on Imelda Marcos and several BBC Storyville productions, including Andrew and Jeremy Get Married, which was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2009, Boyd was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter, where he has served as an honorary Professor since 2002. He has also been a Governor of the London Film School and is the founder and former Artistic Director of Hibrow, the world’s first online platform for the visual and performing arts, producing over 250 hours of original programming.

Boyd has written for The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Independent. His first novel, Margot’s Secrets (2010), is currently in development as a major television drama scheduled for 2027/28. He is presently working on a second novel set in 1930s China, developing a sequel to Aria, and co-writing a screenplay set in contemporary Morocco.

He is a trustee of Never Such Innocence, a charity dedicated to giving children a voice on issues of conflict and war. Professor Boyd lives in West Sussex with his wife, the bestselling novelist Hilary Boyd. They have been married for over 50 years and have three daughters and five grandchildren.

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Host or Publisher University of Exeter